Achieving Sustainable Universal Primary Education through Debt Relief: The Case of Kenya

primary schooling, universal education

An Assessment of the Impact of HIV/AIDS on Economic Growth: The Case of Kenya

HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa has been closely associated with adverse economic effects, and could thwart the success of poverty reduction initiatives. HIV/AIDS is fast eroding the health benefits, which Kenya gained in the first two decades of independence. The paper explores the different channels through which HIV/AIDS affects economic growth in a low-income country like Kenya. Within this framework, the paper attempts to analyse the impact of HIV/AIDS on Kenya’s economic growth by way of simulations using a macroeconomic model for the Kenyan economy. Some of the key channels explored are the impact of HIV/AIDS on productivity and labour force supply; asset accumulation of human, physical and social capital; and the gender channel.

The decline in primary school enrolment in Kenya

school attendance;Kenya;economics of education;educational policy;primary education

Influence of Employee Pro-activeness on Perceived Service Quality by Government Ministries in Kenya

In government ministries in Kenya, entrepreneurial behaviour can surface in the form of a government officer discharging their duties in a different and valuable way from the norm. It is against this background that this study sought to establish the influence of employees’ pro-activeness on perceived service quality by government ministries in Kenya. The specific objective was to examine the influence of employees’ pro-activeness on perceived service quality by government ministries in Kenya. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. This being a census study; all the executive officers of every ministry were selected to take part in the study as they are perceived to be knowledgeable on the issues under study and for which they are either responsible for their execution or they personally execute them. The questionnaire was pre-tested on pilot respondents who were not part of the study respondents but who were knowledgeable in the study aspects in order to ensure their validity and relevance.  The data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to measure the reliability of the scale, which was used to assess the interval consistency among the research instrument items. The regression results showed that employees’ pro-activeness had significant and positive effect on perceived service quality by government ministries in Kenya. The study recommends that government ministries in Kenya should, therefore, strive to improve on employees’ pro-activeness because it was found to have a significant and positive effect on perceived service quality by government ministries in Kenya

Relationship Between Employee Innovativeness and Perceived Service Quality by Government Ministries in Kenya

Entrepreneurial behaviour is the willingness to render a service to a Kenyan citizen in a pleasant, satisfying manner. It can also be as involving as rebelling against an existing political regime and starting a new nation. In government ministries in Kenya, entrepreneurial behaviour can surface in the form of a government officer discharging their duties in a different and valuable way from the norm. It is against this background that this study sought to establish the influence of employees’ innovativeness on perceived service quality by government ministries in Kenya. The specific objective was to analyze the influence of employee innovativeness on perceived service quality by government ministries in Kenya. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. This being a census study; all the executive officers of every ministry were selected to take part in the study as they are perceived to be knowledgeable on the issues under study and for which they are either responsible for their execution or they personally execute them. The questionnaire was pre-tested on pilot respondents who were not part of the study respondents but who were knowledgeable in the study aspects in order to ensure their validity and relevance.  The data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to measure the reliability of the scale, which was used to assess the interval consistency among the research instrument items. The regression results showed that employee innovativeness had significant and positive effect on perceived service quality by government ministries in Kenya. The study recommends that government ministries in Kenya should, therefore, strive to improve on their employees’ innovativeness because it was found to have a significant and positive effect on perceived service quality by government ministries in Kenya

Achieving Universal Primary Education: Can Kenya Afford it?

Kenya has experienced a rapid expansion of the education system partly due to high government expenditure on education. Despite the high level of expenditure on education, primary school enrolment has been declining since early 1990s and until 2003 when gross primary school enrolment increased to 104 percent after the introduction of free primary education. However, with an estimated net primary school enrolment rate of 77 percent, the country is far from achieving universal primary education. The worrying scenario is that the allocations of resources within the education sector seems to be ineffective as the increasing expenditure on education goes to recurrent expenditure (to pay teachers salaries). Kenya\u27s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and the Economic Recovery Strategy for wealth and Employment Creation (ERS) outlines education targets of reaching universal primary education by 2015. The Government is faced with budget constrains and therefore the available resources need to be allocated efficiently in order to realize the education targets. The paper uses Budget Negotiation Framework (BNF) to analyze the cost effective ways of resource allocation in the primary education sector to achieve universal primary education and other education targets. Budget Negotiation Framework is a tool that aims at achieving equity and efficiency in resource allocation. Results from the analysis shows that universal primary education by the year 2015 is a feasible target for Kenya. The results also show that with a more cost- effective spending of education resources - increased trained teachers, enhanced textbook supplies and subsidies targeting the poor - the country could realize higher enrolment rates than what has been achieved with free primary education