… Julius Bitok has dismissed a Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) report indicating that more than 150,000 learners under the Competency Based Education system dropped out before completion. …
Doubt over CBE transition as learners sent home despite govt mop-up claimsKenya Minute.
Thursday, 14 May 2026
Kenya’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026
Thursday, 14 May 2026
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Kenyan press · Person
Julius Bitok
Also known as: Basic Education PS Julius Bitok · Prof. Julius Bitok · former Immigration Principal Secretary Julius Bitok · Prof. Bitok · Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok
Basic Education Principal Secretary who presented Kenya's 2026/27 budget shortfall to parliament and urged schools to address rising unrest.
In coverage
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
- May 2026
… Meanwhile, Basic Education PS Julius Bitok defended CBE, saying the reforms would transform Kenya’s education system. …
Alarm as 151,000 learners from first CBE cohort fail to complete junior school, KNEC data shows- April 2026
… The circular, dated April 23 and signed by Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok, outlines how the funds are to be used, with stakeholders raising concerns that the allocation is insufficient to support learning activities. …
KNUT raises alarm after gov't allocates Ksh.188 capitation per learner for second term
Society
Government to merge primary and junior school funding
The News
The government plans to merge primary and junior secondary school capitation under a single comprehensive funding model beginning the next financial year, according to Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok.
Why it matters
Government plans to merge primary and junior secondary school funding under unified model, reshaping education financing.
8 hours ago · The Standard →
Today
Government to merge primary and junior school funding
The government plans to merge primary and junior secondary school capitation under a single comprehensive funding model beginning the next financial year, according to Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok.
8 hours ago · The Standard →
Wednesday 13 May
Government asks school principals to prevent unrest triggers
The Basic Education Principal Secretary has convened a meeting with school principals and education officials to discuss interventions for preventing unrest in learning institutions, noting that the second term has historically experienced such cases and urging officers to identify and address warning signs early.
18 hours ago · Citizen Digital →
PS Bitok calls for early detection of school unrest triggers
Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok has urged education stakeholders to adopt student-centred approaches and identify early triggers of unrest in schools, amid a spike in secondary school disruptions. Officials attributed the unrest to weak communication channels between students and administrations, limited learner involvement in decision-making, harsh disciplinary practices, exam-related pressure, poor learning environments, and drug and substance abuse.
19 hours ago · Capital News →
Kenya's basic education budget faces Sh71.77 billion shortfall
Kenya's basic education budget for 2026/27 carries a Sh71.77 billion shortfall severe enough to leave more than six million learners without government capitation, according to figures presented by the Principal Secretary of Education to parliament on Wednesday. The shortfall means 3.7 million primary school learners will receive no capitation or be funded at half the required rate, while junior secondary and secondary education also face critical funding gaps.
14 May 2026 · The Standard →
PS Bitok urges school heads to prevent rising student unrest
The Basic Education Principal Secretary has called for immediate and coordinated action to address rising cases of unrest in secondary schools, which have disrupted learning and forced temporary closures. He told school principals and education officials that the second term is traditionally prone to unrest and authorities must proactively identify and address triggers before they escalate.
14 May 2026 · The Standard →
Yesterday
Fast-tracked passport scheme linked to Sudan militia fighters
Tracking records and documents reveal a fast-tracked approvals system routed through senior immigration authority that bypassed standard verification steps to hand Kenyan identification documents to fighters linked to Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and suspected international terrorists. The scheme has drawn former Immigration Principal Secretary Julius Bitok into the centre of the scandal.
13 May 2026 · The Standard →
Former Education PS Bitok linked to illegal passport scheme
Former Immigration Principal Secretary Julius Bitok is at the centre of a scheme that allegedly issued Kenyan identification documents and passports to fighters linked to Sudan's Rapid Support Forces, suspected international terrorists, and other individuals, while senior government officials implicated in the scheme remain silent and unaccountable.
13 May 2026 · The Standard →
Education PS seeks Sh71.77B to bridge 2026/27 funding gap
Basic Education Principal Secretary Prof. Julius Bitok has appealed to Parliament for an additional Sh71.77 billion to address a budget deficit threatening critical learning programmes including capitation for learners, textbooks, examination administration, school feeding, and Grade 9 classroom construction under the Competency-Based Curriculum.
13 May 2026 · The Standard →
Thursday 7 May
Government audit finds 800,000 ghost learners in primary schools
Kenya's Basic Education PS Julius Bitok revealed that a nationwide verification exercise uncovered about 87,000 non-existent students in secondary schools and nearly 800,000 ghost learners in primary schools. The audit, ordered by Parliament, aimed to verify the exact number of learners and institutions receiving government capitation funds, and has prompted disciplinary action against 30 school principals suspected of manipulating student data.
8 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Wednesday 6 May
Ruto orders education data digitisation to combat sector cartels
President Ruto has directed the Ministry of Education to digitise all education data within two months to improve accountability and weed out cartels. A recent audit identified 87,000 ghost secondary school students, 800,000 fake pupils in primary schools, and 200 non-existent schools, with the government paying Ksh.1.2 billion annually for learners that did not exist.
7 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Monday 4 May
CBE transition claims disputed after learners sent home
The Education Principal Secretary dismissed a KNEC report of over 150,000 CBE learner dropouts, but a Citizen TV investigation found that learners placed in schools during a February mop-up exercise were sent home shortly after reporting, contradicting government claims of 100 per cent transition and a promise that no child would be left behind.
5 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Sunday 3 May
151,000 learners fail to complete junior school under CBE system
KNEC data shows that of 1.282 million learners enrolled in Grade Four in 2019 under Kenya's new Competency-Based Education system, only 1.130 million sat the Grade Nine assessment, leaving about 151,630 unaccounted for and raising concerns about dropouts and retention gaps. The dropout disproportionately affected boys, with nearly 100,000 male learners and about 52,000 girls failing to complete junior school.
4 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Tuesday 28 April
KNUT challenges government's Ksh.188 capitation per learner allocation
The Kenya National Union of Teachers has called for a stakeholder meeting after the government allocated Ksh.188 per primary school learner for the second term, citing concerns that the amount is insufficient for learning activities including textbook maintenance (Ksh.5), teachers' guides (Ksh.15), and exercise books (Ksh.40).
29 April 2026 · Citizen Digital →