State Chastised For Illegal Takeover Of University Fund.
The Universities Fund has been reprimanded by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu for allowing the State Department of University Education to take over its mandate.
The auditor questioned why the fund allowed the department to directly fund public and private universities, which was illegal.
A review of records revealed that the fund was not allocating funds to public universities as required by Section 53 of the Universities Act of 2012.
“The fund has only been advising the State Department for University Education on how to allocate and disburse the funds to the public universities,” Gathungu said.
Despite the Fund’s adoption of the Differentiated Unit Cost criteria for allocating funds to public universities in 2016, the auditor stated that this was still occurring.
Only 49.5 percent of the expected 80 percent of the DUC was met in fiscal year 2021/2022.
Since the fiscal year 2017-18, the system has been operational.
She says under the circumstances, it has not been possible to confirm whether the Fund has been carrying out its mandate as required by the Universities Act, 2012.
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The main mandate of the Universities Fund, according to the law, is to develop detailed institutional funding criteria as well as apportion and disburse all government funding.
The agency, which was established to provide funds for university financing, is also tasked with monitoring the use and impact of the funds by the recipient universities.
The Fund’s mandate also includes resource mobilization and the development of incentives to encourage private sector participation in university education.
It is also expected to create frameworks for public-private partnerships in university education and to negotiate tax breaks for institutions that support university education.
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Higher Education Principal Secretary Simon Nabukwesi recently told a parliamentary committee that UFB is experiencing liquidity issues.
While testifying before the Florence Mutua-led committee, the PS lamented the underfunding of the board that manages the varsities’ kitty.
Principal Secretary in the State Department of University Education and Research Amb. Simon Nabukwesi
State Chastised For Illegal Takeover Of University Fund
