Education PS Bitok explains shift from NEMIS to KEMIS
Education
By
Benard Lusigi and Mary Imenza
| Aug 07, 2025
The government is set to launch a new education data system aimed at eliminating ghost students, ghost schools, and inaccurate funding allocations in a sweeping reform that aims to improve access and delivery of education.
Speaking in Malava, Kakamega County, on Tuesday, Principal Secretary for the State Department for Basic Education Julius Bitok, said the current National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) will be replaced by a more robust platform dubbed the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS).
“We are upgrading from NEMIS to KEMIS. This new system will capture accurate data on all learners and institutions from primary schools to universities, TVETs, and parastatals,” said Bitok.
He said the current system has failed to reflect real-time student movement and enrollment numbers, leading to inflated figures and resource wastage.
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“Some learners shift from one school to another, some drop out, and others are double-counted. KEMIS will ensure every learner has a unique, traceable record,” he said.
He added that the system will be rolled out in the next three months.
The PS said the new system will drastically change the way the government disburses capitation funds, signalling the end of blanket allocations based on outdated figures.
"Capitation as we know it, is going to change. We are moving to a needs-based model driven by accurate data,” he said.
Bitok added that under President Ruto’s administration, the education sector has received a historic KSh702 billion investment, the highest allocation since independence.
“There is no other time this kind of money has gone into education. This shows how serious we are about reforming the sector,” he said.
On teacher recruitment, Bitok said the government has hired 76,000 teachers in two years and plans to hit 100,000 soon.
“In comparison, previous regimes employed far fewer—1,000 under President Moi annually, 3,000 under President Mwai Kibaki, and 5,000 under President Uhuru Kenyatta. This is the government of teachers,” he noted.
To address stagnation in promotions, Bitok announced that KSh 1 billion had been set aside in this year’s budget to prioritise long-serving teachers.
He also said consultations are underway with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for a more comprehensive medical cover for educators.
"I have been in many cases and the response from teachers across the country have had an issue with their health insurance and as we speak we are in talks with the TSC to find a solution where we will have one insurance company that teachers will use under the Universal Health Insurance to put to an end the confusion and struggle by our tutors," said Bitok.