Booksellers threaten to sue some public schools over unpaid fees

The controversy surrounding procurement of books for public schools has deepened as booksellers threaten to go to court to demand to be paid billions they are owed by public schools.

During a press conference at the weekend, Kenya Booksellers Association (KBSA) said it will not sue the minister as he directed last week but will sue specific public schools.

“Public schools owe us more than Sh2 billion. If the government makes good its strategy, we will go to court, not to sue Matiang’i, but the schools, they have the invoices and we have the LPOs,” said the association’s Secretary-General Mathew Nashio.

NEW RULE

This comes only two weeks before schools are opened in January 2018 for the first term.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education Dr Fred Matiang’i has insisted that the ministry will procure books directly for schools as the government strives to achieve a 1:1 book ratio in public schools.

Though the association is not opposed to the move, members they have been distributing books to public schools on credit.

“We have been bridging the gap in disbursement of books by distributing them on credit because the money given to the schools for books comes late.

“Secondly, the money is always not enough and they always have a debt. We do that because we are stakeholders in the education sector,” said Ms Agnes Kiugu, the chairperson of KBSA, Upper Eastern region.

Books capitation has not been reviewed since 2014, they claimed, and added that no audit of the program has been done since 2010.

The sellers complained that they have already bought the books anticipating for a boom in January.

DEAD STOCK

If the government goes ahead to bypass them, they will go into losses running to millions of shillings in dead stock, while 500,000 job opportunities will be at stake, said Ms Kiugu.

“I know the government will implement the policy because it has the capacity. The CS already told us to go to court, we will go, but to sue the schools and attach the schools’ properties to the suit. What we want is to be paid our money, we will not make it easy for them,” said Mr Nashio.

They also threatened to return all the books they have bought to the publishers and demand to be reimbursed since it is the publishers issuing contradicting book prices.

The booksellers said despite being an integral part of education in the country since 1962, they are usually left out during important consultations and stakeholders meetings, including the present stalemate.

They accused the minister of evading them whenever they want to meet him and discuss issues of procurement of books. They want a book sellers’ policy or an act to be put in place, instead of ‘victimising’ them and their dependents.

“We are not junior partners in matters of education, we are also educationists and we feel that we have been left out for all the consultations which have been taking place, we have not been given a chance,” said Ms Kiugu.

Dr Matiang’i has however ruled out any possibility of talks on the issue, saying those dissatisfied should go to court. 

KBSA at the same time exonerated itself from collusion allegations labelled against them, saying they do not control pricing of books.

In a recent report, the Ministry of Education said government has been losing Sh14 billion through inflated school textbook prices.

“Booksellers do not have a direct control over book pricing. These prices are set by the government and the publishers. Our duty is to distribute, we are just but a link. The statement that booksellers and schools’ principal is a cartel out to embezzle school funds is not true,” said Mr Nashio.

BOOK PRICES

The sellers doubted government’s effort of achieving 1:1 book ratio saying numerous factors including book prices will likely stifle the determination.

“Book prices have been increasing over the years yet capitation has remained at Sh731. It is not the book sellers who are making the ratio not to be achieved.

He said other factors like wear and tear and theft of books make it difficult to achieve the ratio.

“We are at loss, what should we do with the books that we purchased?” posed Peter Chege, the Nairobi area KBSA chairman.