A committee investigating the disbursement of bursary funds in Samburu County has uncovered irregularities in a scheme that has left poor students in despair.
In a damning report tabled before the Samburu County Assembly, the Special Committee revealed that Sh7.1 million meant to support the education of underprivileged learners during the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years was mismanaged through malpractices including non-adherence to allocation criteria, conflict of interest, issuance of bounced cheques among others.
Committee Chairperson Phelix Lenamparasio, who is also the MCA for Loosuk Ward, described the findings as "deeply troubling" as he revealed that more than 750 learners had been affected by the scandal.
The MCAs also revealed that the bursary fund coordinators acted in contravention of the Public Finance Management (County Governments) Regulations Act 2015, which limits the administrative costs of the fund to a maximum of 3 per cent of the approved budget.
According to the report, in the 2023/24 financial year, the Samburu government allocated Sh133 million to the fund, and therefore the allowable administrative cost capped at 3 percent was Sh3.9 million. However, the actual administrative expenditure rose to Sh9.4 million, exceeding the limit by Sh5.5 million.
The committee further noted that in the 2022/23 financial year, the devolved units allocated Sh116 million to the bursary office, which exceeded the permissible administrative cost of 3 percent by Sh1.6 million.
"This trend indicated a cumulative over-expenditure of Sh7.1 million over two financial years. It is a direct violation of the statutory cap outlined in the Samburu County Bursary Fund Act, 2015," said Mr Lenamparasio.
The committee also found a conflict of interest in the management of the fund, where the Bursary Fund Coordinator awarded himself a bursary of Sh60,000, exceeding the set criteria of Sh15,000 for graduate students.
The MCAs also found that Samburu County lost a whopping Sh612,000 paid to various banks as penalties due to bounced cheques. The report shows that between March 17, 2023, and May 20, 2024, the bursary fund coordinator reported that 170 cheques issued by the fund had bounced. A penalty of Sh3,600 was therefore levied on each case, resulting in a cumulative loss of Sh612,000.
"This represents a significant financial loss because the penalties paid could have been redirected to support needy students. For instance, with the bursary fund allocating Sh10,000 per student for diploma courses, the amount lost in penalties could have provided financial assistance to 61 students," said Mr Lenamparasio.
The MCAs are now calling for the immediate disbanding of the county's bursary fund following revelations of the misuse of funds meant to assist needy students in the region.
Majority Leader Christopher Lentukunye noted that the bursary programme was the only hope of educational support for needy pastoralist children.
He said the Assembly would not "sit back and watch" as the financial irregularities threatened to undermine its credibility and effectiveness.
"It is sad that funds meant to uplift needy students have been mismanaged. We cannot sit here and allow such impunity while deserving students are locked out of opportunities to pursue education," said Mr Lentukunye.
The MCAs called for a thorough audit of the fund and urged the county government to hold those responsible to account by disbanding the current Samburu County Bursary Committee and its coordinator, Benjamin Leitore, to pave the way for a restructuring to restore public confidence.
