The Ministry of Education is preparing sweeping reforms to curb the long-standing problem of ghost students and schools siphoning off taxpayers’ money. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the ministry may close down several institutions following the discovery of thousands of fictitious learners.
Ogamba revealed that a nationwide audit of schools and student numbers is already 75 percent complete. Preliminary results indicate about 50,000 non-existent students have been identified, costing taxpayers up to Sh1.1 billion annually in fraudulent capitation.
“We have about 25 percent of the audit left, and already shocking anomalies are being uncovered,” Ogamba told senators. “If resources were sent to a bank for school X, we will have to find out who signed for those resources from that bank. Action will be taken because that is criminal.”
The ministry is considering major policy shifts once the verification exercise concludes. These include the possible closure of under-enrolled schools and the transfer of students to other institutions to ensure an optimal balance between teacher numbers and learners. Ogamba cited cases where some schools operate with fewer than 10 students but employ five teachers, straining education budgets.
The Cabinet Secretary also announced plans for a comprehensive audit of all funds flowing into the education sector, including government bursaries, donor contributions, and allocations from agencies. The goal is to consolidate these finances into a single pool that can be more effectively managed to guarantee free and quality education for all children.
To improve accountability, the ministry is rolling out the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS), designed to serve as the “single source of truth” for education data. This digital platform will track student numbers, resource allocation, and procurement.
“With accurate data, waste will be eliminated,” Ogamba stressed. “For example, if we have 12 million students, we should only buy 12 million books—not more, not less.”
The audit findings are expected to usher in the most radical changes in Kenya’s education sector in recent years.
