The KEMIS mess

The transition from the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) to the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS) has thrown the education sector into fresh uncertainty, with technical hitches and delays in uploading institutions threatening to disrupt the selection of senior schools for learners transiting from Grade Nine.

The Standard has established that the transition to the new system is at the centre of the snarl-up, with the Ministry of Education yet to upload all institutions and their available pathways and subject combinations to the KEMIS portal.

The problem has left some schools unable to complete the selection process, raising concern among parents whose children are expected to join Grade 10 next year.

The selection exercise officially opened on August 24 and is scheduled to close on September 11, giving learners and schools just over two weeks to select preferred senior schools, pathways and subject combinations.

But with the September 11 deadline fast approaching, schools are reporting difficulties accessing the platform, submitting choices and, in some cases, finding complete and accurate institution details on the system.

The disruption comes at a critical stage of the Competency-Based Education transition, with nearly 1.2 million Grade Nine learners expected to move to senior school in 2027.

Parents said the delays were causing unnecessary anxiety because the choices made through the system will determine the institutions and pathways available to learners as they progress to senior school.

“We are being told to make choices, yet some of the schools we want are not appearing on the system. How are we expected to make an informed decision when the information is incomplete?” one parent said.

Another parent said the Ministry should not penalise learners for technical problems beyond their control.

“The deadline is September 11, but parents and schools are already struggling with the system. If the portal remains unstable, what happens to a learner who is unable to submit their choices before the deadline?” the parent said.

Parents said the uncertainty was particularly worrying for learners seeking specific pathways, including Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Arts and Sports Science and Social Sciences, because senior schools are expected to offer different combinations.

However, the implementation of the digital system has exposed gaps in the transition from NEMIS to KEMIS, with schools and parents now having to contend with a platform that is still being populated as the selection window runs.

The Ministry has acknowledged technical problems affecting the Grade 10 Selection and Placement portal, with reports of failed logins, unsaved submissions and outdated learner records appearing on the system.

The glitches have heightened fears that some learners could be forced to make hurried choices or miss out on their preferred schools if the system is not stabilised before the September 11 deadline.

But that’s not all, at least 13,000 schools have been flagged over flawed data submitted during the onboarding exercise, including erroneous learner and institutional details, further complicating efforts to build a reliable national database.

At the same time, the ministry is also struggling to establish an accurate picture of the number of learners and institutions in the country as it shifts from NEMIS to KEMIS, with the transition dragging on for more than six months since the new system was launched.

An analysis by the Standard shows that the number of learners in schools has spiked by over 2.4 million, barely six months after the widely publicised school verification exercise that sought to weed out ghost learners and non-existent institutions from the education system.

Fgures presented by former Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok in the 2026/2027 budget estimates show a sharp rise in the student population in primary and secondary schools compared with the December verification report.

The sudden surge has triggered fresh scrutiny of the credibility of official education data, with the new numbers appearing to contradict the very verification exercise meant to clean up inflated enrolment figures and restore integrity to capitation funding.

The December verification exercise had placed the total number of learners across primary, junior and senior secondary schools at about 11 million, after scrubbing off inflated figures blamed on duplication, outdated records and learners without proper identification.

But the new projections now push that number to approximately 13.5 million learners, reflecting a jump of more than 22 per cent in just half a year.

A breakdown of the numbers reveals that primary schools account for the biggest shift.

The December report had verified 4.8 million learners in primary schools. However, the figures presented by Bitok in June now sought funding for 6.39 million learners, an increase of 1.57 million pupils, representing a 32.6 per cent jump in just six months.

The verification exercise had removed nearly one million learners from primary school data due to missing documentation, duplication and ghost entries.

Yet the new projections effectively reinstate an even larger number without a clear explanation on whether these are newly enrolled learners or previously excluded genuine students.

In junior school, the numbers rise from 2.95 million verified learners to 3.62 million, an increase of over 670,000 learners.

While some growth is expected due to the ongoing transition under the Competency-Based Curriculum, the scale of the increase suggests that earlier figures may have significantly underreported the actual enrolment.

Secondary school presents a more stable trend, with numbers rising modestly from 3.26 million to 3.48 million learners, an increase of about 219,000 students.

While the number is much less, the cost implication will be massive.

With each learner allocated Sh22,000 for capitation, the surge of 219,000 students will see a Sh4.82 billion extra budget to fund the extra student numbers in secondary school.

The sudden surge across all levels now exposes a contradiction in government data.

The verification exercise had been presented as a clean-up process to restore integrity in school enrolment figures and ensure capitation funds are directed only to genuine learners.

However, the latest projections appear to reintroduce large numbers without clear explanation on whether these are newly enrolled students, previously excluded learners, or revised estimates.

Even more concerning is that the increase in learner numbers comes against the backdrop of a deepening funding crisis.

Budget documents show massive deficits across all education programmes, meaning millions of learners will still not receive full capitation despite the higher projections.

The 2026/27 budget projections show that millions of learners at risk of missing out on full government funding, even as enrolment numbers surge.

In primary schools, the government is targeting 6,390,414 learners for capitation.

However, the total allocation falls significantly short of what is required to fully fund this population.

Based on the policy capitation of Sh2,330 per learner, the government would need approximately Sh14.9 billion to fully support all primary school pupils.

Instead, the allocation translates to roughly Sh7 billion, leaving a deficit of nearly KSh 7.9 billion.

This means that in real terms, each primary school learner will receive about KSh 1,096, less than half of the required amount.

The situation is equally strained in junior schools. With 3,621,798 learners projected, full capitation at Sh15,042 per learner would require about Sh54.5 billion.

Yet the budget allocation is only around Sh30.9 billion, leaving a massive shortfall of over Sh23 billion.

This translates to an actual per-learner allocation of about Sh8,536, meaning each junior school student will receive just 56 per cent of the required funding.

Similarly, in secondary schools, the government projects 3,479,187 learners, requiring about Sh77.4 billion to meet the full capitation of Sh 22,244 per student.

However, the allocation falls short, with about Sh54.9 billion provided, leaving a deficit of roughly Sh22.5 billion.

As a result, each secondary school learner will effectively receive around Sh15,780, again well below the threshold.

Previously, the Ministry of Education has emphasised the importance of accurate data in financing reforms, leading to the national verification exercise meant to streamline learner numbers in the country.

The Ministry of Education has in the past indicated that it will roll out the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS), to replace the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) and provide a more robust, real-time platform for tracking learners nationwide.

However, budget documents show that KEMIS has not been fully implemented due to funding constraints.