Kenya’s education sector is facing a major accounting problem after the government confirmed that 87,000 ghost learners have been discovered during an ongoing national school audit.
The verification exercise has also revealed that at least 10 schools across 10 counties have no learners at all, raising serious concerns about how enrolment data has been used to access public funds over the years.
The Ministry of Education has already cleared 44,495 schools for capitation, but officials say thousands of others remain under scrutiny as teams move from county to county to check records against the actual number of children in classrooms.
According to an Auditor General’s report cited during the exercise, falsified enrolment numbers may have cost the country more than Ksh4 billion in four years, showing the scale of the problem that authorities are now trying to address.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has warned that those who manipulated numbers will face strict action once investigations are complete.
He confirmed that the audit has already produced clear evidence of inflated figures and non-existent learners.
He said the government will not ignore the findings and insisted that accountability is necessary to protect public money.
“We have so far uncovered 87,000 ghost learners in public schools. The government will take action against individuals who inflated enrolment figures. Heads must roll,” Ogamba said.
He explained that verification teams are physically visiting schools with major discrepancies to avoid punishing anyone unfairly. He noted that the ministry wants to ensure that only the correct information is used when releasing capitation funds, especially because almost Ksh1 billion has been held back due to mismatched data.
Ogamba said there are signs that some enrolment figures were previously reported much higher than they should have been and that those responsible must explain how the differences arose.
He stressed that Kenya is governed by rules and that anyone who cannot account for irregular numbers will face consequences.
Officials have also found cases where enrolment details were deliberately exaggerated to access more funds.
Ogamba said these cases will be forwarded to investigative agencies, while the ministry continues checking information internally to close any remaining loopholes.
He added that the goal is not to accuse innocent people but to ensure that the education sector is managed honestly and transparently.
As of November 10, 2025, 246 primary schools and 102 junior schools had still not submitted updated enrolment data, even though all secondary schools had already been cleared.
State Department for Basic Education Director General Elyas Abdi said schools with suspicious records will be isolated and inspected physically once the verification is complete. Ogamba also mentioned that although some claims suggested much higher levels of over-enrolment, the confirmed number remains at about 87,000.
He insisted that the audit must be thorough to avoid errors, especially since the release of official findings has been postponed four times since the exercise started on September 5, 2025.
