Demtila Nafula Wanjala et al./ Elixir Soc. Sci. 150 (2021) 55144-55153 55144 Introduction The idea behind the development of human capital is the formal education system of primary, secondary and tertiary training (Kariyana, Maphosa & Mapuranga, 2012; Lekhetho, 2013). OECD (2019) defines human capital as “the knowledge, skills, competencies and other attributes embodied in individuals or groups of individuals acquired during their life and used to produce goods, services or ideas in market circumstances”. Formal education is admittedly a sure approach to achieving economic stability for a nation (Grajcevci and Shala, 2016). This education is delivered at structured levels through firm commitment by various governments (Mamoeketsi, 2013). This commitment has been well illustrated through Global Government initiatives such as the Jomtien Conference in Thailand, 1990 and the Dakar Declaration in Senegal, 2000 on Education For All (EFA), Republic of Kenya and UNICEF (2012) and the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 according to UNDP (2000). The core mandate of any Government is to address the access of its citizens to education at all levels. This has however remained a pipe dream in most developing countries mainly due to ineffective policies on education (Mats, 2011). Kenya has committed itself to the above global declarations on education delivery. This has led to continuous improvement of education in Kenya through such policy initiatives like the Sessional Paper No. 1, 2019 (Ministry of Education, Kenya (2019) and Directorate of Committee Services (2019). These policy documents provide guidance in the development of the entire education sector in Kenya. The Government of Kenya has made tremendous effort in conforming to the above commitments through major education policies, namely, the Free Primary Education (FPE) policy in 2003 (Republic of Kenya, 2012) which followed the passing of the Children‟s Act in 2001 (Republic of Kenya, 2001). Study Objective To determine how free primary education policy affects enhancement of enrolment aspect of pupils‟ participation in Public Primary Schools in Kakamega County, Kenya. Hypothesis The study was guided by the following Hypothesis: H 0(e): Free Primary Education (FPE) Policy has no significant effect on enhancement of retention aspect of pupils‟ participation in Public Primary Schools in Kakamega County, Kenya. Integrated Education Management Strategies Effective implementation of integrated education management strategies in education has a direct impact on participation of pupils as based on enrolment, retention and academic performance. Mortrude (2017) has given an analysis of various strategies in integrated education and training. At lower levels of education, the researcher found that preparation of learners includes activities, programmes or services. These are designed to help an individual acquire a combination of various skills that include academic, critical thinking, digital literacy and self management. Other skills include competencies in utilizing resources, using information, working with others, understanding systems and skills necessary for transition into higher levels of education. Kenya has been putting a lot of emphasis on the sufficiency of educational resources being offered to public primary schools. Aggressive attempts have been made to align the education system to the enacted Kenya Constitution, 2010 and subsequent revisions of the Education Act (Ministry of Education, Kenya, 2019). As a result of this, the Kenyan education sector has undergone major transformations in the last thirty years through the work of special commissions and Tele: E-mail address: demtilas@gmail.com © 2021 Elixir All rights reserved ARTICLE INFO Article history: Received: 20 November 2020; Received in revised form: 30 December 2020; Accepted: 9 January 2021; Keywords FPE Policy, Pupils‟ Participation, Enrolment, Dropout Rate, Public Primary Schools Kenya. Effect of Free Primary Education (FPE) Policy on Pupils‟ Enrolment in Public Primary Schools in Kakamega County, Kenya Demtila Nafula Wanjala 1 , Julius Kiprop Maiyo 1 and Stanley Ngome Mutsotso 2 1 Education Planning and Management 2 Curriculum Instruction and Technology, Kibabii University, P.O. Box 1699-50200 Bungoma, Kenya. ABSTRACT This study investigated the effectiveness of Free Primary Education (FPE) policy as one of the integrated education management strategies (IEMS) on enrolment aspect of pupils‟ participation in public primary schools of Kakamega County, Kenya. The study conformed to the 8-4-4 system of education in 3 phases: pre-FPE Phase (1995 – 2002), First-FPE Phase(2003-2010) and Second-FPE Phase (2011- 2018). A sample size of 82 schools representing 30% of Public Primary Schools was purposively sampled from 273 schools in four selected sub-counties: Lurambi(20), Shinyalu(24), Mumias East(18) and Navakholo (20). The research found that FPE policy had positive impact on enrolment of pupils in school. © 2021 Elixir All rights reserved. Elixir Soc. Sci. 150 (2021) 55144-55153 Social Science Available online at www.elixirpublishers.com (Elixir International Journal)