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Highlighting the importance of developing human capital, Ruto stressed that Kenya’s progress toward becoming a first-world country depends on equipping citizens with high-level skills from schools, colleges, and universities.
The positions, offered on permanent and pensionable terms, include 7,065 posts for primary schools, 12 for junior schools, and 2,082 for secondary schools, reflecting the commission’s effort to ensure all schools are adequately staffed.
Speaking on Radio Generation, Muchoki said many public schools may not have the resources to offer all learning tracks, forcing students to choose only two instead of three.
The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) confirmed the death on Monday, sending shockwaves through the education sector.
CS Ogamba on Friday said 32,558 examiners have been posted to 40 centres across the country, where strict monitoring measures have been put in place. He said examiners from centres previously linked to malpractice have been excluded to maintain credibility.
CS Ogamba confirmed that while most centres observed the rules, cases of cheating were still reported and are being processed by investigators in line with the KNEC Act of 2012.
During a media briefing on Friday, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba explained that the final numbers will guide how much each school receives. Under the new figures, high school students will get Sh22,240 each, junior school learners will get Sh15,000, and primary school pupils will receive Sh1,540. He noted that past delays often happened because the ministry did not have clear data to work with.
Ruto noted that the country had been grappling with a serious shortage of teachers and a difficult transition under CBC, a situation he said was made worse by the financial struggles in universities.
The survey, carried out by the Institute of International Education, covered 828 higher learning institutions across the country. While the flow of new students slowed, the total international student population dipped only slightly, by around 1%, indicating that students already studying in the US mostly continued their programs.
During the confrontation, one teacher was shot dead while trying to protect the students, and another was injured and is receiving treatment at a local facility. Eyewitnesses described a large group of armed men, locally referred to as bandits, who opened fire randomly to terrorize the campus before heading straight for the hostels.
According to the Ministry of Education, 44,495 schools have so far been cleared after submitting verifiable information. At the same time, the audit has already uncovered 87,000 ghost learners and identified 10 schools in 10 counties that have no learners at all, raising fresh questions about how nearly Sh1 billion in capitation was previously released without proper checks.
The President said institutions of higher learning can no longer afford to delay in adopting modern, industry-driven digital competencies.
Ogamba thanked candidates, teachers, security officers and members of the public for supporting the exercise so far. He urged Kenyans to stay alert and report any suspicious behaviour using KNEC’s toll-free numbers 0800721410 and 0800724900. Cases involving police misconduct can be reported to IPOA through toll-free line 1559.
The mandatory programme offers in-service training designed to improve teaching methods, subject mastery, and overall classroom performance.
The education sector has expressed concern over repeated cases of malpractice and emphasized the need for strict enforcement to protect the credibility of KCSE results. Investigations are ongoing, with authorities warning that more arrests could follow as the examinations continue.
Publishers are contracted by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) to develop and supply textbooks to schools. They then hire printers to produce the books, but payment to printers only happens after the government clears the publishers’ invoices.
KUPPET is developing a structured plan with the National Assembly Education Committee to ensure promotions are carried out on time and adequate funds are allocated to meet government targets.
HELB Chief Executive Officer Geoffrey Monari revealed that lawyers, doctors, engineers, and accountants are the largest group of defaulters, whereas teachers continue to repay their loans on time.
Speaking during an interview on Radio Generation, Waruku noted that while the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) was introduced to promote practical learning and skill development, its implementation has exposed deep gaps in planning and execution.
During the conference, headteachers also challenged Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba on his recent claim that Sh1.1 billion had been lost to “ghost schools.”
The 8-4-4 system of education was born in 1985 when the first group of pupils sat the KCPE exams when Kenya switched from the previous 7-4-2-3 system to the then-new 8-4-4.
teacher trainees stranded in Tanzania due to ongoing political turmoil in the neighbouring country. Addressing the press on Friday, Kuppet Secretary-General Akelo Misori said the situation is dire, with some Kenyan teachers reportedly losing their lives, while others have received threats for alleged involvement in protests.
Ogamba also outlined measures to secure the movement of exam materials. Working with the Ministry of Interior and disaster management teams, the ministry has set up temporary collection points, deployed officers along key routes, and ensured papers reach their destinations on time, with extra precautions in flood-prone areas.
According to the report, 16,788 schools with 4.29 million learners received Sh1.22 billion after full verification. Another 3,979 schools with smaller enrolments—below 90 learners—also qualified for full payment amounting to Sh66.8 million. However, 3,065 schools that failed to submit accurate data were given only 50 per cent of their allocation, translating to Sh79.7 million for 280,900 learners based on data from the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS).
Day school students will pay Sh9,374 annually, while those in special needs institutions will pay Sh37,210. The government will finance each student under the Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE) programme at Sh12,870 annually, a decrease from Sh22,244. Special needs learners will receive a higher allocation of Sh32,600 per learner.
MPs expressed dissatisfaction with the explanation, accusing the CS of being reluctant to act against corruption in his ministry. Minority Whip Millie Odhiambo criticised Ogamba for what she described as inaction and lack of urgency in handling the matter.
According to the deal, Sh3.88 billion will be released by December 31, 2025, while the remaining Sh3.88 billion will be paid by July 2026. A separate framework for talks on the 2025–2029 CBA will also be finalised within a month, marking a step towards resolving long-standing pay disputes in the university sector.
The verification process, launched in early September 2025, came after a special audit by the Office of the Auditor General uncovered serious irregularities in the education sector. That audit showed that 33 fictitious schools had received billions of shillings over the past four years. By the end of October, the Ministry reported finding roughly 50,000 ghost students from a sample of 12,000 public schools.
Parents must be consulted before any extra levies are introduced, while Boards of Management are required to ensure proper use of resources and give annual financial reports to parents. Schools must also offer bursaries or scholarships to support needy learners.
Members of the National Assembly’s Education Committee on Tuesday held a tense sitting with Treasury and Education officials, as well as representatives of university staff, in a push to revive stalled talks on the Sh7.9 billion collective bargaining agreement.