Primary education and entrepreneurship in east Africa: a case study of private schools for the poor in Kibera(Kenya)

1.4 Why Kenya (Kibera)?

The approach given to the study has chosen the slum of Kibera in Kenya for many reasons. First of all Kenya seem to be in the spot light since it has been chosen as model of development in terms of educational provision in Africa by many world leaders, influential politician and pop stars. The declaration of the former US president, Bill Clinton actually contributed a lot to fuel curiosity on the typical case of this country. In an interview given to an American Television, the latter said he said the person he most wanted to meet was president Kibaki of Kenya «because he abolished school fees» which «would affects more lives than any president had done or would ever do...»^1(*). The declaration preceded actions from other institutions. In fact, some financial donation from the World Bank and the British government of worth $55m and £20m respectively were publicly announced, in support to the Free Primary Education Campaign.

Secondly, the Free Primary Education campaign was launched in Kenya in the year 2003 with the aim of covering the educational needs of the population. This was to be a specificity of the new elected administration headed by president Kibaki and had as focus all the government schools. Based on past research in this country and current ones under research at the EG West centre by James Stanfield and others, we were curious to find out if the political and media propaganda surrounding the project had had the merit to be so much highlighted. We equally wanted to know if the astronomical budget allocated at this effect couple with international aid had boosted the educational sector of Kenya.

Finally, Kibera from developmental perspectives is the biggest slum in East Africa with a population estimated between 220,000 to 250,000 inhabitants living together in a perimeter of

2.3 And 2.5 sq Kilometres. It was felt that a study in such area would depict a true picture of how poor people educational priorities and which choice they make in fulfilling these priorities.

1.5 Why look at Entrepreneurship?

Many economists have highlighted the role that entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship could play in responses to poverty and social instability on the continent. They argue in a great majority that private investment is the only way out of Africa's miasma and underdevelopment and that the sector's economic potential and social contribution needs to be re evaluated and given strong regulatory support from African governments. It is suggested that in the perspective of boosting the continent's development, investment should be done in the field of agriculture, manufacturing, education, health care, telecommunication, and infrastructure (Ayittey 2007).

However the prevailing investment environment in Africa seems not to be encouraging enough and has been for ages now at the centre of many observations (Ayittey 2007, Elkan 1988, Boettke 2007).

Back on the field of education, the existing literature that investment is not a new phenomenon in Africa. Private schools did exist in Africa long time ago and there has been a growing desire for more investment in the field. This desire, as observed in the research has many motivations. The case study of private schools in Kibera; where there is an incredible growing number of populations, is just a picture of that desire for investment all over the continent. However, critics as well governing bodies such as UNESCO and OXFAM deplore that private schools entrepreneurs are geared towards profit making and as such cannot claim to be offering quality service to the population. The study of entrepreneurship in this case equally set out to determine if this assertion in worthy of credibility.

* ¹ (Available at http://treesofhealing.org/?p=90).