Members of Parliament have demanded accountability from Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba after it emerged that the government has been paying capitation funds amounting to Sh1.1 billion to non-existent students in public schools.
The shocking revelation has reignited concerns over corruption and poor data management within the ministry.
Appearing before the National Assembly plenary on Wednesday, Ogamba told lawmakers that the ongoing verification of student enrolment had uncovered several irregularities, including cases where funds were sent to schools that had no students at all.
He said 10 such secondary schools have already been shut down, and more discrepancies could be exposed once the remaining 934 schools submit their data.
“This exercise has borne fruits, because as we have completed the exercise with only 934 schools yet to be verified. The balance we are having is Sh1.1 billion that we have been releasing to students that do not exist, that is why this exercise is important,” Ogamba said.
His statement sparked anger among legislators who accused the ministry of allowing corruption to flourish unchecked. Speaker Moses Wetangula led the questioning, demanding to know what measures had been taken against ministry officers responsible for releasing public funds to fake students.
“You have officers who have a duty to keep and update records of schools continuously, that public money has been wired to non-existent schools for non-existent students, how many of your officers have you interdicted for doing this criminal act?” asked Wetangula.
In his response, Ogamba said no disciplinary action had been taken so far, insisting that the ongoing audit must be completed first to identify the specific individuals and schools involved in the fraud.
“We have not interdicted anyone because we have not completed the exercise. Once we complete the exercise, we will know who is involved, which bank account was used and which sub county is affected,” he explained.
However, 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.
“The CS is disappointing me, it does not need days. If something is going wrong and we have identified where there is corruption, just pinpoint which school was non-existent and identify which officer and throw them out of office,” she said.
Budalangi MP Raphael Wanjala also accused the CS of deliberately delaying investigations to protect powerful individuals benefiting from the fraudulent disbursements.
“The CS is playing tricks on us so that we go to next year with the same problems. He may be the beneficiary of the same cartels that is stealing from Kenyans,” he said.
The scandal has once again raised doubts about transparency in the use of public funds meant for students, with lawmakers urging swift action to clean up the ministry and ensure genuine learners benefit from government support.
