Fresh concerns have emerged over the accuracy of learner records used by the government to release school funding, after an internal education audit revealed that more than 500,000 learners could not be verified.
The findings point to major weaknesses in the National Education Management Information System, raising fears that public funds may have been wrongly shared among schools based on unreliable data.
The audit shows that errors in enrolment figures led to the removal of 547,637 learners from funding-eligible records. This represents a 4.7 per cent drop from the initial figures captured in Nemis and left over half a million learners listed as “unaccounted for” at the time the report was prepared.
The review suggests that both genuine learners and government finances may have been affected by the flawed data.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has dismissed the document, saying it does not reflect the ministry’s official position.
Ogamba said the report being circulated was incomplete and that a comprehensive version would be released on Monday next week. Despite this, the report details widespread gaps in enrolment verification and data handling.
The verification exercise covered schools that had been listed for capitation in the third term of 2025. Initially, 54,388 institutions were recorded with a combined enrolment of 11,616,457 learners.
After verification, only 53,015 schools were confirmed, with a revised enrolment of 11,068,820 learners. While most schools were cleared, the exercise exposed a large difference between reported and verified learner numbers.
“The findings indicated that the Nemis system had challenges, such as limited functionalities with regard to learner movement (transfers, dropouts, deaths, etc), which may have resulted in inaccurate enrolment data. The Ministry should undertake a comprehensive system audit of Nemis,” reads the report titled Report on School Data Verification.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok has also rejected the report. Ogamba insisted that the document was unsigned and could not be relied upon, saying it did not represent government findings or policy decisions. However, Saturday Nation confirmed that the report was obtained from senior ministry officials who verified its contents but requested anonymity because they are not authorised to speak before its official release.
Beyond the numbers, the audit points to serious operational failures within the education data system. It found that duties for officers handling school data were poorly defined from the ministry headquarters to schools, weakening oversight and accountability. In addition, some schools lacked staff trained to interpret Nemis records or submit accurate information using the Kobo toolbox.
The review of records also uncovered a gap of 87,730 learners, renewing concerns about the presence of “ghost learners” in the system.
The ministry had earlier projected that 3.35 million learners in 9,550 schools would qualify for government funding. Verification later confirmed only 3.26 million learners across 9,540 schools as eligible for capitation.
“The findings of the verification exercise established that there were incomplete school submissions, such as failure to capture learner identifiers by heads of institutions, which hindered full validation. The Ministry, therefore, should develop an Education Management Information System (EMIS) that utilises learner biometrics,” the audit reads.
The report further shows that some schools listed for funding were not operating at all. A total of 26 institutions were classified as non-operational due to reasons such as closure, lack of teachers or inadequate facilities.
Others failed to meet verification standards because of missing or incorrect information.
“The verification has so far cleared 53,015 schools for capitation, covering a total of 11,028,861 learners. While most schools complied, 181 submitted data in unspecified formats, 24 schools have yet to submit, 495 schools had invalid assessment numbers, and 406 schools had valid assessment numbers matched to different Knec centre codes. Currently, 11 schools are still being verified, and 26 are non-operational schools,” reads the audit.
Different education levels were affected in different ways. Public primary schools recorded the biggest fall in enrolment compared to earlier Nemis records, indicating that many learner entries could not be confirmed.
Junior schools showed a sharp rise in enrolment, which the audit links to learner movement under the Competency-Based Curriculum or reclassification. Secondary schools experienced a slight decline, largely due to duplicate or invalid records being removed.
“The verification targeted 23,911 public primary schools with an enrolment of 5,833,175 in the previous Nemis capitation, 20,927 junior schools with an enrolment of 2,430,398, and 9,550 secondary schools with an enrolment of 3,352,884.”
“At the time of report compilation, the verification had covered 22,988 public primary schools with an enrolment of 4,817,694, 20,487 junior schools with an enrolment of 2,951,517, and 9,540 secondary schools with an enrolment of 3,259,650, as well as 717 special needs institutions across all levels with an enrolment of 42,547,” it added.
Although special needs institutions accounted for a smaller share of enrolment, the audit stressed the importance of ensuring their full inclusion in funding decisions.
The verification exercise also faced logistical challenges. Many schools submitted records with missing details, while reliance on manual uploads increased the risk of errors.
Poor internet connectivity, especially in remote areas, delayed submissions and verification. Schools that remain unverified now face uncertainty over their capitation funding unless further checks, including physical visits, are carried out.
“The total number of targeted institutions was 54,388 public basic education institutions, of which 53,015 were verified. The difference of 1,373 institutions constitutes schools pending verification due to submission of incomplete data sets, submission in incorrect formats, invalid Knec assessment numbers and centre codes, schools below the threshold, and non-operational schools,” the report reads.
