Kenyans could be losing billions of shillings due to mismanagement involving publishers, the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), and schools. Audit reports have highlighted inefficiencies such as schools receiving textbooks they do not need while experiencing shortages in other subjects. In some cases, books are left to deteriorate under harsh conditions or are found collecting dust on shelves due to irrelevance, with no proper inventory management systems in place.
The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, responsible for distributing textbooks on behalf of the Ministry of Education, has faced scrutiny as it remains unclear whether the distribution is based on accurate student data. Auditors found instances where books were either not delivered or were distributed too late, depriving students of necessary learning materials.
Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has criticized the state publisher, Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB), the KICD, and secondary schools for this mismanagement. In her report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, Gathungu raised concerns about untraceable books and indicated that taxpayers might not be getting value for their money.
The report also highlighted irregularities within KLB, where the bureau outsourced a significant portion of its printing services, spending over Sh1.4 billion, in violation of the Bureau Act of 2012. KLB’s total production costs amounted to Sh2 billion, but only Sh615 million (30%) came from its own printing press. This pattern of outsourcing has persisted, with 79% of jobs being outsourced the previous year, indicating underutilization of KLB’s in-house capabilities. Gathungu concluded that KLB’s actions violated the law by outsourcing tasks that the bureau is mandated to perform under its core functions of publishing, printing, and distributing literary works.
