State of the Free Primary Education
Funds in Kenya 2004-2008
A Civil Society Report
A simulated case study
About FPE
• During the 2002 general elections, the National Rainbow Coalition
(NARC) made the provision of free primary education part of its
election manifesto.
• Following its victory, on January 6, 2003 the Minister for Education,
Science and Technology (MoEST) launched the Free Primary
Education (FPE) to fulfill NARC’s election pledge.
• Fees and levies for tuition in primary education were abolished as
the government and development partners were to meet the cost
of basic teaching and learning materials as well as wages for critical
non-teaching staff and co-curricular activities.
• The government and development partners were to pay Kshs. 1,020
for each primary child in that year.
• Following the NARC intervention in January 2003, it was estimated
that the NER rose from around 6,314,726 to 7,614,326 by the end
of the year, representing a 22.3% increase nationally.
Funding of FPE
• The initiative for free primary education has been strongly supported by
the donor community. Encouraged by the public response and the
Kenyan government's political will, reflected in the disbursement of
$6.8 million in emergency grants to provide for basic classroom needs
including textbooks, UNICEF donated $2.5 million, and the UK
Department for International Development (DFID) donated $21.1
million. In 2004 additional grants of $50 million from the World Bank
and $10.6 million came from DFID and the Swedish International
Development Agency. The World Food Programme ($13.9 million) and
OPEC ($9.9 million) too have contributed to making the programme a
success.
• Upto $500million has been offered in assistatnce over the past four
years between 2004-2008, with the British government providing at
least half this amount of $200million in that time.
Misuse of Funds
• Two months ago the media leaked a story implicating MoE
officials in misapporpriating more than $40million over the 4
year period between 2004-2008.
• You the Minister of Education subseqently issued a statement
indicating that your office was investigating the claims, but
cautioned us against believing everything we read in the media.
• Two weeks after the media leaked the report the British High
Commissioner in Kenya confirmed that they instituted an
independent audit into the use of FPE funds.
• The preliminary report from the british govenrment is damning
and findings o which were contained in a public statement read
by the British High Commissioner indicating that FPE grants have
been abused by unscrupulous officers in the following ways:
Misuse of Funds 2
1. Over $40million, almost a quarter of the FPE assistance is
shamefully unnaccounted for
2. $10million has been lost due to fraudulent procurement
processes where fictitious meetings were held and a bottle
of water supplied for ksh 900 (USD10) each
3. The remaining $20million appears to have been paid as per
diems to education officals on monitoring visits around the
county, but there is no supporting documentation for the
same.
4. It is noteworthy that the initial report citing the abuse was
prepared by the MoE internal audit department over a year
ago, and only leaked to the press when your office failed to
act.
Action Demanded
• We therefore demand your immediate resignation and that
of the accounting officer in charge
• We demand an immediate release of the reports prepared by
the internal audit and indepndent auditors to give the public
a clear picture of what is going on
• We demand that the FPE hereforth insititute a proactive
disclosure policy to make sure the public is able to track all
expenditure on a regualr basis as provided in Art 35 for the
CK2010
• We demand that shcool heads avail to the school PTA and all
parents the full accounts of funds recevied and expended as
current disclosure is evidently.
Action Demanded
• We request those repsonsible be prosecuted to
the full extent fo the law.
• We demand that you further apologise to the
public for the negligence you have demonstrated
in letting the abuse of funds go on for three years
without action
• We shall submit our petition to the National
Assembly, the Public Service Commisison as well
as the Anti corruption Commission. Failure by
these bodies to act will force us to institute legal
proceedings of our own.