How MCAs Looted Nairobi’s Bursary Fund To The Ground

On August 14, 2018, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko wrote to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Headquarters (EACC) calling for investigations into fraud claims in bursary disbursement in the county government. The DCI is now closing in on a number of Nairobi MCAs as the crackdown on graft at City Hall widens.

According to Mr. Sonko, some firms and institutions disguising themselves as schools had been siphoning millions of shillings from the bursary fund, investigations have so far put the bursary funds in some Nairobi Members of the County Assembly (MCA) personal accounts.

so far over 20  county lawmakers who have been roped into the investigation regarding their involvement in the matter.

In the multi-million shilling scheme cheques meant to pay for needy children’s education had been awarded to non-existent students who were not enrolled in any school. The ward reps have been accused of obtaining several bursary cheques but returning them citing errors and in the process of rectifying the anomalies, they would provide from change names from the bona fide beneficiaries to those of their relatives as well as their own personal bank accounts.

Further, the MCAs had also opened their own school, Kobudho Educational Center, which was used as a conduit of channeling the bursary funds from the county undetected.

Kitusuru MCA Alvin Palapala together with his wife Tabitha Saidi Luchesa as well as James Momita, an accountant and officer in charge of bursaries at City Hall, are among those named for the alleged conspiracy to defraud and an attempt to obtain money by pretense.