Education Ministry on the Spot Over 2,000 Missing Computers

A new report from the Auditor-General has revealed that the Ministry of Education is unable to account for over 2,000 computers that were supposed to be delivered to public secondary schools across the country.

The CS Amina Mohammed-led ministry procured 3,320 computers for public secondary schools at Sh231 million but only managed to deliver 1,107.

Auditor-General Edward Ouko, in his new report covering the 2015/16 financial year, stated that the 2,213 computers which could not be accounted for were worth Sh153 million.

“However, the list of the serialised computers made available for audit review reflected 1,107 computers, resulting in a variance of 2,213 computers worth Sh153.8 million, which had not been accounted for as at the time of this report,” his report read in part.

He further revealed that the computers were delivered to schools on June 24, 2016.

The ministry was also found to have paid Sh1 million to a firm for tickets for 13 officials to travel to a retreat held from February 1 to February 3, 2016, when the budgetary allocation for the same was Sh440,000.

[caption caption="Students at a computer lab in Kenya"][/caption]

“The excess expenditure of Sh560,937 included Sh66,892 incurred on change-of-reservation fee and refund charges for cancelled tickets. No explanation was provided for changes in reservation and how the excess expenditure of Sh560,937 was financed,” Ouko noted in his report.

He also highlighted the fact that the ministry spent Sh31.3 million on mobile school teachers and purchase of instructional materials for 117 mobile schools in arid and semi-arid areas.

However, it was not clear how schools were identified and the funds disbursed to each as no detailed supporting schedules were provided for audit review.

The report revealed that the ministry procured goods at prices that were far higher than the prevailing market price.

CS Mohammed took over the Education Ministry from Interior CS Fred Matiang'i when President Uhuru Kenyatta named a new cabinet for his second term.

[caption caption="Interior CS Fred Matiang'i"][/caption]