Wednesday, 2 July, 2025
Hon Wamboka-Led Committee cracks down on mismanagement in higher education audit cycle
Tuesday July 1, 2025
The Public Investments Committee on Education and Governance, chaired by Bumula MP, Hon. Jack Wamboka, has announced a resolute stance on the persistent audit failures plaguing institutions of higher learning across the country.
Speaking during a session with several university and college heads, Committee Members led by Hon. Wamboka emphasized that the days of ignoring audit timelines and flouting financial regulations are over.
The Committee expressed concerns over the increasing trend of failure by institutional heads to submit timely and accurate audit reports, resulting in repeated audit issues rolling over to subsequent financial years.
"This practice is not just unacceptable — it's illegal," said Hon. Wamboka. “We are determined to enforce adherence to established procedures and instill a culture of accountability through stringent measures. Principals and Vice Chancellors will be held personally accountable for their shortcomings.”
The Committee also cautioned institutions against embarking on new development projects without completing existing ones. This warning comes in light of multiple stalled projects that have drained public resources without delivering results.
Audit reports for Chuka University, under Vice Chancellor Prof. Henry Mutembei, found the institution to be juggling four simultaneous projects, raising concern on capacity and oversight. Hon. Wamboka firmly advised the Vice Chancellor to refrain from initiating new projects until the existing ones are completed.
On a positive note, in the following year, the university earned a clean audit report — leading to Prof. Mutembei being publicly congratulated for improved fiscal discipline.
In contrast, Kiirua Technical Training Institute (TTI), led by Principal Dr.Mbae Jackson was flagged for irregular payment of board allowances amounting to Kshs. 1,740,218. The payments were made without approval from the Cabinet Secretary, violating financial procedures.
The Committee has demanded a full refund of the amount by those who authorized and received the irregular allowances.
Further scrutiny of Kiirua TTI revealed a troubling lack of diversity in hiring, with 93% of the staff coming from a single ethnic group — a direct violation of legal requirements for inclusivity. The Committee has since directed the institution to address this within a two-year compliance window.
The Committee also raised eyebrows over dubious financial benefits enjoyed by a former VC at Karatina University. The former Vice Chancellor was found to have received transport allowances despite having access to an official vehicle. The current VC Prof.Linus Muthuri was instructed to recover these funds within six months.
Additionally, the same former VC was cited to have processed a Kshs. 12.49 million gratuity payment just two days before his contract expired — without undergoing formal clearance.
The Committee directed that the amount be recovered within a month, and only after official clearance should gratuity be paid in accordance with the law.
At Nachu Technical and Vocational College (TVC), led by Principal Magdalene Mwachofi, audit reports revealed a failure to comply with data protection laws. The institution had not registered with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner despite handling sensitive personal data.
The college was also found to have violated ethnic diversity regulations, with 58% of its staff from one community, well above the 25% legal threshold.
Additionally, Nachu TVC failed to include land value in its property records and lacked ownership documentation for the land it occupies.
The Committee directed the Principals and VCs to address and resolve all the audit queries to avoid repeat appearances before them.