Suitability of Chemistry Laboratory Equipment in Secondary Schools: Evidence from Bungoma Central Sub-County, Kenya

Chemistry occupies a strategic place in Kenya's science curriculum, yet KCSE performance in the subject has remained poor for over a decade. Drawing on the first objective of a larger descriptive survey, this paper examines the suitability of Chemistry laboratory equipment in public secondary schools in Bungoma Central Sub-County, Western Kenya. The study was guided by Dewey's experiential learning theory and adopted a descriptive survey design. A sample of 320 respondents was drawn from a universe of 2,210, comprising principals, Heads of Chemistry Department, Chemistry teachers, laboratory technicians, Form Four students, the Sub-County Quality Assurance and Standards Officer, and the SMASSE Sub-County coordinator. Data were generated through questionnaires, interview schedules, and an observation checklist, and analysed with descriptive statistics using SPSS version 19.0. Findings showed that Chemistry laboratory equipment was inadequate in 53.2% of the schools and that 33.8% of available resources were locally improvised, against 26.8% from government supply. When equipment was lacking, 46.5% of respondents reverted to theoretical instruction. The principal barriers to equipment acquisition were unreliable Constituency Development Fund disbursements (70.4%), inadequate government allocations (64.8%), and teacher understaffing (35.2%). The study concludes that equipment inadequacy is a systemic barrier to effective Chemistry instruction and recommends timely government funding, transparent CDF allocation, and the deployment of professionally qualified teachers and laboratory technicians.