Decentralized education in Somalia: lessons from East African models

Abstract

This study analyzes decentralized education reforms in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzaniaand derives actionable lessons for Somalia’s evolving federal system. Adopting a con-ceptual, comparative, and narrative review of peer-reviewed literature, governmentdocuments, and policy reports, the analysis is organized around administrative, fiscal,and political dimensions of decentralization. Evidence from East Africa indicates thatdevolution expands access and strengthens accountability when subnational author-ities receive clear mandates, predictable intergovernmental transfers, and institutional-ized avenues for community participation. However, capacity asymmetries, politicizeddecision-making, and weak oversight can entrench spatial inequities and erode qual-ity. Somalia’s context, fragmented federalism, donor dependence, irregular fiscal flows,and a dominant private sector amid low enrolment, amplifies these risks. The studyproposes four priority reforms: transparent, formula-based fiscal equalization to pro-mote equity, clarified federal–state roles to reduce duplication and improve imple-mentation, legally empowered school- and community-level accountabilitymechanisms, and integration of private providers through standards, routine datareporting, and performance-linked regulation. It further argues that digital public infra-structure can bolster monitoring, financial transparency, and learning assessmentwhere administrative capacity is thin. The paper contributes to education governancein fragile settings by translating regional experience into a sequenced, context-sensitive reform agenda for Somalia.