Education and Poverty Alleviation in Kenya: Interrogating the Missing Link
Joyce Chege, Komote Adung`o Stephen, Mwangi E. Wairimu, Prof. Lawrence Njoroge

Abstract
Education is vital in the development of any nation for it acts as both a means and an end to development. In modern society, it is practically impossible to dissociate education and development. Many forums have taken place where the role of education in the development process has been widely evaluated. Since the pre-colonial period, education has taken an important role as a development stimulator. Poverty alleviation is the most basic objective of development. Most interventions in education are aimed at combating poverty in addition to improving literacy levels in society. In the millennium development goals of 2015, poverty alleviation and achievement of basic education for all are indicated as the first and second goals respectively. This is a clear indicator that these twin goals are pivotal both in the process and realization of development. The task that remains unexplored is the extent to which education acts as a driver towards poverty alleviation. This paper seeks to explore the missing link between education and the process of poverty alleviation. It seeks to analyze the extent to which the education system in Kenya has contributed positively or negatively towards poverty alleviation and what challenges it has had in the long run. Additionally, the paper looks at the impact of these challenges to the overall national development goal. The paper recommends that for education to be an effective tool that helps alleviate poverty and foster national development there is need for major reforms in the management of the education sector, through curriculum reviews and the way in which education policies are developed and implemented.

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