Broke Maasai Mara University is on the brink of financial collapse as mismanagement, corruption, and weak oversight push it deeper into crisis. Auditor General Nancy Gathungu’s latest report paints a grim picture of an institution drowning in debt while leaders enrich themselves.
Students wait for refunds, staff go unpaid, and statutory deductions vanish into thin air. Legal battles pile up, construction stalls, and casual workers are exploited. What was meant to be a beacon of higher education in Narok now risks becoming an embarrassment kept alive by taxpayers and creditors.
How Broke Maasai Mara University Sank Into the Red
The numbers tell a brutal story. For the year ending June 2025, the university reported current assets of Sh881.6 million against liabilities of Sh989.2 million. That leaves a negative working capital of Sh107.5 million and a weak current ratio of 0.89. In simple terms, the university cannot comfortably pay its bills.
The Auditor General did not sugarcoat it. The institution may fail to meet its short-term obligations when they fall due. Its survival now depends on government bailouts and creditor patience. That is not a strategy. It is a cry for rescue.
Legal costs are bleeding the university dry. The audit flagged contingent liabilities of Sh87.3 million from pending court cases. These bills hang like a guillotine over the institution’s already fragile finances.
Despite having an internal legal department, management hired external lawyers for at least ten cases. For five of them, there was no evidence of approval from the Attorney General. The university still paid Sh12.5 million in court awards, fines, and penalties, plus Sh7.75 million in legal fees. Much of this loss was avoidable.
Construction projects have stalled across campus. Classrooms, hostels, and key facilities remain incomplete while money disappears into questionable procurement deals. Students bear the consequences through overcrowded lecture halls and poor services.
Refunds to students are another scandal. The audit found Sh53.9 million in unrefunded fee prepayments dating back to 2009. University policy requires full refunds after graduation and clearance. That has not happened. Many parents and sponsors are still waiting after more than a decade.
Statutory deductions paint an even darker picture. The university deducted money from staff salaries but failed to remit it to government agencies. The unpaid statutory bill now stands at Sh501.8 million.
This includes Sh1.9 million owed to the National Industrial Training Authority, Sh308 million for part-time lecturers, Sh3.2 million in CBA expenses, and Sh23 million in PAYE and other statutory dues.
Because of these delays, the university risks heavy penalties and interest charges. Worse, staff suffer embarrassment, credit blacklisting, and financial stress for money already taken from their pay.
Casual employment abuse adds another layer of misconduct. The university spent Sh31.2 million on 162 casual workers hired continuously for more than three months. This violates the Employment Act of 2007, which requires such workers to be converted to term contracts. Management ignored the law.
The Mara Heist legacy
Broke Maasai Mara University did not reach this crisis by accident. Its rot runs deep. In 2019, a Citizen TV exposé dubbed the Mara Heist revealed a massive corruption scandal involving over Sh177 million. Former Vice Chancellor Prof. Mary Walingo was sent on leave and later charged alongside four other officials for irregular withdrawals dating back to 2016.
Investigations exposed systemic looting rather than isolated mistakes. Yet accountability remained slow and selective.
In 2022, the Public Service Commission ordered Prof. Walingo’s temporary reinstatement, raising public outrage. Leadership changes followed. Prof. Peninah Aloo-Obudho took over as vice chancellor in June 2023. But changing faces did not change systems. The culture of financial indiscipline persisted.
The audit also flagged a troubling governance gap. No audit was conducted for the 2019/2020 financial year. Management claimed key documents were with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations. The parliamentary committee blasted the university for failing to follow up aggressively with the DCI.
Even more worrying, the university sought to change only its accounting officers instead of reforming the entire administration responsible for the mess. That move looked like scapegoating rather than real reform.
Ethnic imbalance in hiring also emerged. Out of 566 employees, 36 percent came from one dominant community in the county, violating the National Cohesion and Integration Act. This raises questions about fairness, patronage, and merit in recruitment.
Questionable allowances and governance
The 2024 audit exposed another scandal at the top. The acting vice chancellor and acting deputy vice chancellor illegally pocketed millions in allowances meant only for substantive officeholders.
The Acting VC received an acting allowance of Sh700,848 instead of the approved Sh247,085. That is an overpayment of Sh453,763. No clear justification supported this.
Meanwhile, the acting VC and acting DVC finance earned Sh6.5 million and Sh3.05 million, respectively, in allowances they were not entitled to receive. Sixteen other staff members also drew acting allowances for more than the permitted six months.
Parliament’s committee warned that these practices interfered with proper management of the university. Leaders appeared more focused on personal gain than institutional rescue.
Students now face uncertainty. Delayed refunds, poor facilities, and financial instability threaten academic quality. Some fear the university could struggle to pay lecturers, suppliers, and utility bills.
Staff morale is low. Many work without security while their statutory contributions sit in limbo. Casual workers remain trapped in exploitation.
Creditors are nervous. Contractors wait for payment. Service providers scale back support. Every delay deepens the crisis.
The government now stands as the last line of defense. Without urgent intervention, the broke Maasai Mara University could slide further into insolvency. But a bailout without reforms would only fuel more abuse.
Real recovery requires strict accountability, transparent procurement, clean leadership, and independent oversight. Corrupt officials must face consequences, not gentle reshuffles.
