A nationwide audit of schools has revealed a shocking trend of ghost learners in official records, exposing thousands of fictitious enrolments used to siphon education funds.

The revelations have placed teachers and education officers at the center of scrutiny, with the Ministry of Education warning of disciplinary measures ranging from transfers and interdictions to outright dismissal.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba confirmed that the data verification exercise, which the ministry has been carrying out since schools reopened, is set to be completed today. He explained that the process faced delays due to resistance but has since gathered momentum.

“The delays were because there was a bit of resistance. However, they have opened up. The good thing is that as we complete verification of data, we were releasing capitation. We keep receiving the data and there could be schools whose data needed to be checked,” he said.

So far, records show that more than 50,000 learners listed in ministry documents were flagged as non-existent, with inflated numbers being used to draw public funds.

The Cabinet Secretary lamented that “this is the very first time we are taking the data of our children” and pointed out that “because we do not have the right numbers, that is what we will go to the National Assembly and our budget is slashed.”

Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok echoed these concerns when he appeared before the National Assembly’s Education Committee, insisting that no officer found culpable will escape consequences.

“Once we conclude the verification exercise, any officer found culpable will not be spared. We will subject them to the full public service disciplinary procedure because this is not just a case of errors, it is a betrayal of public trust,” he told lawmakers.

The audit has also revealed a mismatch between teacher staffing and student enrolment in many schools. Preliminary findings showed that some institutions are over-staffed despite having very few learners, prompting the government to consider large-scale teacher transfers to ensure resources are distributed fairly.

Prof Bitok explained that “it is going to affect the distribution of teachers in our country. It will help us to affect significantly because we will get a very clean picture of what is going on in the sector. We want to ensure we have the right data on the number of schools and learners.”

According to the disciplinary manual for the Public Service, penalties vary depending on the nature and severity of the offence. Minor misconduct could attract verbal or written warnings, while more serious violations could result in formal reprimands, suspensions, or even dismissal from the service. In the gravest cases, officers could be prosecuted and barred permanently from public duty.

During his appearance before the Education Committee, lawmakers pressed the ministry to take firm action. Committee chairperson Julius Melly told officials that the public must trust education data, stressing, “we cannot allow public funds to be siphoned through fictitious schools and non-existent students. Anyone found culpable must face the full force of the law.”

Ogamba revealed that out of the 32,000 schools in Kenya, about 25,000 have so far been verified, with around 70 percent of learners’ data confirmed to be genuine. He said the exercise will provide clarity on how resources are allocated.

“No, we don’t want you to do a reshuffle, we want disciplinary action. What was your director-general doing? What were your finance officers doing? People have to be held accountable,” demanded Melly during the session.

Financial records indicate that out of the Sh23 billion released by the National Treasury, Sh16 billion has already been disbursed to schools, with fears that part of it has been wasted through fraudulent enrolments. The government has promised that once the verification report is finalized, future disbursements will strictly match verified data on enrolment and staffing.

The findings have placed both teachers and education officers on notice as the ministry vows to restore accountability in education spending.

With tens of thousands of ghost learners uncovered and billions of shillings at stake, the verification exercise has laid bare a crisis that the government now says must be treated not as error, but as “a betrayal of public trust.”