Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Julius Ogamba has denied claims about the existence of ghost schools, clarifying that the government has not disbursed Ksh 1.1 billion to non-existent institutions.
Speaking on Wednesday, Ogamba explained that his previous remarks in Parliament were misinterpreted. He said he was referring to schools that had not yet submitted required data for the ongoing verification exercise, not that such schools did not exist.
“At the time I spoke in Parliament, we had not released Ksh 1.1 billion to schools that had not submitted data,” Ogamba said, adding that the ministry had decided to disburse only 50 per cent of the capitation to about 990 schools that were yet to provide their information.
He emphasized that the verification process is ongoing and that accurate data will be released once it is completed.
Ogamba’s clarification comes after his earlier remarks on November 5, when he told lawmakers that the government had been disbursing funds to “students that do not exist.” This statement drew criticism from MPs, who interpreted it as the government funding non-existent schools.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula questioned the CS about actions taken against ministry officers, citing concerns about corruption. Ogamba responded that no action has been taken yet, as culpable officers can only be identified once the verification process concludes.
Since the start of the exercise, the Ministry of Education has also announced the closure of 10 secondary schools due to a lack of students.
CS Ogamba’s clarification aims to reassure the public that the government is committed to transparency and accountability in managing public funds for education, and that the ghost school claims are based on incomplete verification data rather than actual non-existent institutions.
