Kenyans may be losing billions of shillings due to mismanagement by publishers, the state curriculum developer, and schools.
Audit reviews have revealed significant waste, including instances where schools received unnecessary books while facing shortages in other subjects. In some cases, books were left in poor conditions, with thousands of titles collecting dust on shelves as they became irrelevant.
Auditors found numerous textbooks unused in libraries, lacking proper inventory management systems, and supplied in excess.
The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development distributes textbooks on behalf of the Ministry of Education, but it remains unclear if demand is based on actual student enrollment data.
Auditors also discovered instances where books were either not delivered or arrived late, depriving students of essential course materials.
Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has criticized the state publisher KLB, the curriculum development agency KICD, and secondary schools for their role in this situation.
“Books supplied to students were untraceable in some cases,” Gathungu noted, emphasizing that taxpayers may not be receiving value for their money.
She accused KLB of irregularly hiring a contractor for tasks that should be handled by the agency itself.
In the review for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, Gathungu reported that KLB spent over Sh1.4 billion to outsource printing, which she deemed irregular.
“Examination of payment vouchers revealed that the bureau outsourced most of its printing work, straying from its core function of printing and publishing in the country,” Gathungu explained.
KLB’s total production costs for the period were around Sh2 billion, with 70 percent of printing outsourced. Consequently, the bureau’s printing press generated only Sh615,404,970, or 30 percent, indicating underutilization of its printing services.
Gathungu pointed out that this trend has persisted, as 79 percent of printing jobs were outsourced the previous year. According to Section 4 of the Bureau Act of 2012, KLB is mandated to publish, print, and distribute literary works of all kinds.
“This indicates that outsourcing printing services is not legally permissible. Therefore, management has violated the law,” Gathungu concluded.
