President Ruto orders digitisation of education data to weed out cartels

In conjunction with Konza Technopolis, the President said the ongoing digitisation exercise will be expanded to weed out cartels in the sector.

"I have instructed the Ministry of Education to, in the next two months, to complete digitising all education details of all learners to promote accountability," he said.

He made the remarks during the Second National Education Conference in Naivasha, Nakuru County, on Thursday to review reform progress in the sector. 

The President said a recent verification audit of learners identified 87,000 ghost secondary school students, 800,000 fake pupils in primary schools and 200 non-existent schools across the country. 

"Government was paying Ksh.1.2 billion every year for learners that did not exist. We are asking some very difficult questions to some of our head teachers, and to some of our leaders in education at the county level," he stated.  

At the same time, the President urged union leaders to encourage head teachers to embrace the e-Citizen platform for parents to pay school fees rather than receiving cash.

Present were Education Cabinet Secretary Migosi Ogamba, Principal Secretaries Julius Bitok (Basic Education) and Beatrice Inyangala (University Education), Teachers Service Commission Chairperson Jamleck Muturi, Parliamentary Committee Chairman on Education Julius Melly, who is also Tinderet MP, and Embu University Vice-Chancellor Daniel Njiru, who is also chairperson of the Vice-Chancellors' Committee of Public Universities.

President Ruto said the education budget has increased from Ksh.500 billion in 2022 to Ksh.702 billion this financial year, and will top Ksh.767 billion in the 2026/2027 financial year. 

He explained that education is the single greatest investment a nation can make in shaping its future, hence the need to allocate more resources to the sector.

"Indeed, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) estimates that in developing countries, every $1 (KSh129) invested in education can generate up to $15 (KSh1,935) in economic growth," he noted.

As a result, he said, the government has hired 100,000 new teachers over the past three years, and is building 23,000 classrooms and constructing 1,600 laboratories across the country. 

Further, the President said the government is keen on removing bottlenecks that frustrate access to quality learning, including providing the necessary learning resources to schools on time.

"Beginning this year, we have ensured that capitation funds are disbursed to public schools before the opening date."

The President also pointed out that the reforms are reshaping our classrooms into spaces that nurture creativity, build practical skills, and prepare learners for real-life challenges.

"Indeed, even in the face of early scepticism, the results we are now witnessing speak for themselves. Learners who have transitioned to Senior School are already demonstrating strong learning outcomes that affirm the soundness of our decision to reform the curriculum."

On higher education, President Ruto pointed out that the student-centred funding model has enabled more young Kenyans to access higher education while safeguarding the long-term sustainability of the sector.

Equally, he said the government is repositioning Technical and Vocational Education and Training colleges as a central pillar of the economic agenda by expanding institutions, strengthening competency-based training, and deepening collaboration with industry.

"Through these efforts, we are ensuring that young people acquire relevant skills that lead to employment, entrepreneurship, and productivity, thus directly contributing to national growth," he remarked. 

The President said the country needs an urgent conversation about school uniforms, whose high cost he said is becoming an impediment in the country. He urged the Second National Education Conference to discuss the matter.

Additionally, he urged the conference to discuss how best to streamline the provision of bursaries.