The Ministry of Education has vowed to take strict disciplinary action against teachers and officials implicated in the falsification of school enrolment records. This follows a data audit that uncovered more than 50,000 “ghost” learners in government records, costing taxpayers nearly Sh1 billion annually.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba confirmed that the verification exercise, which began when schools reopened, will be concluded tomorrow. He said some resistance slowed down the process, but schools have now begun cooperating. The audit, he explained, will ensure learners’ data is accurate and guide future funding allocations.
Ogamba said disciplinary measures will target school heads, ministry officers, and other education staff who deliberately manipulated data. Depending on the severity of misconduct, penalties range from verbal warnings to interdictions, salary deductions, demotions, or outright dismissal. “This is not a simple error—it is a betrayal of public trust,” warned Basic Education Principal Secretary Prof. Julius Bitok.
Parliament’s Education Committee has also demanded that implicated officials face prosecution. Committee chair Julius Melly said Kenyans must not lose confidence in the education system. “We cannot allow public funds to be siphoned through fictitious learners and schools. Our children deserve better,” he told ministry officials.
Lawmakers further questioned why senior administrators failed to detect the fraud, accusing the ministry of attempting to downplay the scandal.
So far, 70 percent of schools have been cleared and funds dispatched to their accounts. However, thousands of schools risk losing government support if their data is found to be falsified. The ministry has promised tighter monitoring and a zero-tolerance approach to future malpractice.
