State Loses Sh912 Million In NEMIS Data Fraud As CS Ogamba Orders Crackdown
Education Updated: 12 February 2026 20:23 EAT
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba
The government lost Sh912 million in the third term of 2025 after inflated learner data was submitted through the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS), Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has disclosed. The discrepancy emerged following a nationwide audit that compared reported enrolment figures against physically verified student numbers.
According to the ministry, the number of secondary school students captured on NEMIS stood at 3,352,884, but verification established that only 3,265,154 learners were actually enrolled. The difference of 87,730 students resulted in excess capitation funds being disbursed to schools.
Ogamba said the manipulation of learner data directly affected the allocation of public resources, leading to significant financial loss. The audit also identified inconsistencies at other levels of basic education, prompting urgent administrative intervention.
The Cabinet Secretary has ordered the immediate suspension of capitation funds for all unverified learners until their status is confirmed. The move is intended to safeguard public funds and ensure that government financing strictly corresponds to genuine enrolment figures.
The ministry has forwarded the names of 34 headteachers to the Teachers Service Commission for disciplinary action. Among them are school heads accused of inflating enrolment figures and others cited for failure to submit accurate learner data.
Cases involving suspected supervisory negligence at sub-county level have been referred for further investigation, with potential criminal inquiries expected. Education officials linked to the discrepancies could face administrative sanctions or legal consequences.
The ministry has also announced plans to deregister non-operational schools still appearing in the system and to institute routine term-by-term verification exercises to prevent future manipulation of learner data.
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FELIX MAKONA
FACT FINDER AND DATA DRIVEN JOURNALIST. DATA MINING AT IT'S BEST. GET FACTS RANGING FROM MATTERS DISABILITY AND INCLUSION, POLITICS, ECONOMY, SPORTS AND GENERAL NEWS AROUND THE WORLD