4 500 000 000 FOR EDUCATION

The Treasury has disbursed Sh4.5 billion for education projects under the Economic Stimulus Package.

Each constituency has been allocated Sh17.37 million disbursed directly to model projects of excellence, including 420 primary schools targeted for expansion under the stimulus package.

The disbursement represents slightly less than half of Sh9.334 billion allocated for school/education projects under the package.

On average, each model primary school has so far been allocated Sh2.07 million for reconstruction works, according to figures released by the Constituency Development Fund Committee of Parliament, yesterday.

Under the programme, the money will be used to upgrade two model primary schools in all constituencies and fund them to harvest and store water at Sh7million.

Three model secondary schools will be built or reconstructed at a cost of Sh30 million, according to estimates by the Ministry of Education and Treasury.

Under the provision, each constituency will be given money to employ 50 primary school teachers on contract at Sh12 million. This plan and another on employment of secondary school teachers at a cost of Sh16.8 million has, however, been halted by a court injunction.

Meanwhile, each constituency is compelled to spend Sh1.2 million to plant trees.

The disbursement has been made in two tranches of Sh2 billion on March 17 and Sh2.5 billion sent on April 21, according to a report by the CDF committee, which overseas the stimulus package.

This morning, the committee will meet Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta besides Public Works Minister Chris Obure to review implementation of projects, according to the report by CDF chairman David Ekwee Ethuro.

Inflated bills

The report also accuses officials from Obure’s ministry of exaggerating the cost of building schools through inflated bills of quantities to steal from the programme.

Mr Ethuro says in the report that MPs "have not single-handledly influenced selection of schools (to benefit from ESP money)."

The Turkana Central MP also says the CDF committee estimates that an average "classroom construction costs from Sh300,000 to Sh700,000" but officials from the Public Works Ministry have been "quoting Sh1.5 million."

The MP wants schools to reject the ministry’s figures.

From the March disbursement, Sh1.606 billion was sent to the targeted secondary schools. These schools received Sh2.027 billion in April, according to the report that also shows Government red tape, inertia and bureaucracy have stalled projects.