Kenya’s Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has ordered disciplinary and criminal action against education officials and school heads after a nationwide audit uncovered tens of thousands of “ghost learners”, missing documentation, and wide discrepancies in enrolment data.
The verification focused on learner registration in NEMIS, the National Education Management Information System, a government database used for planning and funding. The audit found 87,000 non-existent learners listed in junior schools alone, while inconsistencies across the system led to a drop of about 800,000 learners in the number of verified records.
Ghost learners Kenya audit triggers sanctions
Ogamba said action will start immediately, beginning with the first 20 schools that recorded the highest variance between reported and verified learner numbers.
“We are not doing this function in futility. If culpability will be found, administrative and criminal action will be taken. That’s why we’re forwarding this report to the relevant agencies, TSC and DCI for action,” he said.
The TSC, the Teachers Service Commission, oversees teacher discipline and management. The DCI, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, handles cases that may involve criminal conduct.
What the verification found in primary, junior and secondary levels
The audit flagged large variances across the system, even where schools submitted data.
In primary schools, NEMIS recorded 5,833,175 learners. However, verification at the institutional level established actual enrolment at 4,947,271, a negative variance of 885,904 learners.
In junior school, NEMIS reflected 2,430,398 learners. Verified figures stood higher at 2,973,648, a positive variance of 543,250 learners.
Secondary schools also showed gaps. NEMIS captured 3,352,884 learners, while verified enrolment was 3,265,154, a shortfall of 87,730 learners.
Ogamba said the data is entered at school level. As a result, deliberate misrepresentation would be treated as a breach of trust and attract sanctions.
Missing documents and schools that submitted no data
The exercise also exposed weaknesses in how learner information is captured and submitted.
Fourteen schools failed to submit any learner data at all, while many others fell below the minimum registration threshold. In lower primary, especially Grade One and Two, thousands of learners lacked complete details, largely due to missing birth certificates.
Even so, the ministry said most schools complied with reporting requirements, despite notable inconsistencies across levels.
Officials and headteachers earmarked for accountability
So far, 28 sub-county education officials and more than a dozen headteachers have been earmarked for administrative accountability.
Their cases will be forwarded to the TSC for disciplinary action. Meanwhile, the DCI will handle cases deemed to involve criminal negligence.
Capitation funding halted for unverified learners
The ministry has also suspended capitation funding for all unverified learners. Capitation is public money allocated to schools per learner to support teaching and operational costs. By cutting off funding linked to inflated figures, the ministry aims to stop losses tied to false enrolment.
Ogamba said the verification will now be conducted every school term to prevent manipulation of figures used for funding and planning.
Shift to KEMIS aims to close loopholes
The ministry will also shut down non-existent or non-operational institutions identified during the audit, describing them as “ghost schools” that distort resource allocation.
Next, the government plans to accelerate the transition from NEMIS to KEMIS, the Kenya Education Management Information System. The ministry says KEMIS will allow real-time learner registration and reduce opportunities for falsification.
Ogamba said the reforms are intended to restore integrity in education data and ensure government funding follows actual learners. “This is about accountability and trust. Public resources must serve real children in real schools,” he said.
