By Our Reporter
A principal in Kibwezi Subcounty, Makûenî County is in the radar of EACC officers for alleged mismanagement of School funds and conflict of interest in awarding of the School tenders.
Stephen Silingi of Ulilinzî Secondary School is being accused of awarding tenders to his friends and family members.
“Baraka Stores which supplies the School with detergents, for example, belongs to him and his wife”, said a source who sought anonymity.
The Principal is also being accused of supplying the school with fresh vegetables which he personally buys from the local market every Friday and ferries them to school using his car.
Although the Ministry of education requires schools to issue students with exercise books, Mr. Silingi has violated this directive and has been demanding parents to buy Exercise books for their students. This has been happening since last year.
Our investigations has also revealed that Mr. Silingi has occassionally misappropriated funds from the School’s Repair and Maintainance account with the school lacking proper infrastructure since 2017.
“Although the school currently boasts of an enrolment of over 350 students, there is no single infrastructure done from this account since 2017. The only few structures we have here were sponsored by CDF, CBC and World Bank”, said a parent.
The Principal is also being accused of misamanaging monies for environmental conservation and the worst of all for the last five years he has been keeping his Sheep and Cattle in the School Compound destroying trees and the environment.
He has refused to employ a groundsman and a gateman for the school.
Mr. Silingi has a very poor relationship with the Parents, students and the workers and brags that he has enough money to bribe auditors and education officials.
In a period of two years since 2022 he has amassed alot wealth buying himself a new car, new palatial home, new flats at manyanga, established a bar and restaurant at manyanga market.
When reached by journalists over this allegations, Mr. Silingi dismissed them as witch-hunt from some of his opponents who competing with him in the Kenya secondary schools heads Association(KESSHA) elections
Mr. Silingi said his bosses in the education ministry had not raised a matter with his style of running the school and so if anyone had any issues with him he should report to the ministry.
Ends…