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Thousands of learners in remote parts of Kenya have long gone without government capitation funds, textbooks, school meals and even school admission.
This has not been due to lack of will or attendance, but because of one missing document: a birth certificate.
Now, in a major stride toward inclusive education, the government is upgrading its education data system from the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) to a more advanced and intelligent platform, the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS).
Speaking during the inaugural meeting of the KEMIS Steering Committee in Nairobi, Principal Secretary for Basic Education Prof Julius Bitok said the system will transform Kenya’s education sector into a more integrated and data-driven ecosystem.
“The government is upgrading the NEMIS system to KEMIS. The forum mainly focused on engagements on how we can take our education sector to the next level,” said Prof Bitok.
Describing KEMIS as “version 4.0” compared to the current “3.0,” Prof Bitok noted that the platform will feature access portals for all stakeholders and track a learner’s progress from Early Childhood Development (ECD) through to postgraduate research.
“This portal will cover the entire education system. It will integrate all levels of schools into one ecosystem and allow us to track a learner from one level to the next,” he explained.
With over 90% of Kenyans now owning mobile phones, Prof. Bitok added that the Ministry of Education will introduce a mobile app to improve accessibility and engagement for parents, schools and learners.
The pilot phase of KEMIS will begin on July 1, 2025, with fresh enrolment of learners starting on July 15, ahead of full nationwide rollout in September.
KEMIS aims to solve longstanding challenges, including the fragmentation of student records across ECDE, primary, secondary, TVET and university levels.
The new platform will consolidate and store comprehensive data on learners, teachers, institutions and finances.
Paul Mwangemi, Secretary of Civil Registration Services, acknowledged that delays in issuing birth certificates have hindered school access, mainly due to manual processes.
He confirmed that efforts to automate and decentralise registration are underway.
“We’ve had a problem with issuing birth certificates largely because the processes are manual. But we are now automating and decentralising services to ensure there’s a Civil Registration office in every constituency,” Mwangemi said.
Immigration and Citizen Services PS Dr. Belio Kipsang said KEMIS will be integrated with national population databases, including the births and deaths registry, to enable the generation of a Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) for each learner.
“Under the Maisha ecosystem, we will provide a UPI to every newborn, which KEMIS will also use. In the event of death, the UPI will become the death certificate number. This will help us generate accurate data on inevitable transitions,” Kipsang said.
Members of Parliament, led by Education Committee Chairperson Julius Melly, welcomed the development, saying the platform will aid budget-making processes.
“Whoever has accurate data is better placed to make informed decisions on budget allocation. We will support the Ministry’s legislative agenda in Parliament to ensure this transformative system is fully anchored in law,” Melly stated.
With KEMIS, the Ministry of Education expects to capture real-time, accurate data that will improve planning, ensure equitable disbursement of resources and enhance overall education service delivery, ensuring no child is left behind due to paperwork or bureaucracy.
The initiative aligns with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which identifies education as a key pillar of inclusive economic growth.
It also supports the objectives of Vision 2030 and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on equitable and quality education for all.
A multi-agency team was also unveiled to oversee the consolidation of all existing student records, from foundational learning to university, into the new centralised KEMIS database.
The team includes representatives from state agencies, development partners, technology providers, and other stakeholders.
The system will replace the current NEMIS platform, which has faced criticism over inefficiencies and gaps in data accuracy.
