Auditor flags unpresented bursary cheques worth Sh722m

An audit report has flagged five constituencies for having unpresented cheques worth Sh722.64 million that would have otherwise assisted hundreds of needy learners through the government bursary and scholarship programme.

Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu’s report stated that the five constituencies that failed to present the cheques are Narok West, with Sh218.79 million, Kaiti (Sh201.63 million), Kilgoris (Sh138 million), Gichugu (Sh86.44 million), and Ganze (Sh77.82 million).

This is contained in the 2026 performance audit on the provision of bursaries and scholarships by the National Government-Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) board to learning institutions for the 2024-25 financial year.

“The failure to present the cheques to the banks and the resultant stale cheques resulted in loss of learning time by beneficiaries, as learners were sent home for school fees, despite having been awarded the bursaries. Consequently, this limited the retention of learners in school, undermining the very objective of awarding bursaries,” the audit states.

At the same time, the audit showed that a review of bank reconciliation statements and constituency committee minutes identified additional cases of stale cheques worth Sh14.2 million meant for learners, reported across various years.

According to the report, constituencies in the stale cheques scandal include Embakasi Central (2024), with stale cheques valued at Sh4.4 million affecting 108 learners, and Embakasi South (2025) with Sh3.6 million worth of stale cheques enough to sponsor 89 learners per year.

Others include Mwea in 2021 with Sh2.8 million in stale cheques, Kasarani constituency reported in 2023 with stale cheques worth Sh2.5 million, Kibwezi East cited in the 2023 audit period with stale cheques valued at Sh980,000.

The audit also decried the lack of guidelines for the selection of beneficiaries of reissued stale cheques, as the uncollected and unpresented cheques were reversed after six months and reissued to other learners.

A review of bursary committee minutes in Mwea and Embakasi South constituencies, revealed that stale cheques were reissued to learners “based on verbal requests made to the NG-CDF offices, without supporting application forms or vetting of applicants.

The audit also flagged incomplete records of cheque issuance registers, which led to a lack of accountability.