Audit uncovers 50,000 ghost learners in secondary schools as verification hits 50 per cent
Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok told the National Assembly’s Education Committee, chaired by Julius Meli, that the verification exercise has so far covered 17,400 schools out of 32,000 institutions.
An audit conducted by the Ministry of Education has detected more than 50,000 ghost learners in secondary schools across the country, exposing widespread discrepancies in student enrolment figures.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok told the National Assembly’s Education Committee, chaired by Julius Meli, that the verification exercise has so far covered 17,400 schools out of 32,000 institutions.
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“In secondary schools, we have found that more than 50,000 students were ghost students, and we are only at 50 per cent of verification,” Bitok said, noting that the problem appeared most severe in secondary schools compared to primary and junior secondary levels.
The PS explained that the ministry draws enrolment data from the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS), school heads, and sub-county directors, but the latest checks revealed inflated numbers.
“We get data from NEMIS, the school heads and sub-county directors. For secondary schools, it’s obvious that numbers are higher than what was expected,” he said.
According to Bitok, the number of students declared by schools dropped after fresh data was demanded from institutions and sub-county directors. He revealed that more than 14,000 schools are still awaiting capitation funds, pending the finalisation of the verification to ascertain their actual enrolment.
“Only 17,400 schools have been verified and have received capitation,” he added.
Bitok urged Parliament and education stakeholders to guide the ministry on how to handle schools and officials implicated in the irregularities.
“We want the committee and the other education stakeholders to help us decide what to do with this data,” he said.
He further suggested that the issue may not only involve ghost learners but also potential non-existent schools, though investigations are ongoing.
“I cannot confirm or deny that there could be ghost schools, but the numbers have gone down. We are dealing with a lot of data and would like to be very accurate, but in a week, we will have clear information on whether there are non-existent schools,” the PS said.
At the same time, Bitok announced that every learner will now be issued a 'Maisha Number' to serve as their unique identifier throughout their education, which will transition into a national identity card once they turn 18.
He also disclosed that the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS) will be officially launched in January 2026 to strengthen education data management.
The verification exercise follows a special audit by the Auditor General, which flagged instances where funds were not reaching the intended schools.
The audit, conducted between 2021 and 2024, revealed that public schools were underfunded by Sh117 billion, with secondary schools bearing the biggest shortfall.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Tindi Mwale, the Director of Audit in the Auditor General’s office, Justus Okumu, said secondary schools received Sh71 billion less than their allocation over the four years under review. Junior secondary schools were underfunded by Sh39.9 billion, while primary schools lost Sh14 billion during the same period.
According to the audit, some schools, on the other hand, received more than their due share of funds. Okumu reported that 354 secondary schools were overfunded by Sh3.5 billion, 99 junior secondary schools received an excess of Sh30.8 million, while 270 primary schools got Sh79.9 million more than budgeted. In total, Sh3.7 billion was paid out in overfunding.
The revelations triggered concern among legislators, with committee members questioning the credibility of the NEMIS, which is used to determine student enrolment and guide funding decisions.
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