Audit uncovers 27 non-operational schools still on NEMIS

At least 27 public schools that are no longer operational were still listed as active in the government’s education database.

The Ministry of Education said 10 secondary schools and 17 primary schools were non-operational due to insecurity, relocation of communities, lack of learners, or administrative closure.

Despite this, the institutions remained active on the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) and continued to appear in official records.

“The status had not been reported to the Ministry and continued to appear in NEMIS,” the report reads.

The discrepancies were identified during a nationwide school data verification exercise covering all 47 counties and all public primary, junior, secondary, and special needs institutions.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the audit aimed to reconcile learner enrolment and institutional records in NEMIS with independently submitted and validated data from heads of institutions and Sub-County Directors of Education.

The exercise revealed widespread discrepancies that could significantly affect government capitation, which is allocated based on enrolment figures.

In primary schools, enrolment dropped from 5,833,175 learners recorded in NEMIS to a verified 4,947,271, a reduction of 885,904 learners.

Secondary school enrolment fell from 3,352,884 to 3,265,154, a variance of 87,730 learners.

Junior school enrolment, however, rose from 2,430,398 in the system to a verified 2,973,648 learners, an increase of 543,250, indicating under-reporting or delayed updates during the transition to the competency-based curriculum.

The audit also uncovered numerous unauthenticated learner records, including missing or invalid Unique Personal Identifiers, duplicated assessment numbers, and mismatched examination centre codes.

The ministry identified 102 junior schools and 84 primary schools operating below the minimum enrolment threshold, raising concerns about sustainability and efficient use of resources.

Weak oversight at the sub-county level was cited as a major contributor, with some discrepancies neither reported nor corrected in time.

Ogamba said heads of institutions are responsible for the accuracy of data. “Any deliberate falsification, inflation or misrepresentation of enrolment data constitutes gross misconduct and a breach of public trust,” he said. Sub-County Directors of Education will also face administrative action where supervisory failures or negligence are established.

The ministry has forwarded the report to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for disciplinary action against 14 heads of institutions who failed to submit data for verification and 20 who submitted inflated enrolment figures. Administrative action is also being taken against 28 Sub-County Directors of Education and Quality Assurance officers in areas with systemic failures.

Cases with potential criminal elements have been referred to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

In a move expected to affect funding, the ministry has suspended capitation for all unverified learners.

Funding will be restored only after records are authenticated. Non-operational schools identified during the audit will be formally closed or deregistered in line with existing laws and regulations.

Ogamba said the verification exercise will now be conducted every school term to safeguard public resources and ensure that funding is based on accurate enrolment data.

The exercise faced challenges, including poor internet connectivity in remote areas, incomplete submissions from some institutions, and capacity gaps where schools lacked trained personnel to manage education data.

Verification of early grade learners was also affected by the absence of birth certificates for many children.

To address these weaknesses, the ministry plans to strengthen training for school heads and education officers on data management, information security, and accountability.

It will also accelerate the transition from NEMIS to the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS), which will introduce stronger validation controls, real-time reporting, and improved interoperability.

Ogamba said the reforms are necessary to restore discipline in education data, protect public funds, and ensure equitable distribution of resources.

“This exercise is about accountability and ensuring that public resources serve real learners in functioning schools,” he said.