Senator Onyonka calls for probe into TSC’s Ksh 433M payroll irregularities

Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka has demanded a thorough investigation into the Teachers Service Commission’s (TSC) payroll after an audit revealed significant financial irregularities.

This follows a report from Auditor General Nancy Gathungu, which highlighted a Ksh 433.9 million over payment to a group of teachers during the financial year ending in June 2024.

According to the report, these payroll discrepancies were largely due to the use of inefficient manual reporting and processing systems.

While the TSC was able to recover Ksh 222.3 million of the overpaid amounts, a substantial balance of Ksh 211.6 million remains outstanding.

During a session with the Senate Education Committee, Onyonka urged for an inquiry to determine the root cause of these anomalies. He specifically requested a clarification on the current number of individuals on the TSC payroll, their employment status, and a verification of all the teachers listed.

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The Senator also voiced concerns about similar issues within the Ministry of Education, pointing to audit revelations that the ministry had disbursed funds to schools that don’t exist, suggesting a widespread problem of mismanagement and poor oversight across public education institutions.

Onyonka has requested the committee to compel the Ministry of Education to provide a report detailing the total financial loss resulting from these “ghost schools” and unauthorized personnel.

This development comes just a day after the Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba announced new measures to address and eliminate non-existent schools nationwide.

By Masaki Enock