Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has announced that the Ministry of Education will release its investigation report into fraud involving ghost schools and ghost learners next week, after which it will be handed over to investigative authorities for further action.
Ogamba announced the move while appearing before Members of the National Assembly on the implementation of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) who had questioned him on why it has taken long to release the report.
The announcement follows revelations by the Auditor-General last year that exposed massive fraud in the education sector, where 33 non-existent schools received billions of shillings in government funding over the past four years 2020 – 2024 even as genuine public schools struggled with chronic underfunding.
Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu disclosed the findings in a special audit on capitation and infrastructure grants submitted to the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee. According to the report, the 33 ghost schools alone consumed Ksh3.7 billion in public funds.
The state audit painted a grim picture of widespread financial mismanagement within Kenya’s education system, revealing that billions of shillings were lost through payments made to schools that do not exist and learners who are not physically present in classrooms.
The findings raised serious concerns over governance, accountability, and oversight in the management of education funds.
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The Auditor-General’s office established that several fictitious schools had been registered in the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) despite having no physical presence on the ground.
These schools continued to receive capitation funds government allocations disbursed based on student enrolment meant to support learning and school operations.
The audit further uncovered extensive manipulation of enrolment data, with thousands of so-called ghost learners registered in official systems. These inflated student numbers were used to siphon public funds, depriving legitimate learners and schools of critical resources.
In response to the damning findings, the Ministry of Education initiated a nationwide enrolment verification exercise, requiring schools to resubmit accurate data on learners and institutions. The exercise was aimed to seal loopholes in the capitation system and prevent future fraud.
According to the ministry, the majority of public schools have since complied with the verification process as part of efforts to restore integrity and transparency in education financing.
Once released, the ministry’s investigation report is expected to guide prosecutions and administrative action against those found culpable in the loss of public funds.
By Obegi Malack
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