Members of Parliament (MPs) are demanding answers after it emerged that board members from the Thika Technical Training Institute were paid sitting allowances for ghost meetings.
While reviewing the Auditor General’s reports on several institutions of higher learning on Thursday, June 19, the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education heard that the board meetings were held in hotels.
However, they did not have any supporting documents to justify the expenditures.
Further, the committee, chaired by Bumula Member of Parliament (MP) Jack Wamboka, revealed that payments totalling Ksh379,000 and Ksh244,500 were made to the board members for the meetings.
However, no minutes of the meetings, records of deliberations, or prior written approvals permitting the meetings to be held away from the registered office were made available to auditors.
The MPs flagged the payments as suspicious and a possible misuse of public funds.
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Other Irregularities Flagged by MPs
Further irregularities at the institution included missing lease agreements, outdated rental rates, and discrepancies in staff housing records.
Although payrolls showed 43 employees were housed, the rent register listed only 15, raising concerns about incomplete revenue records and possible rent diversion.
“The Institute also lacked approved policies on staff and student housing or facility hiring, and the rates for facility hire had not been updated to reflect current market prices, putting the reported revenue of Ksh546 million in doubt,” the report read in part.
The audit also flagged missing procurement documents such as prequalification lists and signed contracts, making it impossible to verify the legitimacy of tenders awarded at the institution.
As a result, the Committee resolved to visit the institution on a fact-finding mission on the queries raised.
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Other Institutions Flagged by the Auditor General
At the same time, the committee noted similar issues across other institutions including Machakos University which was flagged for awarding advance payments without security bonds.
The University also hired legal services without clearance from the Attorney General.
In addition, there were concerns about prolonged acting appointments and ethnic imbalance in staffing at the institution.
At Katine Technical Training Institute, irregularities in travel allowances amounting to Ksh3 million were flagged.
The audit revealed that funds were withdrawn in cash by the finance department without imprest warrants, and no supporting documents were available for review.
The committee has ordered that all irregularly drawn travel allowances be reimbursed, stressing the urgent need for stronger financial controls, transparency, and adherence to public service laws in higher education institutions.
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