The National Assembly has sounded an alarm over mismanagement and deep-rooted financial crises at public institutions, with the Maasai Mara Technical & Vocational College and Masinde Muliro University of Science & Technology (MMUST) specifically coming under intense scrutiny.
Alleged mismanagement was uncovered by the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education (PIC), chaired by Bumula Member of Parliament Wanami Wamboka, who intensified oversight of institutions of higher learning.
In one institution, the Ziwa Technical Training Institute, the committee fined a procurement officer Ksh500,000 for submitting misleading information in violation of the Conflict of Interest Act, 2025, with lawmakers invoking Standing Order 191A to hold the officer personally liable.
The finance officer in question had served for nearly a decade and was subjected to an intense probe over recurring gaps in financial management, including missing audit evidence and incomplete records for the 2017/2018 financial cycle.
Despite his explanations blaming the deaths of two former principals, MPs were discontent with his responses, stressing that proper record-keeping in a public institution was non-negotiable.
MPs flagged an M-Pesa overdrawing of Ksh9 million at Ziwa, citing it as a serious lapse in financial controls. The committee urged immediate measures to prevent further mismanagement and strengthen oversight.
Management of the Maasai Mara Technical & Vocational College was also summoned by the committee, with MPs expressing frustration over the absence of critical personnel amid ongoing audit inquiries.
At MMUST, auditors revealed student debt balances exceeding Ksh800 million, raising concerns about the institution's ability to recover outstanding fees.
The institution's management proposed a Ksh23 million write-off, while it is also grappling with the recovery of another Ksh464 million related to postgraduate students who have been disconnected for over seven years.
MPs urged MMUST to expedite the rollout of the MMUST-HELB Revolving Fund by December 31 2025, to enhance the recovery of debt. They also recommended that debts belonging to deceased or unreachable students be written off.
In another institution, MPs reported Ksh46 million in unpaid fees as they called for strengthened debt collection measures. There was also a probe into a past staffing imbalance, where 120 out of 130 employees appeared to belong to one ethnic group.
Incidentally, the latest summons came barely a week after the University of Nairobi also came on the spot over Ksh7.4 million in unpaid rent to the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), a debt that has lingered for seven years.
The issue came to light during a meeting between KMTC leadership and the Public Investments Committee on Social Services, Administration, and Agriculture (PIC-SSAA) on Monday, where the college highlighted how outstanding debts, including UoN’s arrears, have strained its operations.
