Auditor General has uncovered significant tender irregularities at Utumishi Boys Academy, implicating Principal Dr. Maina Gitonga in mismanagement and financial discrepancies

 



The most recent report from the Auditor General for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, has disclosed a serious tender fraud at Utumishi Boys Academy located in Nakuru.

Accusations are being directed towards Principal Dr. Daniel Gitonga. The report indicates that procurement regulations have not been adhered to under his oversight, with allegations suggesting he may be a beneficiary of the fraudulent activities.

Stakeholders concur with the findings of the report and are now advocating for his transfer. Dr. Gitonga has been with the institution since May 2022, and there is a consensus that it is time for him to be reassigned, with a new principal expected to be appointed in January.

The report states that the statement of receipts and payments shows total disbursements amounting to Kshs. 166,239,700 in the financial statements. An examination of payment vouchers and supporting documents for various procurements of goods, services, and works has revealed several procurement irregularities:

In certain cases, quotations were not solicited from multiple suppliers, making it impossible to ascertain whether the goods and services were procured competitively. This violates Section 106 (2)(d) of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015.

Consequently, it could not be confirmed that the goods and services were procured in a competitive manner, contrary to Sections 80 and 84 of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015.

There was no documentation to verify that the goods were inspected upon delivery to ensure that what was requested matched what was delivered. Goods received and issued were not accompanied by counter requisitions and issue vouchers to validate that the respective items were distributed to the user department.

This contravenes Regulation 166 of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Regulations, 2020.

An examination of procurement records indicates that the School Management failed to comply with the provisions of the Public Procurement and Disposal Act, 2015, which mandates that 30% of the tenders awarded be allocated to Youth, Women, and Persons with Disabilities.

Furthermore, Management did not follow the operational manual set forth by the Ministry of Education, which stipulates that all payment vouchers, local purchase order receipts, goods received notes, and other supporting documents must be systematically and chronologically numbered and filed by date to facilitate easy retrieval and review by management, internal and external auditors, or other independent reviewers.

Veterinary services were procured without the issuance of local service orders, leading to ambiguity regarding the selection process for the supplier providing slaughtering services, among other services. Although cows were disposed of, there was no disposal committee established, nor was there a report generated for the estimated value of Kshs. 2,792,000, which represents the purchasing cost of the biological assets (cows and bulls) and was not reflected in the financial statements.

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