The Ministry of Education has confirmed that the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS) will officially go live on January 9, 2026, marking a major step in modernising education data management across the country.
Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said the new platform will streamline learner tracking from primary school through university, addressing inefficiencies that have plagued the current system.
Speaking during an interview on January 1, 2026, Bitok acknowledged that the existing National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) was “rigid, limited in scope, and not easily integrable with other government systems.”
Bitok explained that these shortcomings informed the decision to upgrade to a more intelligent and agile platform capable of meeting the evolving needs of Kenya’s education sector.
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“KEMIS is envisioned as a comprehensive education sector system,” Bitok said, noting that it will integrate basic education, higher education, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), as well as agencies such as the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). He added that the system will serve as a one‑stop solution for education data, enabling seamless tracking of a learner’s academic journey.
Bitok noted that backend preparations are currently underway in collaboration with the Ministry of ICT, Konza Technopolis, and other stakeholders to ensure the system is fully integrated before the launch date.
The new platform will replace NEMIS, which has faced sustained criticism over inefficiencies and data gaps. Bitok said KEMIS will improve school funding processes, enhance learner data verification, and strengthen equity under the Competency‑Based Curriculum. “When somebody tells you, ‘I’ve gone to school,’ you click on KEMIS, and you can see where they went to primary, secondary, college and university. That is the vision,” he explained.
The system was recommended by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms to address limitations in NEMIS. In May 2025, the government unveiled a multi‑agency team to consolidate existing registers for all students, from early childhood to university, into a single integrated database. The team included officials from the Ministry of Education, state agencies, development partners, technology providers and other stakeholders.
Bitok said consolidating learner data into one platform will enhance accuracy, transparency and accessibility, ensuring the government has reliable statistics to inform the distribution of teachers, capitation, books and other resources. The system will unify previously fragmented databases covering Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE), basic education, TVET institutions and universities, while also holding comprehensive records on learners, teachers and schools nationwide.
Beyond streamlining data management, KEMIS is expected to address concerns around data privacy and security, while enabling real‑time access to information for monitoring, evaluation and analytics. This will support tracking of education transitions and other critical indicators within the sector.
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Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said the system will be integrated with Civil Registration Services and the National Registration Bureau, allowing each learner to be assigned a Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) from birth.
“Under the Maisha ecosystem, we will provide a UPI to every newborn, which will also be used by KEMIS. In the event of death, the UPI will be the death certificate number. This will help us with accurate data on inevitable transitions,” Kipsang explained.
Education Committee Chair Julius Melly cited its importance in strengthening budget planning and accountability. “Whoever has accurate data is well placed to make appropriate decisions on budget allocation. We shall support the Ministry’s legislative agenda in Parliament to ensure this transformative system is fully backed by law,” Melly said.
According to Bitok, “A single click on the platform will allow authorities to view where an individual attended primary school, secondary school, college and university.”
By Masaki Enock
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