Nairobi, Aug. 9 -- The Auditor-General has flagged the use of millions of shillings in taxpayers' money to pay subscription fees to the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA), in a far-reaching finding that could cripple the operations of the powerful welfare lobby representing over 7,000 high school principals.

An analysis of audit reports for public secondary schools shows that in nearly every financial statement reviewed by the Office of the Auditor-General, schools made annual payments to KESSHA.

Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu has classified the expenditure as irregular, arguing that since KESSHA is a welfare association for principals, the subscription fees should be borne by individual head teachers from their payslips ...