Education ministry exposed in ghost learners scam

By Newsflash Writer

Public primary school headteachers have accused the Ministry of Education of manipulating enrolment data by creating ghost learners and fictitious institutions, resulting in the loss of an estimated Sh4 billion in government funding.

Speaking during the Kenya Primary Schools Headteachers Association (Kepsha) conference in Mombasa on they faulted the ministry for consistently blaming teachers despite having its own officers deployed across counties and sub-counties to oversee data collection and verification.

Their complaints came shortly after the Director-General of the State Department for Basic Education, Elyas Abdi, announced that findings from a recent audit on public schools and learners would be made public today. Dr Abdi said Education Cabinet Secretary Ogamba and Principal Secretary Julius Bitok would unveil the report during the official opening of the summit.

Ministry under fire

Paul Odhiambo, the acting ICT chief at the State Department for Basic Education, said all schools that had not received funding had been reviewed and cleared for payment by November 10. “We found that some schools submitted data in the wrong format, while others appeared not to have sent any information. Upon further review, we discovered that some had actually submitted data but used incorrect identification codes,” Mr Odhiambo explained.

He noted that the verification process involved three digital links, the third of which was hosted at the Ministry headquarters and accessible to top officials, including the ICT Directorate, the Principal Secretary, and the Director-General. “It is important to understand this process. It is frustrating that thousands of schools were categorised as having failed to submit data when, in fact, they did — only with minor errors,” he said.

The school heads protested, insisting that maintaining accurate records is primarily the responsibility of the government. “It is absurd for the ministry to accuse headteachers of inflating enrolment numbers when it has its own officers on the ground,” said a delegate from Nairobi.

Audit and validation process

The Ministry of Education began auditing public primary and secondary schools in August to verify student numbers and funding eligibility. Before any institution receives financial support, it must first be validated to ensure it is formally registered by the County Education Board and has a substantive headteacher appointed by the Teachers Service Commission.

Additionally, a school seeking funding for the first time must submit key documents, including a duly completed Free Day Secondary Education application form, a valid registration certificate, minutes from a Board of Management meeting, and bank account details specifying authorized signatories.