Head teachers accused of graft in sale of text books and stationery

Machakos, Kenya - School head teachers have been accused of abetting corruption by favouring their own proxy dealers in the sale of text books and stationery to students.

The Kenya Booksellers and Stationers Association (KBSA) Chairman, Arthur Kamau, said the move was a clear conflict of interest.

“Most of the teachers, especially principals of secondary schools, have their own companies and are doing business with each other,” said Mr Kamau during the KBSA Annual General Meeting held in Machakos town.

The meeting held at the ACK church was attended by Deputy Director of Basic Education Sarah Kinyanjui.

“It is even more pronounced because the principals’ advise parents through Form One admission letters that they must buy the prescribed books from the schools,” said Kamau.

He said the association fully supports President Uhuru Kenyatta in his renewed war against corruption and warned “we shall not hesitate to expose those engaging in corrupt deals”.

SALE PROCEEDS

“Schools are not profit-making institutions and we wonder where the proceeds of the books bought from the schools go to,” he said.

Kamau, who was accompanied by KBSA Vice Secretary Mathew Nashio and Vice Treasurer Hillary Omusula, said the practice by the school heads had taken corruption in schools to almost unmanageable levels.

He said head teachers had totally ignored Government procurement guidelines and were allegedly minting millions from unsuspecting traders through splitting of tenders where they sold quotation documents at Sh1,000 each. These documents are supposed to be free.

Kamau said the free education billions released to schools by the Government ended up in the pockets of greedy principals and their briefcase booksellers who denied the Government tax because they are not registered with the KRA.

Ms Kinyanjui reassured the booksellers that she would take their concerns to the relevant office for action.