Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the administrative antecedents influencing the utilization of Free Primary Education funds in public primary schools within Nakuru Municipality, Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design and used a study population comprising of head teachers, chairmen of the school management committees of public primary schools and teachers. A sample size of 52 public primary schools in which 52 chairmen of the school management committee, 52 head teachers and 104 teachers were used. The chairmen of the school management committee and head teachers were selected using purposive sampling technique while the teachers were selected using simple random sampling technique. The study collected both qualitative and quantitative data. Data collected was then analyzed through descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17. The results were then presented in tabular summaries and charts for easier interpretation. The findings show that all head teachers, being the fund managers of the free primary education funds, had undertaken some form of financial training to enable them effectively utilize free primary education funds. However, the level of utilization of free primary education funds in public primary schools was not impressive. The main factors affecting the utilization of free primary education funds were mainly insufficient funding, delay in disbursements, high pupil enrolment levels and high cost of materials.

Key words: Administrative factors, utilization of free primary education funds, public primary schools, Nakuru Municipality.