This case study surveys the educational services provided by the private sector in
Kenya, identifies the major issues and discusses a possible role for the World Bank
Group, especially IFC.
The demand for all types of education at all levels has greatly outpaced the
capacity of the public school system. This has allowed “edupreneurs” to provide
academic and vocational education, catering to many socioeconomic segments of the
population. Although enrollment in private schools has been increasing rapidly, the
supply-demand gap continues to grow. Many private schools wish to expand, but faced
prohibitive constraints, primarily related to scarcity of financial resources and inadequate
management skills. Development institutions, including IFC, can help alleviate these
constraints, provided that they are ready to comprehensively address the particular issues
faced by private educational institutions.