Kenya’s Education Ministry Struggles to Verify Exact Student Enrollment Figures

Kenya's education sector faces growing concerns over the reliability of student data as the government transitions from the National Education Management Information System (Nemis) to the new Kenya Education Management Information System (Kemis). 

An audit report has revealed significant issues of data manipulation and deletion within Nemis, raising questions about the accuracy of student enrollment figures and the allocation of crucial government funds. Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu's report on the accounts of the State Department for Basic Education for the 2022/23 financial year highlights the manipulation of student records within Nemis. This revelation has drawn scrutiny from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the National Assembly, which is currently reviewing the report. 

The findings have ignited fears of potential financial mismanagement and misallocation of resources within the education system. The core issue revolves around the integrity of data used to determine the disbursement of capitation funds to schools. These funds, allocated based on student enrollment numbers, are essential for schools to manage their operational costs and provide quality education. 

The report alleges that the system was compromised by unauthorised deletion of records, affecting the veracity of student counts. The Principal Secretary of Basic Education, Julius Bitok, has assured lawmakers that the government possesses accurate data, placing the total number of students at 12.6 million across primary, junior secondary, and senior secondary schools. However, this assurance is contradicted by revelations made by Fredrick Mujumba, the head of Kemis.

Mujumba informs the PAC that learner records had been deleted from the system at various points, citing instances where cybercafé operators, contracted to input data, removed student information due to non-payment. These unauthorised deletions compromise the overall reliability of the data, casting doubt on the accuracy of enrollment figures used for funding allocations.

The Auditor-General's report further reveals that the government invested Sh239.8 million in re-engineering Nemis under the Primary Education Development project. This initiative aimed to enhance data security, scalability, and business continuity by installing a secondary server on the existing government cloud infrastructure. Despite this substantial investment, the concerns over data integrity persist, raising questions about the effectiveness of the upgrade.

PAC members have voiced scepticism about the Ministry's student records. Funyula MP Dr. Wilberforce Ojiambo says that the State Department lacks a precise count of students enrolled in schools nationwide. Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera warns that the manipulation of Nemis could enable the siphoning of public funds.

Nabwera highlights  inconsistencies in the data, noting reports from principals that student numbers recorded in the system could fluctuate significantly overnight, from 300 to 100. These fluctuations highlight the vulnerability of Nemis and the potential for manipulation. Given the critical role of enrollment figures in the allocation of capitation funds, the PAC has called for a comprehensive audit to verify the actual number of students in the country's education system. 

This verification is deemed essential to ensure equitable resource distribution and financial accountability. Bitok defends the transition to Kemis, citing recommendations from the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms, chaired by Prof. Raphael Munavu. The decision to migrate to Kemis was informed by the need for a more robust and reliable system to manage student data.