An Assessment of Stakeholder Engagement in Promoting Access to Primary Education in Kopsiro Ward

This study examines the extent of stakeholder engagement in promoting access to primary education in Kopsiro Ward, Mt. Elgon, Kenya. Despite Kenya's implementation of free primary education in 2003, rural and marginalized communities continue to face significant barriers to educational access. This research investigates how various stakeholders including parents, teachers, community leaders, and government officials engage in decision-making processes to enhance primary education accessibility. Using a descriptive survey design with a sample of 138 stakeholders from a target population of 580, the study employed questionnaires, interviews, and document analysis for data collection. Multiple regression analysis revealed that stakeholder engagement variables explain substantial variance in primary education access outcomes, with an R-squared value of 0.742 and overall model significance at p < 0.001. Parent-Teacher Association participation emerged as the strongest predictor with a standardized beta coefficient of 0.385 and significance at p < 0.01, while community leader engagement showed a beta coefficient of 0.298 with p < 0.05. Government official involvement yielded a beta coefficient of 0.241 with p < 0.05, demonstrating meaningful contribution to education access improvement. The analysis identified significant barriers including limited awareness among community members with a negative beta coefficient of -0.312 at p < 0.01, and cultural constraints showing a beta coefficient of -0.278 at p < 0.05. The findings contribute to the broader discourse on achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 and provide evidencebased recommendations for improving engagement mechanisms to ensure inclusive, equitable quality education for all children in rural contexts.