No books supply to schools before payment, says association

Schools across the country will not get books until the government releases Sh1 billion to suppliers.

The Kenya Booksellers and Stationers Association said the Ministry of Education has not released funds to schools and this has forced them to stop supplies of learning materials.

“We are now in the middle of the first term and we issued the schools with learning materials to start off the term but the government has not released funds so we can not supply more until we are paid,” said Mr John Mbugua, the association’s former national chairman who is also the director of Honest Bookshop in Nakuru town.

“The delay in releasing the money may disrupt learning and affect students,” said Mr Mbugua.

The booksellers faulted a directive by the Ministry of Education to scratch the list of books to be bought by Form One students.

“We had ordered stocks of the books and the decision is a big blow to us. We wonder what the students are using because the government has not bought the books,” said Mr Mbugua.

He said many booksellers had huge bank loans and were banking on the profits from the Form One books to repay them.

Mr Mbugua said the plan by the government to buy learning materials directly from the publishers would make the traders bankrupt.

“We will all close shops and send our workers home,” he said.