National Assembly Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education chair Luanda MP Dick Maungu addresses the media at the Royal Swiss Hotel in Kisumu during its retreat, September 3, 2026. /PARLIAMENT
MPs have raised concerns over financial management in national schools, citing discrepancies in textbook distribution, long-standing fee arrears, school borrowing and procurement practices.
The concerns emerged on Thursday after principals from six national schools in Nyanza and Western Kenya appeared before the National Assembly Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education to respond to Auditor General reports covering the 2020/21 to 2024/25 financial years.
The committee, chaired by Luanda MP Dick Maungu, held the session at the Royal Swiss Hotel in Kisumu during its retreat.
The team questioned how learning materials are distributed, noting that some schools had received hundreds of textbooks beyond their requirements while others, particularly in marginalised areas, continued to face shortages.
“We have seen a school that received 400 and 506 extra books,” Maungu said.
He questioned whether textbook allocations were based on accurate and current enrolment data as captured in the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS).
“The question is, when you receive extra numbers, does it mean there is a school somewhere that does not have books?” he asked.
The committee plans to summon the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) to explain how textbooks are allocated and why some schools receive more books than they need.
“We expect KICD to have the right data to ensure that the books supplied are enough for the students who are there, so that those in far-flung areas in Mandera, Turkana and other places get what is supposed to be theirs,” Maungu said.
The committee also raised concern over millions of shillings in outstanding fees, with some arrears dating as far back as 2010.
Maungu said school heads faced a dilemma in recovering the debts while complying with government directives barring schools from withholding students’ certificates over unpaid fees.
“We have advised them that they don't need to hold a certificate for the learner because this student wants to join university or college. On the other side, they need to have this money paid,” he told journalists.
The committee chair urged schools to prepare schedules of long-standing fee arrears and submit them to the Ministry of Education for consideration of possible waivers.
“Such cannot happen by the authority of the board or the ministry. They need to seek a waiver from the ministry and table a schedule of all the fees that are in arrears for many years before the Basic Education Department, which can then forward it to Treasury,” he said.
The MP said that some receivables were linked to delayed capitation challenges.
“Some of those receivables are due to capitation not being sent. We call upon the government to ensure that it supports the head teachers by making their work easier by sending capitation as it should,” Maungu said.
MPs oppose school borrowing
The committee also questioned the practice of school boards obtaining commercial bank loans to finance construction and other projects without the required approvals.
Maungu cited a case in which a national school had previously secured a bank loan of about Sh50 million for a project estimated to cost Sh150 million.
Although the loan had since been cleared, he said such borrowing exposed public institutions to financial risks.
“That should be very limited. If you allow principals to keep borrowing money left, right and centre, we shall enter into a total mess,” he said.
School administrators must obtain approval from the Ministry of Education and Treasury before securing loans, he added.
“The law is very clear. No principal can simply walk into a bank and take a facility. There should be approvals from the Ministry of Education and Treasury.”
Maungu said Parliament would provide clearer guidelines on borrowing by public schools.
“We shall table a report in Parliament on what should happen with schools that go into borrowing because that should not be allowed,” he said.
The committee further questioned the failure by some national schools to employ qualified procurement officers despite requirements under public procurement law.
“The Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act is very clear as to how public institutions must procure. It is unfortunate that some of our schools procure as if they are procuring for private entities,” Maungu said.
He said national schools should have qualified procurement specialists to ensure compliance with procurement laws.
Smaller institutions that cannot sustain full-time procurement officers could receive support through Ministry of Education structures, he said.
The findings will form part of a report to Parliament containing recommendations on financial management and accountability in public schools.
“Going by the new Constitution, the Public Finance Management Act and the Public Audit Act, it is very important that this committee, which is in charge of governance and education, examines the reports of the Auditor General,” Maungu said.
“For the first time ever in this country, this committee will be taking on the books of high schools.”
The committee has started the audit with national schools, classified as C1, before moving to other categories of secondary schools.
The exercise is part of Parliament’s oversight role in monitoring the use of public resources and implementation of recommendations contained in Auditor General reports.
