The Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education has demanded that private universities return Ksh 200 million paid out to students who were not placed by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS)
The call came during a hearing held by the committee, which grilled representatives from two tertiary institutions regarding audit queries related to their finances and operations.
The committee, headed by Jack Wamboka, found that private universities had received and spent funds meant for students who were later discovered not to have been admitted due to limited spaces.
As a consequence, the committee resolved to hold the universities responsible and return the excess payments.
Discrepancies in the audit records
Additionally, the committee highlighted discrepancies in the records kept by both state departments and educational institutions concerning the disbursement of funds allocated to private universities from 2016/2017 to 2022/23 Financial Years.
The committee found an overall over-disbursement of Ksh 3,195,703, with unapproved payments of Ksh 19,017,387.
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Discrepancies between the State Department and university records led to an unexplained variance of Ksh 162,365,484.
These inconsistencies raised concerns about the accuracy and integrity of the data, prompting calls for improved recordkeeping and increased transparency.
Furthermore, the audit revealed that four universities exceeded their declared capacities by admitting 1,944 students, and 22 universities had 62,267 students placed without declared capacities.
To address the issues identified, the committee advised the adoption of measures such as establishing a tracking mechanism to monitor the placement of students receiving government sponsorship.
They also proposed the implementation of a policy governing the distribution of capitation funds for government-funded students attending private universities.
“The legislators emphasized that the proposed policy should include minimum and maximum funding levels based on student needs and program durations.he government should formulate policy to guide the implementation of capitation funds for government – sponsored student in private universities.
“This policy is to include provisions for minimum and maximum funding levels based on a student’s needs and program durations, among other critical matters,” suggested the lawmakers.
What transpired during the session
In the session led by Jack Wamboka, the parliamentary committee, scrutinized the management of the Technical University of Kenya and Kasarani Vocational Training College for their unpreparedness in responding to audit queries from the Office of the Auditor-General
The Vice Chancellor of the Technical University of Kenya, Prof. Benedict Mutua faced questioning but failed to satisfy the committee’s inquiries.
Hon. Wamboka cautioned him, citing potential fines under Standing Order 191 (a) for insufficient responses.
Standing Order 191 (a) allows for fines up to five hundred thousand shillings if a summoned witness fails to appear or appears but does not satisfy the Committee.
Cause for summoning
The standing order however, has regard to the witness’ condition in life and all the circumstances of the case.
The Committee had summoned both the Technical University of Kenya and Kasarani Vocational Training College to address an audit query regarding contractual documentation on a tuition block valued at Ksh 66,642,639.
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The focus was on why the contractor, through a company affiliated with the Technical University of Kenya, did not hand over the building upon completion.
As such, the Vice Chancellor’s failure to produce required documents prompted a unanimous decision from the Committee to invoke Standing Order 191 (a).
