World Bank President Ajay Banga has apologized for the “trauma” experienced by children sexually abused at schools in Kenya supported by the bank's private-sector arm, but has stopped short of offering them financial compensation.
In an email sent to all staff on Thursday, titled “Learning from Mistakes,” Banga admitted failings at the bank’s International Finance Corporation over its handling of the $13.5 million investment into Bridge International Academies, a for-profit chain of schools, and promised an independent investigation by an outside party.
Reports of sexual abuse at the schools emerged in 2020, triggering an investigation by the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman, or CAO, the bank’s internal watchdog. The investigation, submitted to the bank’s board last October, accused IFC of multiple failings, including that staff turned a blind eye to reports of abuse and then later interfered with the CAO investigation.
About the author
Sophie Edwards
Sophie Edwards is a Devex Contributing Reporter covering global education, water and sanitation, and innovative financing, along with other topics. She has previously worked for NGOs, and the World Bank, and spent a number of years as a journalist for a regional newspaper in the U.K. She has a master's degree from the Institute of Development Studies and a bachelor's from Cambridge University.
