98% of Public Schools in Kenya Submit Data in Drive to Prevent Capitation Fraud

The Ministry of Education is nearing completion of a nationwide audit to verify school and learner records, with 98 percent of institutions having submitted updated enrolment data.

The verification exercise, launched in response to findings by the Auditor-General, aims to eliminate fictitious schools and inflated learner numbers from the national database. The audit had revealed irregularities in the disbursement of capitation funds over the past four years, raising concerns about misallocation of public resources to non-existent institutions or through manipulated enrolment figures.

During a visit to Machakos Teachers Training College, Basic Education Principal Secretary Prof Julius Bitok confirmed that more than 32,000 primary and secondary schools have complied with the directive to submit accurate data. He stated that capitation funds have already been disbursed to over 3,000 schools whose data has been verified, and that all verified schools are expected to receive their full allocations by the end of the following week.

Prof Bitok acknowledged initial delays due to data formatting issues but noted that these had been addressed through technical support provided to school heads and sub-county education officials. He added that the ministry is working to complete the verification process within the coming days.

The exercise has highlighted variation in data submission rates among different categories of schools. Secondary schools have shown higher levels of compliance, while junior and primary schools are progressing more slowly, partly due to infrastructure and connectivity challenges. Despite this, the ministry expects full disbursement to all compliant institutions shortly.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, speaking in a separate interview, said the audit was a necessary step that had been delayed for too long. He explained that the verification involves cross-checking school submissions with records from the National Education Management Information System (Nemis), including details such as learner demographics, to detect discrepancies and prevent misuse of funds.

Although the process has caused temporary delays in capitation disbursements, ministry officials emphasise that the audit will lead to stronger financial oversight. Plans are underway to phase out Nemis and replace it with a new, centralised system, the Kenya Education Management Information System (Kemis), which is designed to improve data accuracy and reduce opportunities for fraud.

Nemis, which has served as the main tool for capitation funding, has faced persistent challenges, especially in tracking learners who lack official documents such as birth certificates. These gaps have made the system susceptible to data manipulation and financial abuse, according to school administrators.