Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba of the Ministry of Education has initiated disciplinary and criminal proceedings against educational officials and school leaders following a nationwide audit that revealed tens of thousands of ghost learners, costing the government Ksh91 million annually.
During a press briefing on February 13, 2026, Ogamba highlighted that the audit exposed significant gaps in documentation and widespread inconsistencies in enrollment data.
The verification report indicated alarming discrepancies between the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) records and actual student enrollments in public primary and secondary schools. Notably, 27 non-operational schools have been siphoning off substantial funds.
The audit identified 800,000 ghost learners in primary schools, whose names appeared in the NEMIS system yet could not be traced to any actual school. Conversely, junior secondary schools reported 500,000 more registered learners than those documented in NEMIS.
Ogamba affirmed that the ministry will take swift action against those accountable, beginning with the first 20 schools that exhibit the most significant discrepancies in student registration figures.
“We are committed to this process. If we find evidence of wrongdoing, we will pursue both administrative and criminal charges. We are forwarding this report to the relevant agencies, including the Teacher Service Commission (TSC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), for further action,” he stated.
In terms of disciplinary measures, Ogamba confirmed that the report has been sent to the TSC and DCI for action against 62 educational officials. This group includes 14 headteachers who failed to submit necessary data, 20 headteachers who reported inflated student numbers, and 28 education officers facing various administrative issues.
“Administrative action will proceed against 28 sub-county directors of education and quality assurance officers in areas where systematic failures or lapses have been identified,” Ogamba noted.
He also announced that the ministry will conduct verification exercises every school term to deter any manipulation of figures used for funding and planning.
Furthermore, the ministry plans to close all identified non-existent or non-operational institutions, labeling them as “ghost schools” that disrupt equitable resource allocation.
To address systemic issues, the next phase will focus on expediting the transition from NEMIS to the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS). This shift aims to facilitate real-time learner registration and minimize opportunities for data falsification.
