Extent of Implementation of ECE Programme by County Governments: The Case of Public Preschools in Eldoret West Sub-County, Kenya

Kenya Constitution (2010) devolved the management of Early Childhood Development Education (ECE) to county governments. The 2014 County ECE Education Bill mandated the Country Governments with several responsibilities of managing ECE services. These included ensuring: all schools have a functional feeding programme; safety of all children; more teachers are employed to reduce the teacher-pupil ratio; quality assurance services are provided promptly; teachers undertake professional development courses including those of handling learners with special needs; all preschools are registered; and teachers are appropriately remunerated. However, various challenges continue to undermine implementation of ECE programmes at county level. Emile Durkheim’s Structural Functionalism Theory (1858-1971) informed the study and so points out that an institution should be structured in a way that various bodies are put in place so that each functions on behalf of the society. Findings indicate that Uasin Gishu County Government needs to put in more effort in order boost its current ECE provision services.