Advancing equity and widening access to higher education in Kenya

Higher Education is universally viewed as essential, not only to economic prosperity in an increasingly globalized, knowledge driven economies, but also to individual aspirations for intellectual fulfillment, expanding life options and the presumable economic rewards. Improving access to education in Kenya and alleviating poverty are two closely related issues central to the achievement of the eight Millennium Development Goals. Even though access to primary education has grown in the country since the introduction of free primary education in 2003, ancillary costs such as school uniforms continue to hinder many children from accessing primary education. Secondary school access has also remained low. One of the most frequently quoted generalizations in research into Higher Education is that expansion has not significantly reduced social class inequalities in access. Therefore, the concern in this chapter is less with the issue of expanding participation but more with widening access to Higher Education to previously under-represented groups in Kenya. This distinction is central to this Chapter. The chapter explores the three important determinants of inequity to access in Higher Education in Kenya- gender, socio-economic status and region/ethnicity and highlights the need for programmes and policies focusing on improving access.