NAIROBI, Kenya – The National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education has summoned the National Treasury Cabinet Secretary and the Council of Governors over the Kenya Literature Bureau’s (KLB) failure to recover Sh251.5 million in outstanding debts owed by government institutions.
The committee took the action after KLB disclosed that delayed payments by state agencies and county governments had significantly affected its financial position during a meeting held on Tuesday.
Lawmakers questioned why debts outstanding for more than 90 days remained unpaid, with some dating back to 2015.
KLB Managing Director George Okeyo told the committee that the bureau had exhausted all available administrative avenues to recover the money but lacked the legal authority to take stronger action against fellow government institutions.
“If we are allowed by the government to take drastic action against fellow government institutions, we would do so. We have used all the avenues available to KLB over the years, but we have failed to recover these debts,” Okeyo said.
He argued that the bureau lacked sufficient legal backing to compel state institutions to settle their outstanding bills.
KLB Assistant Finance Manager Kenneth Adongo attributed the bureau’s cash flow challenges to delayed payments by government agencies and county governments, saying the situation had affected its ability to pay suppliers and sustain normal operations.
Adongo identified the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) as one of the bureau’s largest debtors, revealing that it owes KLB more than Sh1.3 billion.
He also told the committee that frequent curriculum changes had complicated debt recovery, leaving booksellers with unsold textbooks worth millions of shillings.
According to the Auditor-General’s report, KLB had trade and other receivables amounting to Sh1.05 billion, of which Sh251.5 million had remained outstanding for prolonged periods, with some debts dating back to 2015.
The committee rejected a proposal by KLB to write off a Sh921,000 debt owed by Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), insisting that every available recovery mechanism should first be exhausted.
Committee Chairperson and Luanda MP Dick Maungu criticised the bureau’s debt recovery efforts, urging the management to intensify collection measures instead of considering debt write-offs.
Maungu directed the committee secretariat to summon the Council of Governors to explain the persistent failure by county governments to settle debts owed to state agencies, including KLB.
He also ordered that the National Treasury Cabinet Secretary appear before the committee to address delayed payments by government institutions.
The committee further directed KLB to submit documented evidence supporting its explanations as Parliament intensifies oversight of the bureau’s financial management and debt recovery efforts.