Wilson Sossion: Ghost students have been looting capitation funds
Former Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Wilson Sossion has sounded the alarm over the existence of ghost students in schools, warning that the scheme has been syphoning capitation funds meant for genuine learners.
Speaking at a local TV station on Thursday, September 18, 2025, Sossion stated that his earlier concerns about wiring money to schools without proper auditing had now been confirmed.
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“I raised my concerns about wiring capitation money without auditing, and what has come out is that with the verification the ministry is undertaking before releasing money, there actually exist ghost students that have been used to wire money to schools,” Sossion said.
Furthermore, he welcomed the ministry’s openness in releasing the information, noting that it was a “serious matter” that called for immediate accountability.
“It is the right thing, and we should laud the minister for giving us this information openly. If there are ghost schools, they will still tell us. Can we have accountability of all the money that goes to education?” he posed.
His remarks come hours after the Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said that the ongoing schools data verification has unearthed ghost learners, with the Ministry of Education predicting that the total number of learners in the country could drop by up to 10 per cent.
He also revealed that the exercise could result in a considerable decrease in the number of schools. The process has so far verified data for 20,000 schools and led to the disbursement of capitation to the same.
Elsewhere, Isiolo KNUT officials blast the government for funding ghost schools over existing ones.
Verification
On Friday, September 5, 2025, Bitok confirmed that 32,000 public institutions, representing 98 per cent of primary and secondary schools, have complied with the directive.
He revealed that only 3,000 schools have so far received third-term capitation, pending full verification at the Ministry headquarters.
“So far, 3,000 schools have been able to receive capitation after being verified to have the correct data on the correct number of students that are in schools,” Bitok said while overseeing the exercise at Machakos Teachers Training College.
He assured schools that funds would be credited to their accounts immediately upon clearance.
“We are anticipating that by the end of next week, all of our 32,000 schools will have received their money,” he said.
To qualify, schools must present each learner’s Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) as reflected in birth certificates, alongside their registration number and certified bank account details.
Verification is being coordinated through sub-county education offices.
Bitok defended the rigorous process as necessary to restore accountability in the allocation of public funds, citing previous audits that exposed serious gaps in disbursement.
“We therefore had no option but to verify the data to ensure that every shilling reaches the right school and the right learner. This is about accountability to the Kenyan child and to the nation,” he noted.
According to the PS, secondary schools are leading in compliance, followed by junior schools, while primary schools have lagged due to internet connectivity challenges.
