State of the Free Primary Education Funds in Kenya 2004-2008

1. State of the Free Primary Education Funds in Kenya 2004-2008 A Civil Society Report A simulated case study

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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:

5. Misuse of Funds 2 • Over $40million, almost a quarter of the FPE assistance is shamefully unnaccounted for • $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 • 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. • 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.