Basic Education Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa before the Public Accounts Committee on August 27, 2026. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]
The Public Accounts Committee has questioned the reliability of learner enrolment data used by the Government to allocate billions of shillings in education capitation.
MPs warn that inaccurate records could expose public funds to wastage and undermine planning in the education sector.
The concerns emerged on Thursday as the Committee examined the Auditor-General’s Report for the 2023/2024 financial year on the accounts of the State Department for Basic Education.
The Auditor-General flagged unconfirmed capitation payments under the Free Primary Education (FPE), Junior Secondary Education (JSE) and Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE) programmes.
The Government disbursed Sh63.95 billion for FDSE, Sh30.99 billion for JSE and Sh9.05 billion for FPE based on learner enrolment data captured in the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS).
However, the Auditor-General found that there was no documentary evidence to prove that the learner data in NEMIS had been verified by the respective Sub-County Education Offices before the funds were released.
The report also raised concerns about the system’s continuous updating of learner records, saying the lack of a clear cut-off point makes it difficult to establish the exact number of learners at any given time.