Akello Misori demands probe into Ksh170B ghost schools scandal
Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Secretary-General Akello Misori has raised alarm over revelations of possible large-scale fraud in the Ministry of Education, following reports by the Auditor General indicating the existence of ghost schools tied to the disappearance of over Ksh170 billion.
Speaking during an interview with a local TV station on Monday, July 28, 2025, Misori expressed disbelief at the scale of the reported scandal, describing it not merely as corruption but as a grave crime against the country’s education system.
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“I don’t want to subscribe to the school of thought of ghost schools. I don’t think it can happen,” Misori stated.
“But now that an auditor general—an institution tasked with the mandate to find what happened with the allocation of resources—has raised it, I tend to believe that it is a terrible crime.”
Inaction of DCI
He questioned the inaction of investigative authorities, particularly the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), in probing what he called outright criminal mischief.
“I don’t know why the DCI has not descended on the Ministry to unearth the level of this mischief. How can we have ghost schools where over Sh170 billion disappears? It is unfortunate to an extent that it is not believable,” Misori said.
The KUPPET boss stressed the need for accountability, warning that such losses not only rob learners of vital resources but also severely undermine the credibility of the education sector and government institutions.
The Office of the Auditor General has exposed shocking fraud that saw 33 nonexistent schools receive billions of shillings in the past four years, even as schools teeter on the brink of closure due to underfunding that has piled up to Ksh117 billion.
The Auditor General’s report, which is yet to be made fully public, reportedly highlights irregularities in the registration, funding, and auditing of schools that may not physically exist, yet continue to receive government allocations.
Funding ghost schools
A new wave of public outrage erupted following comments made by economist and Presidential Economic Advisor David Ndii, who claims that Kenya has been funding ghost schools since the days of the late President Mwai Kibaki.
Ndii made the statement on Friday, July 25, 2025, on his X account, in response to remarks made by National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, who had earlier revealed that the government is struggling to allocate limited funds across key sectors due to growing financial constraints.
“We’ve been paying ghost schools since the Kibaki administration. We are the ones who are taking on the bureaucratic and tenderpreneur cartels, your parents, aunties and uncles, running these rackets. Ditto NHIF. A day is coming when we will start calling out names,” Ndii wrote.
