Kenya Newspapers Review: Auditor General Reveals 33 Non-Existent Schools Got Billions in Capitation
On Wednesday, July 16, the local dailies focused on Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen’s remarks on recent protests and police excesses, alongside revelations from the Auditor-General’s report exposing misuse of public funds.
Source: UGC
1. Daily Nation
As per the paper, the Office of the Auditor-General uncovered a massive fraud scheme where 33 non-existent schools received over KSh 3.7 billion in capitation funds between the 2020/21 and 2023/24 financial years.
This scandal emerged even as public schools continue to struggle under a KSh 117 billion funding deficit, affecting primary, secondary, and junior schools.
A special audit presented to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) found that many of the schools listed in the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) do not exist on the ground, yet continued to receive state funding.
Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu’s report painted a grim picture of systemic failure in education funding.
Secondary schools were the most underfunded, followed by junior and primary institutions.
The audit also found that some operational schools had their funds mixed up in a single bank account, undermining accountability.
In total, 723 out of 1,039 schools sampled were flagged for having ghost students, with major discrepancies between NEMIS and actual enrolment records.
The report also questioned the equity of the capitation funding model, saying it does not account for varying school needs.
MPs called for reforms to the flawed NEMIS system, with claims that it may be deliberately skewed to disadvantage certain regions.
The revelations highlight deep cracks in Kenya’s education financing, with accusations that the Ministry of Education is running a business rather than delivering a public service.
2. Taifa Leo
The Swahili paper reports that former nominated senator Gloria Orwoba was ordered to pay KSh10 million to Senate Clerk Jeremiah Nyegenye for defamation.
Orwoba had accused Nyegenye of sexual harassment, claims he strongly denied before taking legal action.
This ruling comes shortly after Orwoba was expelled from her position as a nominated senator.
Milimani Commercial Court Magistrate Ruguru Ngotho, in a judgment delivered on 14 July 2025, found that Orwoba’s statements, posted on her social media platforms, were defamatory, malicious, and not protected by parliamentary privilege as she had claimed.
The posts, which were described as hateful and lacking in evidence, appeared on her WhatsApp status, Facebook page, and X account.
In a detailed ruling, Ngotho ordered the former senator to issue a formal apology to Nyegenye through the same social media platforms and in a national newspaper within 30 days.
Failure to comply will result in an additional KSh 1 million fine, which will begin accruing interest after the 30-day deadline.
3. The Standard
The paper reports that when 23-year-old James Wambugu Gachara left home on the morning of July 7, he was heading to school, unaware it would be his final journey.
A Form Three student at Bingwa Secondary School in Nanyuki, James had returned to class after a long break following a brutal 2022 robbery that left him seriously injured and derailed his studies.
Despite those setbacks, he had renewed hope and dreams of becoming a doctor.
That hope was shattered when James was shot by anti-riot police while walking home. There were no protests near his school that day.
Around 4.30pm, James was walking past the Nanyuki Law Courts along Simba Road when police officers fired live rounds at a group of youths.
A viral video captured the moment a bullet hit him. He collapsed alone, unarmed, still carrying his school bag.
Strangers called for help, and Red Cross paramedics rushed him to Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Hours later, at 3am on July 8, James succumbed to his injuries. His parents, devastated, said they never got a chance to speak to him again.
A postmortem by the Independent Medico-Legal Unit revealed that James died from a catastrophic gunshot wound to the pelvis, caused by a high-velocity, close-range bullet.
The shot tore through major organs and blood vessels, leading to massive internal bleeding.
4. The Star
The daily reports that Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen announced plans to formally issue a directive regulating police use of force, especially regarding suspects.
He said the directive would be published in a gazette notice on Friday, citing Article 245(4) of the Constitution as the legal basis.
The move comes amid growing public concern over police brutality and the recent use of live ammunition during protests.
Murkomen had previously instructed police to shoot anyone attacking stations or destroying public property.
However, in his latest statement, he clarified that any officer found to have unlawfully used force would face legal consequences.
He also promised investigations and disciplinary action against those responsible for any excesses.
This policy shift follows nationwide demonstrations on June 25 and July 7, 2025, during which, according to Murkomen, violent elements took advantage of the unrest to terrorise innocent citizens.
He described the incidents as involving “raw and unprecedented terror” that disrupted daily life and caused significant damage.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
