The National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee has put the State Department for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) on notice, demanding comprehensive financial records over a Ksh74.7 million scholarship disbursement flagged by auditors for inadequate accountability.
The committee, chaired by Butere MP Tindi Mwale, raised concerns while reviewing Auditor-General reports for the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 financial years. Lawmakers questioned the release of funds for 239 students whose placement and reporting details had not been confirmed.
According to the Auditor-General’s report for the financial year ending June 30, 2024, a total of Ksh74,721,240 was disbursed to 452 students to support their studies in various TVET institutions.
However, the audit raised serious concerns about the identification of beneficiaries and whether the funds reached the intended recipients.
Auditors found that the department relied on information provided by a consultant rather than conducting independent verification before approving the disbursements.
A consultant’s letter dated January 27, 2023, further indicated that 102 of the listed beneficiaries were still awaiting placement by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), while 137 others had not secured admission letters at the time.
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Additionally, auditors noted that the State Department did not submit an updated status report on the beneficiaries and had no budget allocation for monitoring and supervising the implementation of the scholarship programme.
TVET Principal Secretary Dr Esther Muoria, however, defended the disbursement before the committee. She said the beneficiaries were drawn from the Wings to Fly programme, which targets secondary school graduates who do not transition to university.
Muoria explained that students’ personal, academic and socio-economic details had been verified during their secondary education, and that scholarship awards were based on placement processes coordinated by KUCCPS.
The committee has given the Principal Secretary two weeks to submit all relevant agreements, beneficiary details and supporting documentation for further scrutiny.
“We are not saying that the programme is bad; it has helped many learners. However, as a committee, we want to understand how the disbursement was done and also offer input that can be helpful,” Mwale said.
“Provide the documents within two weeks so that we can review them. The purpose of this review is not to find mistakes, but to identify gaps and make corrections where necessary,” he added.
By Benedict Aoya
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