Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino has dismissed allegations linking him to the mismanagement of a bursary kitty worth Ksh77 million.
In a statement released on Friday, July 4, the legislator flagged as fake, viral social media post which claimed there were bursary forms with no admission numbers and bounced cheques.
Other claims in the misleading poster included a lack of a bursary vetting committee and allegations that Auditor General, Nancy Gathungu, had not received acknowledgement receipts, which were noted.
The vocal MP, while addressing the matter, claimed that it was a ploy by his political opponents to destroy his reputation, adding that Embakasi East had been cleared by the AG, Nancy Gathungu.
“More fake news from desperate and unworthy opponents. The Auditor General cleared us for having used the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) effectively,” Owino stated.
To prove his assertions, the lawmaker provided a record of Gathungu's report on the utilisation of CDF funds in Embakasi East.
In the report, Babu Owino constituency was indeed cleared by the Auditor General for utilisation of Ksh52.5 million in bursary funds that went to Embakasi East. Notably, this was contrary to the Ksh77 million alleged.
“As required by Article 229(6) of the Constitution, based on the audit procedures performed, except for the matter described in the Basis for Conclusion on Lawfulness and Effectiveness in Use of Public Resources section of my report, I confirm that nothing else has come to my attention to cause me to believe that public resources have not been applied lawfully and effectively,” the report read in part.
The Auditor General disclosed that out of the Ksh52.5 million, Ksh41.4 million went to secondary schools, with Ksh8.05 million going to tertiary institutions in the constituency. The balances went to other grants and transfers which as per the AG, were accounted for.
However, Gathungu did confirm one of the allegations, which was the lack of a bursary vetting committee during the distribution of the bursary funds.
“Management did not constitute the sub-committee known as the Education Bursary, Mock Examinations and Continuous Assessment Tests Committee in contravention of Regulation 21(3) of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund Regulations, 2016,” the AG stated.
As per law, a Constituency Committee shall vet all applicants for bursary consideration per guidelines issued by the Board, and every constituency shall establish a Sub-Committee for the effective and efficient administration of education bursary schemes, mock examinations, and continuous assessment tests.
Owino has been in the headlines with reports indicating he intends to vie for higher office in the 2027 General Elections, presumably the Nairobi gubernatorial seat.
