Six national school principals will next week be required to explain financial and administrative issues raised in audit reports covering four years, with payments to the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA), unsupported spending and student records among the concerns awaiting them.
The heads of Moi Forces Academy, Precious Blood Riruta, Nyeri High, Thika High, Our Lady of Mt Carmel Maryhill Girls and Kahuhia Girls will appear before the National Assembly Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
The committee, chaired by Luanda MP Dick Maungu, is examining Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu’s reports for the financial years under review, with the school accounting officers expected to respond to various queries.
The questions include extra levies charged to parents, school borrowing, procurement, textbook distribution and weaknesses in financial controls.
The principals will also be required to explain differences between the number of learners recorded by their schools and the figures captured in the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS).
At Nyeri High, the principal will be questioned over a Sh542,700 payment made to KESSHA.
The Auditor-General described KESSHA as a private welfare organisation whose membership is drawn from school principals and said it is not covered by the Public Finance Management Act, 2012, and other regulations.
“The organisation is not defined in government funding and there is no assurance it has implemented effective, efficient and transparent financial management and internal control systems to manage the funds transferred by schools,” the audit reads.
The committee was informed last week that KESSHA collects about Sh6 billion from high schools every year, money that is not under the Auditor-General’s oversight.
Nyeri High will also have to explain why it lacks ownership documents for the 75 acres of land occupied by the school.
Moi Forces Academy faces questions over Sh5.2 million spent on infrastructure development without supporting documents. The Auditor-General said the expenditure was incurred despite not being included in the school’s budget.
The academy will further explain a Sh2 million transfer to KESSHA.
Its management will also be questioned over student numbers after an audit found a difference between the figure contained in the school database and the number established through a physical count.
The appearance of the six school heads will give MPs an opportunity to seek explanations on the audit findings and establish how the institutions handled public funds and other financial matters during the period under review.