A new report by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has revealed that at least 12 public universities cannot account for land and other assets valued at Ksh19.6 billion, due to missing title deeds, transfer documents, and incomplete records.
In her audit for the 2023/24 financial year, Gathungu warned that the absence of legal documentation exposes these institutions to encroachment, asset loss, and financial misrepresentation. “Review of the universities’ records revealed that twelve public universities lacked ownership documentation for properties and other assets valued at Sh19,550,011,056,” the report states.
Among the flagged institutions is Kenyatta University, where 12,472 hectares of land worth Ksh123.3 million have been encroached, and another parcel valued at Ksh880, 000 lacks ownership documents. The university also failed to capitalise assets such as a perimeter wall and water tanks worth Ksh142 million in its financial statements.
At JKUAT, land worth Ksh16.56 billion had not been formally transferred to the institution. South Eastern Kenya University (SEKU) lacked documentation for land and intellectual property valued at Ksh2 billion, while Egerton University reported conflicting acreage figures between 1,500 and 2,000 acres which was allocated for maize cultivation, with no clear ownership or disclosed value.
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The audit also flagged UoN for unsupported intangible assets worth Ksh4.2 million, a UNES Limited balance of Ksh4.39 million, and unsurveyed parcels of land vulnerable to encroachment. Additionally, work-in-progress valued at Ksh 222.4 million and gold worth Ksh76 million could not be verified. Concerns over data integrity were also raised after it was discovered that, UoN’s fixed assets register was maintained in an unsecured Excel file.
Other institutions include Murang’a University of Technology, which reported 18 parcels of land worth Ksh54 million that had been encroached from the main parcel. Long-term investments worth Ksh25.3 million remained registered in the names of trustees of Murang’a Technical College.
Laikipia University lacked documentation for land worth Ksh547 million, while the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (AIST) had no ownership records for assets worth Ksh36.7 million transferred from the Ministry of Education. Turkana University College could not provide title deeds for land valued at Ksh80 million, and the National Defence University excluded land and buildings housing its headquarters from a Ksh39.4 million property balance.
At Multimedia University of Kenya (MMU), auditors could not verify ownership of two motorcycles in the university’s possession. The Technical University of Kenya maintained an assets register that lacked key details for items valued at Ksh90.9 million, whereas Garissa University had an incomplete fixed assets register.
By Masaki Enock
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