BONYO'S BONE: Education - Ghosts for ghosts, by ghosts

Last week, basic education principal secretary Julius Bitok revealed before parliament that an ongoing audit had unearthed 50,000 ghost students.

Fifty. Thousand. Ghosts.

At Ksh.16,000 per student, that’s over Ksh.1 billion already lost and remember, this audit has only covered half the secondary schools in Kenya. When it’s done, the number will likely balloon. And that’s before we even touch primary schools, where administrators have been dipping their hands into the honey jar for years.

But here’s the real scandal: even with such damning revelations, no one has been held accountable so far.

Instead, PS Bitok went to parliament asking for “help” on the next steps.

No, Julius! Theft this blatant does not require consultation. It requires prosecution.

The data you announced came from real schools, uploaded by real administrators, and cleared by real ministry officials at the county level. Then approved by officials at Jogoo House B and transmitted to the national treasury for fund processing.

Those are the culprits. Start there. Arrest them. Charge them. Drag them to court. That’s the job.

For too long, graft in the education sector has been an open buffet. Crooked officials colluding with banks to open accounts for ghost schools. Principals inventing students to siphon capitation funds. Ministry officers looking the other way. All this while parents and taxpayers break their backs to keep schools afloat.

This must stop. Everyone in this food chain: from the classrooms to Jogoo House B, must carry their own cross. When officers entrusted with safeguarding education steal from classrooms, that’s not corruption, that’s cannibalism of the future.

Prof Bitok, Kenyans are watching. We expect you to draw blood, not excuses. Do not let schools close for Christmas with these scammers still sitting pretty.

Taxpayers are burdened enough. It’s time they see thieves in handcuffs, not in offices.

Act now, PS. Name the thieves. Prosecute them. Protect the money trail. Because if you don’t, you won’t just be failing schools, you’ll be failing a generation.

Education is the great equalizer. But if you allow cartels to eat capitation funds and go scot free, then what you are equalizing is poverty, not opportunity.

That is my bone tonight.