A damning audit report by the Auditor General’s office has exposed a severe funding crisis crippling Kenya’s public education sector. The report, tabled before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the National Assembly, revealed that public schools were underfunded by a staggering Ksh.117 billion between the 2021 and 2024 financial years.
Secondary schools bore the brunt of the shortfall, receiving Ksh.71 billion less than budgeted. Junior secondary institutions were underfunded by Ksh.39.9 billion, while primary schools missed out on Ksh.14 billion. Justus Okumu, Director of Audit in the Auditor General’s office, told the committee that the Ministry of Education routinely scales down approved budgets, forcing schools to shelve or partially implement programs, resulting in ballooning debts.
The National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) came under fire for displaying inaccurate student enrollment figures, which led to skewed capitation disbursement. The audit found that 354 secondary schools were overfunded by Ksh.3.5 billion, 99 junior secondary schools by Ksh.30.8 billion, and 270 primary schools received an excess of Ksh.79.9 million totalling Ksh.3.7 billion in overfunding.
In contrast, many schools were underfunded due to inaccurate data in NEMIS. Funyula MP Oundo Mudenyo slammed the system, claiming it was designed to marginalize certain regions. “In many cases, NEMIS records half the actual number of students, denying schools rightful funding,” he said.
Even more shocking were revelations that 14 non-existent schools received Ksh.16.6 billion in capitation funds. These schools were not listed in County Director of Education (CDE) records, and the CDEs were unaware of their existence. Additionally, six closed schools received nearly Ksh.889,000, while thirteen others received Ksh.11 million despite discrepancies in their registered names.
PAC Chairperson Tindi Mwale vowed swift action, promising to summon the Ministry of Education to explain the massive discrepancies. “We will demand accountability and immediate corrective measures,” he stated.
This report underscores the urgent need for transparency, oversight, and reform in Kenya’s education financing and data management systems.
