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Nairobi MCAs blame the Executive for deliberately delaying bursary funds

Minority Whip Peter Imwatok said that most wards received bursary forms in December last year and the bursaries were to be disbursed in January, which did not happen, complaining that the delays have put education of over 50,000 needy students at risk/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 12 – Members of Nairobi County Assembly are now blaming the Executive for deliberately delaying the disbursement of bursaries despite the funds having been released.

Minority Whip Peter Imwatok said that most wards received bursary forms in December last year and the bursaries were to be disbursed in January, which did not happen, complaining that the delays have put education of over 50,000 needy students at risk.

“When we went for recess were told that the funds would be released in five days, we had been told the Central Bank had released the money, begging the question if the money was released about a month ago which account did it go to and why were the cheques not prepared for these vulnerable children in the society, no one could give an answer,” he said.

Imwatok said they had received confirmation from the Chair Education Committee Millicent Mugadi and the Finance Department that funds had been released but erroneously deposited in the wrong account causing the MCAs to smell a fishy deal.

“We want to know how, and by whom, the money was wired to an account held by Maryland University in Australia, and why it remained in the account for over a month before the error was detected,” said Imwatok

The Acting County Executive Committee for Finance Charles Kerich admitted that the County Treasury had opened two accounts with Cooperative Bank, City Hall branch, on March 28 and April 24 — the Nairobi City County/University of Maryland Health Services Account no 01141232396611 and Nairobi City County Bursary Fund Account no 01141232396612.

He however defended that that the accountants preparing the payments had erroneously picked the health donor fund account instead of the bursary account.

Kerich said the money had been reversed to the bursary account.

“We took immediate remedial action on May 29 and asked the bank to transfer the money to the bursary account, an instruction that was effected on the same day,” he said.

The said account was opened by the Australian university to channel funds for the construction of Dandora Primary School however Nairobi County is still in possession of the account.

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Under the fund, each of the 85 wards in the Nairobi was supposed to get 700 bursaries, which comes to 59, 500. Each bursary was worth Sh5, 000, bringing the total amount to   Sh297, 500,000.

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