Audit Reveals 27 Non-Operational Schools Still Listed as Active in NEMIS

CS Julius Ogamba

At least 27 public schools that are no longer operational were still listed as active in the government’s education database, according to a recent audit by the Ministry of Education.

The Ministry revealed that 10 secondary schools and 17 primary schools had been closed due to insecurity, community relocations, lack of learners, or administrative decisions.

Despite this, the institutions continued to appear in the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) and official records.

“The status had not been reported to the Ministry and continued to appear in NEMIS,” the report reads.

The discrepancies were identified during a nationwide school data verification exercise covering all 47 counties and all public primary, junior, secondary, and special needs schools.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the audit aimed to reconcile learner enrolment and school records in NEMIS with independently submitted and verified data from school heads and Sub-County Directors of Education.

Key findings

• Primary school enrolment dropped from 5,833,175 learners in NEMIS to 4,947,271, a reduction of 885,904 learners.

• Secondary school enrolment fell from 3,352,884 to 3,265,154, a variance of 87,730 learners.

• Junior school enrolment, however, rose from 2,430,398 to 2,973,648 learners, an increase of 543,250, highlighting under-reporting or delayed updates during the transition to the competency-based curriculum.

The audit also uncovered numerous unauthenticated learner records, including missing or invalid Unique Personal Identifiers, duplicated assessment numbers, and mismatched examination centre codes.

Additionally, 102 junior schools and 84 primary schools were operating below the minimum enrolment threshold, raising concerns about sustainability and resource allocation.

Weak oversight at the sub-county level was cited as a major factor, with some discrepancies neither reported nor corrected in time. Ogamba emphasised that school heads are responsible for the accuracy of data.

“Any deliberate falsification, inflation or misrepresentation of enrolment data constitutes gross misconduct and a breach of public trust,” he said.

Disciplinary measures and funding impact

The Ministry has forwarded the report to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for action against 14 school heads who failed to submit data and 20 who submitted inflated enrolment figures.

Administrative action is also being taken against 28 Sub-County Directors of Education and Quality Assurance officers in areas with systemic failures. Cases with potential criminal elements have been referred to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

In a move expected to affect funding, the Ministry has suspended capitation for all unverified learners. Funding will be restored only after records are authenticated, and non-operational schools identified during the audit will be formally closed or deregistered.

Future reforms

Ogamba said verification exercises will now be conducted every school term to safeguard public resources and ensure funding reflects actual learner numbers.

Challenges during the audit included poor internet connectivity in remote areas, incomplete submissions from some schools, and lack of trained personnel to manage education data.

Verification of early-grade learners was also hampered by missing birth certificates.

To address these gaps, the Ministry plans to strengthen training for school heads and education officers on data management, information security, and accountability.

It will also accelerate the transition from NEMIS to the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS), which will offer stronger validation controls, real-time reporting, and improved interoperability.

“This exercise is about accountability and ensuring that public resources serve real learners in functioning schools,” Ogamba said.