Institutional Factors Influencing Implementation of Public-private Partnership Projects in Kenya’s Education Sector: a Case of Afya Elimu Funded Projects

Abstract

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are an internationally recognized method of procuring public goods and services in which the government enlists the private sector's commitment and delegated some duties to the private sector in the provision of public facilities or services. The xi aim of this research was to investigate the institutional factors that influence implementation of public-private partnerships in the education sector in Kenya, with particular emphasis on the Afya Elimu-funded projects. The following objectives served as a guide for this study: To examine how beneficiary identification influences the execution of PPP projects in the education sector in Kenya, to determine the influence of competence of staff on the execution of PPP projects in the education sector in Kenya, to establish financial support influence the implementation of PPP projects in the education sector in Kenya, and to examine the influence of community support on the implementation of PPP projects in the education sector in Kenya. A descriptive research design was used. A questionnaire consisting of open-ended and closed - ended questions was used to collect qualitative and quantitative data. The research surveyed 828 respondents, 218 registrars, and ten staff from the Afya Elimu Fund as the fund monitoring employees, and 100 community workers affiliated with the Afya Elimu health education fund. The sample size was chosen using Yamane (1967) formula. Stratified random samplings as well as random sampling methods were used to select the respondents. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, version 21) was used to analyze the data collected. Tables were used to display the analyzed data. The research’s findings were that beneficiary identification, competency of staff, financial support and community support all influenced the execution of Afya Elimu Funded projects, with financial support having the highest influence. The research reports that Public-Private Partnership projects seek funding from donors and sponsors to assist as many students as possible in order to address the country's severe lack of healthcare professionals. Afya Elimu should invest in competent staff, and community support to improve loan administration and processing efficiency.