Is This Memo on Approved Privatization of High Schools in Kenya Legitimate?

This tweet (archived here) contains what appears to be a memo from the Privatization Commission listing 28 high schools allegedly listed for privatization.

Background

Privatization refers to the transfer (or sale) of a state corporation or parastatal from government ownership to private ownership. This is usually done when a parastatal is facing financial difficulty and is intended to spur profitability. According to the Privatization Commission, privatization “seeks to improve efficiency and competitiveness”. 

A 2019 memo by the privatization commission lists 25 state corporations under the approved privatization program. However, the Commission’s website currently lists 16. The pdf memo has been doing rounds on WhatsApp for a few weeks now. 

Verification

It is not clear the origin of the memo listing 26 schools as approved for privatization but the Privatization Commission on its official Twitter page has flagged it as fake. This memo came days after the Trade Cabinet Secretary, Betty Maina stated that the government was considering privatization of some universities.

Moreover, all the government entities approved for privatization are listed here on the commission’s website and none of the schools are listed.

Verdict

The memo on the privatization of high schools is FAKE.

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