Cheques drafted by the Kilifi County Ward Scholarship Board for some 2,000 beneficiaries in different schools for the second term fees bounced due to lack of sufficient funds.
Governor Gideon Mung’aro’s administration wrote bad cheques to schools for learners in Term Two under the devolved unit’s controversial scholarship programme, members of the county assembly have been told.
The regional legislature heard that cheques drafted by the Kilifi County Ward Scholarship Board for some 2,000 beneficiaries in different schools for the second term fees bounced due to lack of sufficient funds. The matter came to light after Ganda MCA Oscar Wanje wrote to Education Chief Officer Fredrick Nguma, who also chairs the Ward Scholarship Board, demanding Sh3.5 million of his ward’s Sh10 million annual allocation.
Speaking in the county assembly, Kilifi Ward Scholarship Fund Administrator Neema Sirya confirmed that, when the programme was launched in January, the county government had no money to implement it.
“Only Sh70 million was available in the account,” she said. “We were forced to implement it because it had to be done. So we wrote the cheques.”
Ms Sirya said that, as administrators of the fund, they advised MCAs that the cheques would bounce but no one took them seriously. She explained that their attempts to hold the cheques to wait for adequate funds were thwarted and they were forced to release them.
The county assembly was informed that, since the students were going back to school, Education Executive Felkin Kaingu instructed the board to draft the cheques. Ms Sirya stated that they had only Sh13 million in the account by the time they were writing the Sh52.5 million cheques.
In January, Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro launched the scholarship programme for learners in national secondary schools after hiving off money from the Ward Development Fund with the approval of the MCAs.
The ward reps approved increasing the scholarship kitty from Sh350 million to Sh500 million by amending the Kilifi Ward Scholarship Fund Act, 2018. The Nation understands that each of the 35 MCAs contributed money to the scholarship kitty because the county lacked adequate funds at the time. The understanding was that the county executive would refund the monies at a later date.
In an interview with the Nation, Mr Kaingu said the MCAs agreed to contribute part of their ward allocation to support the national schools scholarship programme as the executive awaited an amendment to the Scholarship Fund Act which would increase allocations from Sh350 million to Sh500 million.
He said the MCAs contributed Sh3.5 million each, which was to be refunded once the law was in place.
“Before amending the Scholarship Fund Act, we were allocated Sh350 million. The national scholarship programme started before this law took effect. After getting the Sh150 million, we were to refund what we had taken from them [MCAs] and use the remainder for Third Term fees. Part of the Sh350 million was for the national school students,” he said.
According to Mr Kaingu, the county government owes MCAs Sh122.5 million. The official further stated that, when they requested for the Sh150 million when the financial year was about to end, they encountered technical delays.
“When we are through with the uploading of the budget by next week, the Sh150 million will be available. We will then refund the Sh122.5 million to the MCAs,” he said.
The Education Executive further said that the beneficiaries will have their school fees paid by August 25.
“We have been giving commitment letters to the schools so that students are left to continue with their studies. We are dealing with the third term. By the time they report back, we should have paid school fees for them.”
The Kilifi County Ward Scholarship Act, 2024 was gazetted on July 5 after being approved in April.
A senior official at the Kilifi County Ward Scholarship Board and who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals confirmed that the first amendment to the Ward Scholarship Act, 2018 was aimed at increasing the kitty from Sh350 million to Sh500 million and later to Sh1 billion.
“The boss [governor] had announced that it was a must for these children to go to school, so money had to be found in any way possible. However, there were still pending legal issues,” said the official.
“Matters of the law are complicated. One cannot just wake up one day and implement a policy. After presenting the amended draft to the Senate, parts of the legislation were found to be illegal,” the official added.
The official further pointed out that senators found out that MCAs had allocated themselves some administrative posts, which is against the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act.
The board has since recalled all the bounced cheques.
During the colourful launch ceremoby that was held at the Karisa Maitha grounds in Kilifi town, MCAs had vowed to support Governor Mung’aro’s goal of bring educating bright and needy students. The legislators defended themselves against public criticism that they had failed to perform their oversight role by approving everything the governor presented to them without question.
