Abstract:
Kawangware is a small market suburb located about 11 kilometres west of the
capital city of Kenya - Nairobi. Most of the residents belong to the low-income class.
It's inhabited by 86,000 people and most of them provide domestic and support
services to the neighboring suburbs. Amongst the things that one notice on visiting the
area are the number of boys loitering around and ferrying various goods to the market,
instead of being in school. This study explores the Educational Level of the boy child
in Kawangware, and the factors that cause a significant number of boys not to attend
school. A qualitative research design employing ethnographic tradition was used for
study. Data was collected using face-to-face open-ended interviews.
The findings revealed that many covert factors hinder the educational level of the
boy child in Kawangware. Twelve themes emerged to explain these factors. The
researcher concluded that there is a dire need to facilitate and offer solutions to these
hindrances, which impede meaningful education to the boy child in Kawangware.
Although the findings in this research offer implications to the Church, government
and non-governmental organisations and the society in general, the recommendations
provided are limited to the role the Church can play to alleviate the suffering of the
boy child.
At least one other research topic arose out of this investigation; in order to grasp
deeper insights into the educational level of the boy child in Kawangware and to
establish more effective strategies to help them, the researcher recommends a further
study that explores the social life of the boy child in a home context. Based on the
findings, the educational level of the boy child is in dire need of help and the church
and society must be challenged and be engaged in this issue in meeting their felt
needs.
