Thousands of textbooks worth millions of shillings have been delivered to schools beyond their requirements, prompting Parliament to demand answers from the Education Ministry over how the supplies are determined and why some institutions continue to receive more books as others struggle with shortages.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa and Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) Chief Executive Charles Ong'ondo have been summoned by the National Assembly Public Investment Committee on Education and Governance to explain the discrepancies.
The committee, led by Luanda MP Dick Maungu, wants the officials to account for the supply of excess textbooks to C1 schools despite institutions giving information on the number of learners taking various subjects.
The inquiry follows findings by Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu showing that Kagumo High School and Baricho High School received books in quantities above their needs during different financial years.
Kagumo High School received 6,668 excess textbooks between 2021 and 2025, while Baricho High was supplied with 426 extra set books in the 2024/25 financial year.
The value of the surplus at Kagumo has also raised concern among lawmakers. The average price of a Grade 10 Geography textbook from four publishers is Sh1,093, with Kenya Literature Bureau selling it at Sh870, Longhorn Publishers at Sh1,102, Distinction Geography at Sh1,150 and Mentor Geography at Sh1,250.
Based on the average price, the 6,668 surplus books delivered to Kagumo were worth Sh7,288,124.
Kagumo principal Silas Mwiririgi told the committee that school administrators are required to sign for books when they are delivered, even when the quantities are higher than those requested.
"The ministry distributes books to schools and we are asked to sign to confirm receipt. They sometimes deliver the books at 6am," Mwiririgi told lawmakers.
He said schools are instructed to take custody of the books even after informing officials that the deliveries exceed their orders.
"If we say the books are excess, they tell us to sign, pick and keep them. Some time ago, the school requisitioned 300 Geography textbooks but 500 were delivered by KICD."
The revelation prompted Maungu to question why the supply process allows schools to accumulate books they do not need when other institutions have shortages.
He said principals should not accept unnecessary supplies and called for senior Education Ministry officials to account for the system used to distribute textbooks.
"We will summon the minister, Principal Secretary and KICD boss since this matter is beyond principals. The issue of just dropping books to schools must end. There is reverse logistics in the supply of textbooks," the Luanda MP said.
Maungu also questioned the continued mismatch between textbook deliveries and school requirements despite the adoption of the National Education Management System, which contains learner information.
"Why should the ministry and KICD be supplying excess textbooks even with the adoption of the National Education Management System or Nemis? Why is capitation less but books in excess? We demand answers from the CS and the others."
The matter is also notable because principals are appearing before Parliament for the first time to respond to issues raised in Auditor-General reports.
Records cited during the inquiry show that Kagumo received 7,271 textbooks in 2021, but only 4,943 were issued to students.
In 2022, the Murang'a County school received 438 books beyond what was required. KICD supplied 560 set books, while only 122 were issued to students.
The following year, Kagumo received 1,686 set books even though its requirement stood at 808.
Gathungu's audit further showed that during the period under review, the Education Ministry delivered 1,498 set books to the school, while only 1,094 were issued to learners.
Baricho High School also reported inconsistencies in its textbook deliveries.
Principal Moses Muiruri told lawmakers that the school received 3,228 set books against a requirement of 2,802 in the 2023/24 financial year.
At the same time, the school received fewer books than required in another supply. Muiruri said 11,100 books were delivered against a requirement of 17,759.
" We donated some of the excess setbooks to nearby public schools," Muiruri said.
Loreto Girls High School principal Lena Ngesa told the committee that schools have no control over the quantities of books delivered to them.
At Alliance Girls High School, however, the problem was a lack of new supplies. The school did not receive any textbooks during the financial year that ended in June 2025.
The Auditor-General's report states that the institution's most recent consignment had arrived in January 2024 and was meant for Forms Three and Four.
An audit inspection found that books received at Alliance Girls were issued directly to students, leaving no major stock in the school's stores.
"Physical verification established that textbooks are issued directly to students upon receipt, with no significant balances in store," the report states.
The audit, however, identified gaps in the school's system for recording textbook allocations.
"However, the audit review noted that the school relies on manual records to track the issuing of textbooks, with no comprehensive or updated register to monitor individual student allocations, returns or balances."
The school also did not maintain records for books that had been lost, damaged or not returned.
According to the report, such cases are only discovered when students undergo clearance.
The committee is now seeking explanations from the Education Ministry and KICD on how textbook quantities are decided, why deliveries do not always correspond with school requirements and how the available learner data is being used to guide distribution.