MOMBASA, Kenya — About 1,000 secondary schools in Kenya currently have no Grade 10 students, a situation that is straining education resources and leaving teachers underutilised, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has revealed.
The disclosure highlights a growing imbalance in student distribution across the country’s secondary schools, where some institutions are heavily overcrowded while others remain largely empty.
Speaking during the Public Universities Vice-Chancellors’ Summit in Mombasa, Ogamba said the majority of the affected institutions are Cluster 4 day schools, although a few Cluster 3 boarding schools are also experiencing the same problem.
“We have some 1,000 secondary schools with no Grade 10 students. These schools have teachers and principals, among other staff. Now tell me, how do we move from here?” Ogamba said.
The CS warned that the situation reflects a significant waste of human and financial resources, as government-funded teachers and infrastructure remain idle in schools with little or no student population.
University with 31 students
Ogamba also raised concerns about inefficiencies within higher education, revealing that one university in the country is currently operating with only 31 students, though he did not disclose the institution’s name.
“Now, imagine a university in the country currently operating with only 31 students,” he said, urging education leaders to rethink sustainability and institutional planning.
The remarks come as Kenya continues implementing reforms under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) system, which has introduced new academic pathways beginning at senior secondary school.
Audit of schools
The Ministry of Education recently conducted a nationwide audit covering more than 23,000 public primary schools and 9,606 secondary schools.
The exercise followed concerns raised by the Office of the Auditor-General over inconsistencies between enrolment figures reported by schools and the funds disbursed by the government.
According to Ogamba, the audit findings will help the ministry strengthen planning and ensure better utilisation of public resources.
“The audit will guide government planning and help ensure that human, financial, and physical resources are used effectively,” he said.
Calls for school rationalisation
Education stakeholders have begun weighing in on possible solutions to the imbalance.
Silas Obuhatsa, chairperson of the National Parents Association, suggested that schools with extremely low enrolment could be closed and that teachers could be redeployed to institutions facing staff shortages.
However, he cautioned that authorities must first investigate the underlying reasons behind the lack of students.
“We must first establish why these schools have no learners before making such decisions,” Obuhatsa said.
Budget context
The revelations come as Parliament reviews education sector funding under the 2026/27 Budget Policy Statement.
The statement proposes an overall Sh767 billion allocation to the education sector, comprising Sh737 billion for recurrent expenditure and Sh30 billion for development spending.
This represents a 9pc increase from the Sh703 billion baseline allocation in 2025.
More than 55pc of the proposed funding will go to the Teachers Service Commission, with the remaining resources distributed across other departments within the Ministry of Education.
The National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee is expected to review the proposals and present its report to Parliament next week.
Education officials say addressing enrolment disparities will be critical to ensuring efficient use of taxpayer funds while maintaining equitable access to quality education across the country.
