Political parties manifesto and its contributions to educational policy development and management in Kenya

Abstract

Education of any country is an integral tool for the general developmental process of that particular nation. There are myriad factors that influence national systems of education. They inevitably range from social, economical, technological to political influences. This paper sought to investigate political parties manifesto and its contributions to educational policy development and management in Kenya. The target populations were County Directors of Education, Key Ministry of Education officials and members of County Education Boards in Uasin Gishu County, parliament and party leaders within the county. They were purposely sampled through non-probability sampling. The philosophical paradigm used was constructivism. It adopted qualitative research design where data was collected through interviews, document analysis of government policy documents, Parliamentary Hansards on educational development were transcribed, theme development observed and interpreted. Content and construct validity was observed. Data analysis was done through thematic coding; content, narrative, discourse and framework analysis. It was established that the challenges bedeviling educational sector would be effectively addressed through collaboration and involvement of the key stakeholders as espoused by stakeholder theory embraced in the enquiry. The study recommends that government should prioritize provision of education through sound policy frameworks as espoused in their political manifestos and key policy documents. The government and key stakeholders should plan; manage implementation and evaluation of educational programmes to achieve equity, access and quality. The finding are significant to the government in coming up with progressive policies, stakeholders in engagement and researchers. It foregrounds and interrogates the stakeholder theory as applied in educational provision.