Kenya's Ministry of Education has replaced NEMIS with KEMIS — the Kenya Education Management Information System at kemis.go.ke — and every basic education institution, public and private, must register its learners there. Each learner receives a Unique Learner Identifier (ULI, previously UPI under NEMIS) that stays with them through the system. Verified KEMIS enrolment is now the condition for exam registration and capitation funding, so getting your records right is not optional paperwork — it is how your school gets paid.
NEMIS vs KEMIS: what actually changed
| NEMIS (legacy) | KEMIS (now) | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | National Education Management Information System | Kenya Education Management Information System |
| Portal | nemis.education.go.ke | kemis.go.ke |
| Learner identifier | UPI — Unique Personal Identifier | ULI — Unique Learner Identifier |
| Why it changed | Duplicate records, manipulated enrolment, 'ghost schools' | Single source of truth, de-duplicated, verified headcounts |
| Who must register | Public and private schools | All basic education institutions, including private, faith-based and international curriculum schools |
How the Ministry of Education's learner registration platform has evolved in 2026.
The identifiers themselves look similar — both are unique codes generated when a learner is registered — and the older UPI number issued under NEMIS is still used in exam registration contexts. But going forward, enrolment, capitation and planning all run on KEMIS.
Why this matters more than ever in 2026
Capitation is now paid against verified enrolment on KEMIS. In 2026 the National Treasury released Sh67.6 billion in capitation across two tranches, and the Ministry has repeatedly tied disbursement to clean, complete learner records. When only 2.6 million of an expected 3.2 million secondary learner records had been submitted ahead of a July deadline, the Ministry set a hard 31 August 2026 deadline for basic education institutions to complete onboarding and learner registration — and warned that Term 3 capitation depends on it.
31 Aug 2026
Registration deadline
Basic education institutions onboard learners on KEMIS
Sh67.6B
Capitation in 2026
Released in two tranches, tied to verified records
2.6M / 3.2M
Records received
Secondary enrolment data ahead of the July 2026 deadline
What you need before you register learners
- Your school's KEMIS institutional registration, approved by the county or sub-county education office — learner registration starts only after this is approved
- Each learner's official birth certificate entry number (not the serial or printing number)
- Alien certificate details for non-citizen learners
- Complete parent or guardian details — incomplete records get flagged 'Invalid'
- National ID numbers for staff you register
Step by step: registering students and getting their numbers
- Log in to kemis.go.ke with your institution credentials.
- Complete your institutional registration and wait for approval from the county or sub-county education office.
- Add each learner, using the official birth certificate entry number.
- Save and let the system generate the ULI — then confirm each learner's record is not flagged 'Invalid'.
- Resolve invalid flags (usually missing parent details or wrong entry numbers) before the deadline.
- Reconcile your KEMIS headcount against your own enrolment records so capitation matches reality.
Ayaan Obi
Year 4 · Section B · STU2026001
Family
Obi Family
Parent
James Obi
Phone
+44 7900 123 456
Joined
Sep 2024
This term
94.8%
Attendance
89.3
Avg grade
£840
Fees paid
How EduPilotPro keeps your records KEMIS-ready
The registration itself happens on the KEMIS portal — that part is government-run. But the student records behind it live in your school. EduPilotPro keeps a structured student file — name, birth certificate entry number, UPI/ULI, parent details — that mirrors what KEMIS needs, so when the circular comes and the deadline is near, your registrar exports clean data instead of hunting through admission files. Structured records also mean your own enrolment numbers are always at hand to check against the Ministry's headcount.
Before the next Ministry deadline
Private schools are included
There is no exemption for private schools. Registration on KEMIS is mandatory for every basic education institution operating in Kenya — public, private, faith-based and international curriculum. If your school has learners, it has a KEMIS obligation and a capitation stake.
The Bottom Line
NEMIS has become KEMIS, and the UPI has become the ULI — but the underlying obligation is unchanged and stricter: every learner registered, every record verified, every deadline met. Schools that treat enrolment data as an administrative chore will keep losing capitation and sleep. Schools that keep their records structured and their headcounts accurate will sail through every circular.