Varsities unwilling to reveal data, MPs told

Parliament of Kenya

Private universities have been unwilling to give data on government-sponsored students on their campuses, MPs heard yesterday.

Members of the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee were yesterday told a number of universities have not been cooperative, making accountability of the Sh3.1 billion advanced to students in their institutions difficult.

PAC chaired by Butere MP Tindi Mwale has been probing the Sh3 billion capitation advanced to students in the 2022-23 financial year.

The issue was raised by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu in her report that is now being considered by the oversight committee.

The Mwale-led team took to task Higher Education PS Beatrice Inyangala to explain how the Sh3.1 billion was spent.

According to Gathungu’s report, the government disbursed Sh201.6 million to 15 private universities for capitation for 4,521 students who were not placed by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).

KUCCPS is mandated to coordinate the placement of government-sponsored students to universities and colleges.

The auditor said Sh412 million was disbursed as capitation grants for 9,489 students who had stayed beyond the duration of the course programmes.

According to the report, Sh17.7 million was a double payment of capitation grants. Further, the government advanced Sh354 million grants for students who had graduated and Sh53.6 million for students who had deferred their studies.

Acting Universities Fund chief executive Edwin Wanyonyi told the committee the fund has been facing challenges getting information from private universities.

“The fund has written to the universities, some have disputed while some have indicated that the excesses be deducted from their capitations,” he told MPs.

In her defence, PS Inyangala disputed the audit findings explaining some of the students being queried sought inter-universities transfer after the audit.

Some students, she said, deferred their studies while other got sick before finishing their programmes.

“During its review, the Office of the Auditor General relied on KUCCPS initial placement data without capturing subsequent transfers (institutional transfers) from public universities to private universities or even from one private university to the other,” the PS said.

MPs, however, dismissed the explanation demanding a special audit to unearth the status of the Sh3.1 billion.

MPs Mwale, Nabii Nabwera (Lugari), Joseph Emathe (Turkana Central), Geoffrey Ruku (Mbeere North), Otiende Amollo (Rarieda) and Edwin Mugo (Mathioya) said only a special audit will give a clear picture of the billions to private universities.