Prof George Magoha, look here. It is not only in politics where people worship ‘’tyranny of numbers’’; it cuts across sectors, societies, and class. Especially, where the unscrupulous see low-hanging fruit such as the billions of shillings baby-sitting free learning.
That is why some of these education officials, including school inspectors and head-teachers who you say are bringing opprobrium to the ministry “doing nothing” will inflate enrolment, see no wrong in recognising “ghost schools” and looking the other way when fictitious payments are the order of the day.
Auditor Nancy Gathungu says in 2019/2020 the ministry officials overpaid for free education by a whopping— that cliché— Sh1.81 billion to an estimated 2,610 secondary schools whose enrolment were inflated and the payments doubled.
“The overpayments arose from erroneous computations of July and September 2019 disbursements, inflation of enrolment numbers in January, 2020 and double payments to some schools,” the audit says.
School registration papers, TSC appointment letters, posting of head-teachers and boards of management meetings okaying bank accounts were not provided. Under such “circumstances, it is not possible to confirm the accuracy and validity of the reported subsidies of Sh58.77 billion for the year ended June 2020,” Ms Gathungu says.
“The transfer of funds was against ministerial guidelines on funds disbursements. In the circumstances, it is not possible to confirm the authenticity of the disbursements,” the report reads.
Such unschooled steps at a government ministry thrives when many or few bad apples expect quick gains from somewhere. This “somewhere”, unfortunately, in Kenya, is claimed to be the voice, the force, the roar, and browbeating “from above”. May be.
Prof Magoha, the fiery Education Cabinet Secretary whose no-nonsense image can scare even the toughest, toughest and the bravest, including the Big Five of the wild and nosy journalists, has admitted there is rot at Jogoo House B in Nairobi, the headquarters of the ministry that has been allocated about Sh500 billion in the 2021/22 financial year.
“Shame on us; including myself,” Prof Magoha owned up, taking responsibility for the rot in his ministry. This confession is strange, coming from a man who took charge of the ministry and wanted to know why only blazers were hanging at office desks instead of officials in their seats.
Strange because Prof Magoha has convinced many people that he is a hands-on man. He is in charge, starting from his days as the boss at the University of Nairobi; chairman of the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC); and, now, a minister.
During national examinations, Prof Magoha leads top officials of the ministry to every corner of the country, promising Kenyans and other stakeholders that the tests would be credible. The jury is still out there on the effectiveness of this style in an era where information spreads like fire. Who will not put their house in order on getting wind that a big man is around the corner?
So, how is it possible that a man whose management style takes exposes him to all and sundry could miss to see those sleeping on the job while billions of shillings go down the drain?
How did this unprofessionalism escape the eyes and ears of Prof Magoha who reaches the muddiest and slipperiest places in search of young people selected to benefit from the government scholarship? The world has seen Prof Magoha dodge low-hanging clothe lines in slums across Kenya. That’s hands-on, professor!
However, how come you, as the minister, can’t trace the taxpayer billions of shillings that are supposed to educate the needy cases who require uninterrupted education to live well and feel your leadership?
aplainteam@gmail.com
