Over KES 19 million lost in Bungoma scholarship scheme – Lusaka
At least KES 19 million from the Bungoma scholarship program has been lost to ghost students from 2018 to date, a preliminary report released by Governor Ken Lusaka’s education taskforce has revealed.
The report shows 524 ghost students in six schools benefitted from the scheme resulting in the expensive loss that would have otherwise benefitted regions’ learners.
The ghost students are said to be from Kibabii High school, Teremi Boys, Bungoma High, Cardinal Otunga, Moi Girls Kamusinga and Kapsokwony Boys schools.
All the 524 ghost students are said to have received KES 35,000 each.
“If the amount potentially lost from just the 6 schools sampled out of the total of 522 stands at KES 19,140,000, then the actual amount possibly misappropriated must run into the hundreds of millions, when extrapolated,” the report reads.
The report also reveals that the procedure used to determine the beneficiaries of the scholarship was seriously flawed, with many deserving cases being rejected and many underserving cases receiving scholarships.
According to the report, there were numerous instances where the cited beneficiaries’ original list was altered.
Seven students had been transferred, but their former school was still receiving funding, according to the sample of 46 schools used in the report. It was also determined that the county continued to pay fees for 18 students whose parents had already made the full payment.
Eleven students, whose tuition had already been paid in full by other sponsors, still had their fees covered by the County.
Additionally, there during the headcount of beneficiaries, there was a very high number of students who could not be traced and in some instances, the schools were not even aware of their existence.
“A total of 62 students who could not be traced in Chebukaka Girls Secondary School. A total of 17 students in Chesamisi Boys could not be traced. In Kibuk Girls High School, 39 students were untraceable,” the report reads.
The task force also discovered that the county used cheques to pay the fees instead of the recommended IFMIS, which may have opened up a door for program abuse.
Human resource audit
The task force report also discovered that the county disobeyed a ruling from the Employment and Labour Relations Court on May 13, 2020, which ordered the employment of 463 casual workers who had brought a lawsuit.
“The County Public Service Board went ahead and hired over 660 casuals; an excess of 197 persons over and above those directed by the Court order.” the report says.
According to the report, the hiring of village administrators was also flawed because there were no copies of the minutes from each stage of the hiring procedure.
Additionally, there was noncompliance with the submission of statutory deductions, and the backlog now exceeds KES 500 million.
Pending bills
The committee discovered payments made for what appear to be nonexistent road projects, according to the report, and those claims were not backed up by any reliable documentary evidence.
“A case in point is payments made for six road projects that appear to be supported by the same set of photographs as evidence of works done,” reads part of the report.
The committee also discovered unauthorized changes to contracts and their terms, violations of their content, haphazard overcommitments, and selective payment of outstanding bills.
Lusaka has since pledged to reestablish public confidence and law and order in county governance.
“I wish to assure all residents of this County that in my tenure, never again will so few rob the destiny of so many,” he said.
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