The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Mr. Julius Ogamba, has informed the National Assembly that delays in the release of school capitation funds have been occasioned by an ongoing audit that uncovered serious irregularities, including the disbursement of funds to non-existent schools.

Appearing before the House to respond to Members’ Questions pursuant to Standing Order 42A (6B), the CS was addressing a question from the Member for Emuhaya, Hon. Omboko Milemba. His question was read on his behalf by Gilgil MP, Hon. Martha Wangari.

Hon. Wangari, reading the question, asked, “Could the Cabinet Secretary state the plans that the Ministry of Education has put in place to ensure that all schools receive capitation to facilitate their operations during the third term, given that national examinations are about to commence? Could he also outline measures to ensure smooth running of schools during the ongoing verification process, indicate how long the exercise will take, and explain the actions being taken to uncover ghost schools that have been receiving funds for infrastructure and examination purposes?”

Responding to the question, CS Ogamba confirmed that an audit by the Office of the Auditor-General had revealed that some schools receiving capitation from the Ministry did not actually exist.

“Mr. Speaker, the Office of the Auditor-General recently reported that some of the schools that received capitation from the Ministry of Education were non-existent,” said the CS.

“Following this report, the Ministry decided to undertake a comprehensive verification exercise to determine the actual number of schools and learners in the country.”

He explained that the verification was aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability in the use of public resources, ensuring that only verified schools benefit from capitation funds.

As of October 7, 2025, the Ministry had verified and released capitation to 752 primary, junior, senior, and special needs education institutions across the country, catering to 9,430,139 learners.

On funding status, CS Ogamba reported that for secondary schools, KSh10 billion out of an allocation of KSh10.3 billion had been released, representing 96 percent of the total. For junior schools, the Ministry had disbursed KSh4.1 billion out of KSh5.7 billion (73 percent), while for primary schools, KSh821 million had been released out of KSh1.7 billion (48 percent).

The CS assured Members that the verification exercise was nearing completion and that a comprehensive report would be ready within a week.

“By Wednesday next week the exercise will be done and once the report of the analysis is released we will then determine which and where the ghost schools are located. Retrospective action will then be taken by the investigative agencies,” added the CS

Nyeri County MP, Hon. Rahab Mukami, however questioned the timing of the verification exercise, saying it was disadvantaging candidates preparing for their national examinations.

“Why have Form Four students been sent home while we know very well that they should be preparing for their exams?” she asked.

Hon. Mukami urged the CS to direct school principals to recall candidates to ensure they complete their preparation and sit for their final exams without disruption.