Why over 1,000 schools risk closure

About 1,000 public schools with fewer than 10 learners are staring at possible closure after a government audit laid bare shocking gaps in enrolment data.

The verification exercise, triggered by a damning Auditor General’s report, has revealed cases of institutions with bloated registers, raising fears of years of misallocated billions in taxpayers’ money.

Education officials now say cleaning up the records could save the country billions of shillingsfrom inflated capitation claims.

Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok, in an exclusive interview with The Standard, said that the findings, which cut across all levels but are worst in junior secondary schools, confirm suspicions first flagged by the Auditor General in a special report.

The audit had warned that the Education ministry was sending capitation funds to “ghost students” and possibly “ghost schools.”

If fully implemented, the clean-up could deliver savings of up to Sh12 billion annually from the Sh120 billion capitation budget.

Overall, the Education ministry projects a 10 per cent cut in wastage across the education sector, money that could be redirected to teacher recruitment, infrastructure, and learning materials.

“For far too long, the ministry has been accused of sending money to ghost schools and ghost students. We want to deal with that decisively once and for all,” said Prof Bitok.

“It is too early to tell how much we are likely to save, but we are looking at about 10 per cent when we clean all the data. Computation alone is around Sh120 billion every year, so when we have accurate data, we should be able to save about Sh12 billion.”

The verification, ordered after Parliament adopted the Auditor General’s report, required all 32,000 public schools to submit enrolment data through sub-county directors.

While submissions were made, some schools ignored the ministry’s prescribed templates, slowing down the exercise as data had to be sent back for correction.

So far, 3,000 schools that complied with the template have already received their capitation funds, with others waiting.

The government has taken a hard-line position that schools without verifiable data will not receive a shilling. Bitok disclosed that inconsistencies are not one-sided. Some schools have deliberately inflated their numbers to attract higher funding, while others under-reported.

“There are variations in numbers both ways. Whenever we find that variation, we compare the data from schools, sub-county directors, and what we have in our records. If there is no relationship, we take it back to the ground,” he said.

“At this point, there is no convincing explanation why schools submitted inaccurate data.”

The PS said the discovery of 1,000 schools with fewer than 10 learners is among the most alarming outcomes so far, prompting an immediate review by county education boards.

Bitok said the government has not yet made a decision on whether such institutions will be shut down, merged, or supported with additional interventions.

“Education is the heaviest stakeholder department. There’s no decision we are taking until we engage stakeholders. Right now, we want to get accurate information. From the recommendations, the government will make a decision,” Bitok stressed.

In an interview with The Standard last week, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba hinted that some schools could face closure if the final data confirms that they are unsustainable.

Beyond funding schools, the Education ministry says the exercise will influence teacher distribution and allocation of resources nationwide

By cleaning up enrolment data, the government hopes to streamline teacher posting and optimise resources where they are most needed.

“When we have accurate data, it will also affect so many other things, like the distribution of teachers and resources across the country,” Bitok explained.

The PS insisted that while the process is painstaking, it is necessary to restore credibility and accountability in the management of education funds.

“The government has no intention of delaying disbursements; it is only that we have to do the right thing. We must be accountable and responsible in what we do,” he said.

The audit, which was meant to end last Friday, was extended to 12 September 12, 2025.