A damning audit by Nancy Gathungu has exposed a troubling failure within Kenya’s education support system, after five constituencies were found sitting on unpresented cheques worth KSh 722.64 million—funds that were meant to support needy students through government bursary and scholarship programmes.
According to the audit findings, the money remained idle instead of reaching thousands of vulnerable learners who rely on bursaries to stay in school.
This revelation has sparked outrage, not just because of the amount involved, but because of what it represents: missed opportunities for education, delayed dreams, and a system failing the very people it was designed to support.
The bursary programme under the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) is intended to assist students from low-income families—covering school fees, reducing dropout rates, and promoting equal access to education. Yet, the audit shows that inefficiencies and poor financial management are undermining these objectives.
At the heart of the issue is the continued reliance on outdated and manual systems. The report highlights that most constituencies still process bursary applications manually, limiting access, slowing disbursement, and increasing the likelihood of errors and misuse.
In fact, only a handful of constituencies have fully digitized their bursary systems, with automation shown to significantly improve transparency and efficiency. Where systems are automated, students can apply more easily, records are better maintained, and funds are tracked more effectively.
But in the majority of constituencies, manual processes dominate—creating loopholes where funds can be delayed, misallocated, or, as in this case, not disbursed at all.
The audit paints an even more troubling picture when placed in a broader context.
Beyond the KSh 722 million in unpresented cheques, previous findings by the Auditor-General have flagged:
- Billions of shillings in unaccounted bursary funds across multiple constituencies
- Cases where funds could not be traced to beneficiaries
- Inequitable distribution of bursaries, with some deserving students left out entirely
- Weak oversight mechanisms within NG-CDF structures
In one instance, audit reports revealed that over KSh 2 billion in school bursaries could not be properly accounted for, raising serious questions about accountability and governance within the system.
The implications of these failures are profound.
Education remains one of the most critical pathways out of poverty in Kenya. For many families, bursaries are the difference between a child staying in school or dropping out. When such large sums remain unused or mismanaged, it directly translates into lost futures—students unable to sit exams, continue their studies, or transition to higher education.
The Auditor-General’s findings also expose structural weaknesses in how public funds are managed at the constituency level. NG-CDF committees, which are tasked with identifying beneficiaries and disbursing funds, appear to lack adequate systems, oversight, and accountability frameworks.
The use of cheques itself has been flagged as a major inefficiency. Unpresented or stale cheques not only delay access to funds but also create opportunities for financial mismanagement. In the 2024/2025 financial year alone, stale cheques worth millions were recorded—funds that could have supported hundreds of students for a full academic year.
Experts argue that transitioning to digital payment systems could significantly reduce such inefficiencies, ensuring that funds are transferred directly to schools or beneficiaries in a timely and traceable manner.
The report is now expected to trigger increased scrutiny from Parliament, particularly committees overseeing public accounts and education funding. There are also growing calls for a forensic audit of NG-CDF bursary programmes, as well as stricter enforcement of accountability measures.
For many Kenyans, the issue goes beyond numbers—it is about trust.
Public funds allocated for education are among the most sensitive and impactful resources in the country. When they are mismanaged, it erodes confidence in public institutions and raises concerns about whether the system truly serves those in need.
As pressure mounts, the focus will now shift to whether corrective action is taken:
- Will the funds be recovered and disbursed?
- Will those responsible be held accountable?
- And most importantly, will reforms be implemented to ensure this does not happen again?
For thousands of students across the country, the answers to these questions will determine whether opportunity remains a promise—or continues to be delayed by systemic failure.
