# 1. Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of billions of people worldwide (WHO 2020; World Bank 2020b). In addition to the rise in infection rates and death tolls around the world, incomes, food security and mental health have also been affected by the social and economic shocks that ensued (Javed et al. 2020; United for Global Mental Health 2020; UNSDG 2020a). As governments in many countries closed schools during the period as part of their strategy to contain the spread of the virus, educational outcomes have also taken a hit, which is likely to impact students for generations to come (Kaffenberger 2020).<sup>1</sup> The disruption of education systems affected over 1.6 billion learners – or more than 90 percent of children worldwide and up to 99 percent in low- and lower middle-income countries (UNSDG 2020b). With that in mind, this paper analyzes the consequences of the pandemic (and of the multiple shocks that it has triggered) for children in Kenya.

Despite the relatively short amount of time since the coronavirus was first identified in December 2019, a remarkable amount of research on the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic has already been produced. In terms of the challenges faced by children, for example, it has become clear that the education calamity has far-reaching consequences that are likely to exacerbate the pre-existing learning crisis, inequities and financing gaps (Azevedo et al. 2020; Carvalho and Hares 2020; Engzell et al. 2021; Save the Children 2020; Save our Future 2020; UNSDG 2020b). The sudden need, in many countries, to push education towards distance learning has improved our understanding about the benefits as well as the limitations of remote learning, and also made clear the challenges that stem from the lack of access to technology.<sup>2</sup> Beyond the direct consequences to learning, school closures have also affected the provision of other essential services, such as school meals, vaccinations and childcare, as well as the work schedules and job opportunities of parents, who are now expected to also facilitate and supervise learning at home (UNSDG 2020b; UNESCO 2020b). Considering all of these ramifications, the overall impact of the pandemic is still difficult to grasp (UNSDG 2020b).

Although the coronavirus has spread throughout almost the entire world, developing countries have been disproportionately affected. In these countries, where less than five percent of people can work from home and more than 9 out of 10 are employed in the informal sector, it is substantially more difficult to implement social-distancing policies and quickly roll out new social-assistance programs (Gerard et al. 2020; ILO 2018; Sanchez et al. 2020). With regards to education, only 1 million (out of 500 million) children in Africa have access to edtech, and many schools are unable to provide the suitable support needed for continued learning. Consequently, during the recent closure, the effective out-of-school rate for primary-aged children in countries with a low human development index increased by almost 60 percentage points, affecting 86 percent of this cohort – more than four times the rate in very high human development countries (Carvalho and Hares 2020; UNDP 2020). In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, almost 500 million people now live in extreme poverty. Among the 550 million children, 280 million must deal with food insecurity, and the majority have had learning activities completely halted (UNICEF 2020a).

In Kenya, COVID-related disruptions have created enormous economic and social losses throughout the country, increasing concerns over food provision and access to health care and education. The unemployment rate more than doubled in comparison to its level before the pandemic, as the country’s real GDP shrank 0.3 percent in 2020, pushing an additional two million Kenyans into poverty. This was the worst drop in Kenya’s real GDP since 1992 (World Bank 2020a). Moreover, in an attempt to slow the virus outbreak, the Kenyan government has adopted a series of policies that included mobility restrictions, and – beginning in March 2020 – school closures, affecting 300,000 teachers and over 18 million students (World Bank 2021).

> 1 A major concern is that, without proper support, many of the children affected by the disruption in education may never come back to school (UNSDG 2020b).

> 2 Almost a third of all school-aged children worldwide could not be reached by remote learning approaches during the current pandemic (UNICEF 2020b).

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