PS Bitok links verification exercise to delay in school capitation funds

Speaking during Citizen TV's Elimu Mashinani town hall session in Narok, the PS explained that the Ministry took action following a damning report from the Auditor General that exposed funds were allocated to ghost schools. 

He noted that the verification exercise would require the schools to submit the students' details for a data cleanup exercise in a Unique Personal Identifer (UPI) form. 

“As you’re aware, there was a special report from the Auditor General which said some of the money being released is not going to the right schools, and the government decided to do verification on the number of learners, number of schools, accounts, and where the money is going,” he remarked. 

The PS pointed out that the Ministry had received funds from the National Treasury on Wednesday, August 27, and immediately began the verification process. He added that 20,000 schools were already verified, accounting for 66 per cent of the total schools. 

"By Friday, all schools will have completed the verification process to deal with the perception that we’re not sending money to the right school,” Bitok assured.

His remarks come amid warnings from secondary school heads across the country, who raised concerns over delays in receiving the remaining 20 percent of capitation funds for the third term. 

The school heads cautioned that if the funds are not disbursed soon, they may be forced to send students home due to financial strain.

They appealed to the government to address their challenges ahead of the national examinations scheduled between October and November.