- School heads have demanded an independent investigation into allegations that OAG officials solicited between Sh400,000 and Sh1.5 million for favourable audit reports.
- KESSHA chairman Willy Kuria has affirmed that principals do not oppose lawful audits but insist the process must remain within legal bounds.
- Omboko Milemba has raised concerns over duplication of audits by multiple oversight agencies, calling for better coordination to ease pressure on school administrators.
School heads have called for investigations into alleged irregularities surrounding audits conducted in public schools, raising concerns over claims that some institutions were subjected to multiple audits by different government agencies.
The principals have also alleged that some officials from the Office of the Auditor-General demanded payments ranging from Sh400,000 to Sh1.5 million in exchange for favourable audit reports.
The claims emerged as school administrators questioned the manner in which financial audits are being conducted in some institutions, particularly where schools have reportedly faced repeated scrutiny by different oversight bodies. According to the school heads, some auditors allegedly asked for money after completing their assessments, with one principal claiming that an officer suggested that a favourable report could be prepared if the school provided supporting documentation and cooperated with the process.
The allegations come against the backdrop of concerns raised in recent audit reports over financial management in some public schools. Reports tabled before the National Assembly in August highlighted cases involving unsupported expenditure, questionable withdrawals, weak procurement systems and failure by some institutions to comply with financial regulations. Some schools were also faulted for failing to maintain adequate documentation to support expenditure or demonstrate how public funds had been utilised.
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However, the school heads now want the allegations against individual auditors investigated independently, saying the audit process should not be compromised by demands for money. The Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) has called for relevant government agencies to establish the facts surrounding the claims.
KESSHA chairman Willy Kuria said school principals should not fear legitimate audits but insisted that oversight activities must be conducted within the law. “We do not fear audits, but they must be conducted within the confines of the law,” Kuria said.
Emuhaya MP and former Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers chairman Omboko Milemba also backed calls for investigations, saying concerns arising from audit reports should be properly interrogated. He further raised questions over possible duplication of audits, noting that some schools could be spending significant time preparing for assessments by different oversight institutions.
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The concerns have also drawn attention to the need for better coordination among agencies responsible for monitoring the use of public funds in schools. School heads argue that while accountability is necessary, repeated or overlapping audits can divert administrators from their core responsibility of running learning institutions.
The Auditor-General’s office had not, at the time of the report, responded to the allegations raised by the school heads.
By Jeff Kirui
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