Abstract:
The governing bodies of public educational institutions in Kenya are currently facing a number of substantive challenges of various magnitudes. Many of the challenges are long-standing, while others relate to the current context for governing wrought by recent educational policy developments initiated by the central government. The challenges result from both policy imperatives and the challenges of governing effectively- procedurally. The intention of this paper is to analyse the challenges facing governing bodies in Kenya. The paper argues that, these encounters interact with and synergizes and could develop into a ‘real storm’, which could have significant implications for the security and stability of education system and for the society generally. The thinking is shaped by the notion of interactive governance posits that the workings of the governance network is best understood in terms of interactions. This paper established the challenges as follows: institutions governing low profile; institutions and the environments accountability; Competing interests and the responsibility of governing bodies. The ways these challenges interconnect are likely to test the quality of education. The outcome of the study was the resilience of the governing bodies and the consequences in large measure of their collective nature, capability to respond and adapt to the changing circumstances and the commitment of those involved.
Key words: Challenges, Governing Bodies, Institutional Governance, Educational Institutions