Samuel Otieno
25 February 2008
Nairobi — The Sh2.9 billion free secondary education funds have not been disbursed to schools, The Standard has learnt.
Sources at the Ministry of Education said the money had not been released, even though the President had indicated that it had been sent two weeks ago.
"Maybe the President was misled that the money was disbursed two days before he launched the programme, but as far as we know, no money has been sent to schools yet," a source, who works at the ministry's accounts office, said.
Last week, Education PS, Prof Karega Mutahi, told The Standard that some schools gave wrong information to the ministry, causing the delay.
"It is surprising that a number of accounts were questioned by the banks. We wanted to avoid sending the money to an individual's account," the PS was quoted saying last week when he directed that accounts, which banks had cleared, be credited with the funds.
But it emerged that no money had been released yet. The funds, which were supposed to be electronically transferred two weeks ago, are yet to be received in the schools' bank accounts.
As a result, some schools demand fees from students, saying a school could not run without funds.
According to guidelines the PS issued last month, the Government is supposed to pay each student's tuition fees (Sh3,600), repairs, maintenance and improvement (Sh400), local travel and transport (400), and administration costs (Sh500).
Others are electricity, water and conservancy (Sh500), activity fees (Sh600), personal emoluments (Sh3,965) and medical fees (Sh300).
Principals have problems revising fee structures to match the limits set by the ministry, which many have dismissed as "unworkable".
Last week, representatives of secondary school head teachers the money had not been received.
Day schools, which have been worst hit by the delay, have started on a low note forcing the institutions to operate on a shoestring budget.
"Most schools in Coast Province are surviving on uncollected fee arrears and we can not pretend to be doing well," Mr Enos Mwaruka, a representative of head teachers in the region, said.
Mwaruka, who is also the head teacher of Tudor Day Secondary School in Mombasa, said the delay has stalled the purchase of learning materials, including text and exercise books.
Mr John Awiti, who represents head teachers from Nyanza Province, yesterday said a number of principals in the region had not received the funds.
Awiti, who is the principal of St Mary's School, Yala, said schools were not able to plan and budget for the funds because they did know how much each had been given.
"We do not know what amount was sent. What we are aware of is that the Government will pay Sh10,265 for each student," said Awiti, the vice-chairman of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association.
He said January salary for non-teaching staff had not been paid.
"While students can use the old textbooks, we are not in a position to give them exercise books," said Awiti.
He also indicated that the money would not be enough to run some schools.
"The Government may have to review their position and let parents close the gap on fees," he said.
According to Mr John Kirui, who represents head teachers from Rift Valley Province, suppliers have declined to provide supplies on credit.
"The funds the Government released last Monday do not take the debts of suppliers into account. The suppliers have now refused to give us services on credit," said Kirui.
Kirui, who is also the head of Nakuru High School, said secondary schools recorded poor payment of fees last term after the Government promised free secondary education.
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