Education Ministry Under Scrutiny Over Sh4.5B Anomalies in Procurement of CBC Classrooms
The Ministry of Education is facing allegations of irregularities during the construction of the Sh4.5 billion Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) classrooms, according to the Auditor General’s report for the financial year 2021/2022.
The report points out various anomalies during the procurement of the classrooms, ranging from unsupported procurement methods, irregular pricing of the classrooms, and unsupported procurement and irregularities in the supply of desktop computers.
The Auditor General’s report revealed that the Sh4.5 billion was approved against an expenditure budget of Sh2.7 billion, resulting in an unapproved over-expenditure of Sh1.8 billion or 66 percent of the budget.
The report also raised concerns that the State Department Management did not provide for audit explanations and documentation on the procurement method used on the tenders for the construction of the classrooms and how the various contractors were identified.
Additionally, the Auditor General questioned the pricing of construction of the classrooms, which the education ministry tendered at a cost of Sh709,398 for each classroom across the country, as it was not clear how the amount was arrived at taking into consideration the terrain and topographical layout across the country making it impossible to have a standard rate.
The Auditor General further highlighted that the procurement and payments of the contractors were made outside the e-procurement system, contrary to Regulation 49(2) of the Public Procurement and Assets Disposal Regulations, 2020, which provides that the conduct of e-procurement procedures for the supply of goods works and services shall be carried out by a procuring entity using an e-procurement system that is integrated into the state portal.
The Auditor General regretted that the management for failing to provide for bills of quantities, market surveys and status reports on the construction of the classrooms.
The allocation was meant to oversee the construction of 10,000 classrooms targeted in readiness for the 2023 transition of 1.2 million learners to junior secondary school.
However, the Auditor General raised concerns about the accuracy, completeness, validity and regularity of the expenditure amounting to Sh1,784,068,016, which could not be confirmed as a proper charge to public funds. In conclusion, the Auditor General’s report indicates that the Ministry of Education was in breach of the law in the procurement and award of the contract for the construction of the CBC classrooms.
Education Ministry Under Scrutiny Over Sh4.5B Anomalies in Procurement of CBC Classrooms
