World Bank president denies cover-up allegations in Kenya

World Bank's president refutes allegations of cover-up in Kenya's for-profit school case.
IFC's Board to consider action plan following complaints over $13.5 million investment.
President Ajay Banga vows to address concerns but denies legal efforts to conceal information.

As seen in a report by the East African, the World Bank’s president, Ajay Banga, has refuted allegations that the World Bank's International Finance Corp (IFC) branch attempted to conceal charges of sexual assault at a for-profit school chain in Kenya in which it had an interest from 2013 to 2022.

When asked about the case, during a Center for Global Development public event, he noted that he disagreed with the IFC's portrayal of it as a cover-up.

“Civil society groups have expressed concern that IFC ignored evidence of child sexual abuse at some of Bridge's Kenya schools until the World Bank's Office of Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (Cao) received complaints from parents in 2018 and opened an investigation,” the report by East African, partly reads.

The IFC's Board of Executive Directors will begin to officially consider an action plan this month relating to Cao's findings over the $13.5 million Bridge equity investment, which was sold in March 2022 as part of a plan to exit for-profit education.

The divestment took place about a year prior to Banga's appointment as the World Bank's president, but he will have to cope with the fallout as he works to improve the bank's operations.

"I think there's a series of things management could have done better. And that's the discussion we're going to have with the board shortly," the bank’s president said.

"So, I'm not going to pre-empt that. I just disagree that there was a legal effort to cover it up. That, I will not accept as a question," he added.

If a cover-up "is proven to be so, I will take all the action that is necessary, but merely conjecture that is in a public space, I will refuse to sign up. That's who I am, I'm sorry if you don't like it," Banga said.