Thousands of learners in public schools were left without enough textbooks after weaknesses in planning and distribution led to a loss of Sh458.2 million over four financial years, a special audit has revealed.
The review links the losses to poor coordination, gaps in oversight, and failures in how books were supplied to schools across the country.
The audit by Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu examined the use of capitation and infrastructure grants from the 2020/21 to 2023/24 financial years. It criticised the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) for failing to factor textbook purchases into its procurement plans, despite being responsible for coordinating the supply of learning materials.
The audit reviewed 442 secondary schools, 339 junior schools, and 336 primary schools and found widespread problems in textbook delivery.
During the period, the State Department for Basic Education sent Sh27.9 billion to KICD to buy textbooks from prequalified publishers. However, the audit found that the department did not explain how the capitation funds were transferred or what criteria was used in releasing the money to KICD.
“Contracts between publishers and KICD for the printing, packaging and distribution of textbooks included clauses on the point of delivery and delivery address or final destination,” the audit notes. “Under these contracts, all the books were to be delivered to schools, with delivery addresses provided as per the approved distribution schedules.”
The contracts clearly showed how many textbooks each school was supposed to receive, with delivery schedules guiding the distribution process. Despite this, a comparison between school records and KICD receipts revealed missing textbooks valued at Sh295.63 million. The shortages affected 415 secondary schools, 194 junior schools, and 245 primary schools, with missing quantities ranging from one to 1,485 textbooks in secondary schools, one to 376 in junior schools, and one to 540 in primary schools.
“As a result, students’ learning becomes a challenge since textbooks may not be readily available, leading to poor academic performance,” the audit states.
The audit also found that Sh30.34 million was used to distribute textbooks for subjects that were not taught in the schools. This affected 118 secondary schools that received 134,199 such books, 225 junior schools that received 12,137 books, and 26 primary schools that received 281 books.
In addition, publishers contracted by KICD failed to deliver textbooks worth Sh41.42 million to 183 secondary schools, 232 junior schools, and 253 primary schools. Delays in delivery ranged from three months to as long as 37 months, by which time learners had already covered large sections of the syllabus, weakening the impact of the textbooks.
The audit further established that publishers delivered fewer textbooks than required. Shortfalls included 42,384 fewer books delivered to 183 secondary schools, 71,280 fewer to 232 junior schools, and 134,129 fewer to 253 primary schools.
“The instances of over- or under-supply of textbooks constitute a breach of contract, as the quantities delivered did not correspond with the delivery instructions outlined in contracts between KICD and publishers,” the report states. At the same time, excess textbooks worth Sh90.83 million were delivered to 394 secondary schools, 94 junior schools, and 182 primary schools. The surplus ranged from one to 1,148 textbooks in secondary schools, one to 161 in junior schools, and one to 498 in primary schools.
Poor recordkeeping also contributed to the problem, with 110 schools cited for failing to keep proper inventory records for textbooks and other learning materials received.
