Module II Programmes in Kenya - Challenges of Access and Prospects

his paper looks at the historical evolution of higher education in Kenya, the emergence and impact of Module II Programmes on the quality of education in Kenya. Through literature review, the paper explores a salient concern in developing countries and Kenya in particular, on the rate of expansion of higher education vis-à-vis the quality of education offered. One hand argument has been posed that Module II Programmess have affected the quality of education in Kenyan universities while the other hand argument has stated that Module II Programmess have had a negative impact on the quality of education. The paper further seeks to provide answers to the question of how Module II Degree Programmes dovetails with the traditional programmes and the issues of quality with regard to faculty members' capacity, workload and research activities among other indicators of quality in an education system. The arguments in this paper are emboldened by findings drawn from 995 students, 440 lecturers and 295 administrators from public universities and their allied colleges/satellite campuses. The sample was arrived at by Multistage Sampling. Questionnaires, Observation Guides and Document Analysis were incorporated in data collection. The paper makes recommendations with regard to qualification of the academic staff, admission of students and utilisation of Module II Programmes funds. Key words: Module II; Quality; Public Universities; Kenya

Role of University Collaboration Vis-avis the Role of Collaborating Partners

The main purpose of the study was to establish roles the public universities play in collaborations as well as to establish the role of collaborating partners. The study sought to achieve the following specific objectives: to establish the roles of university in collaboration; to establish the role of collaborating partners and to establish policies and procedures put in place in governing collaboration. The theoretical framework that is adopted in this paper is derived from the Systems Theory of Organisations (Hong et al, 2004). The System Theory is concerned with compartmentalisation and argues that certain ideas can have relevance across a broad spectrum of disciplines. This was an exploratory and descriptive research project, which required both qualitative and quantitative data on role of university in collaboration vis a vis the role of collaborating partners. Data collection methods employed included questionnaires, interview schedule and secondary data collection guide. The study targeted public universities’ administrators and collaborating colleges’ managers and administrators. The university administrator respondents acknowledged that they offer Module II Degree Programmes in collaboration with middle level colleges, and other reported that they did not collaborate in Module II Degree Programmes but collaborated in undergraduate programmes. It was observed that universities collaborate not only in offering degrees programmes but also in certificates level, diploma level and higher diploma level programmes. It was observed that factors contributing to the development of collaborations between universities and colleges include: reach the needy students access to university education; increase revenue collected hence improved salary; cover a wider geographic area with the universities Module II Degree Programmes; compete with other institutions; Enhance performance; Reduce administrative cost; and Decision by Management. There are number of expectations that collaborating partners must meet which include: college should be offering the same course; closeness to university not recommended; legislative requirements such as accreditation by CHE/Ministry of Education must be met; colleges must have good background or reputation; qualification of administrators and teaching staff must be within university requirement; availability of facilities and resources; ration of sharing revenues must be win-win situation; quality of programme must be high and good administrative structure is important. The responsibility the university plays in respect to the collaborating partner include: monitors and regulates funds; approves teaching staff; moderates academic standards and policies to be followed; marketing the courses; controls and supervises the programme; caters for programme expenses; set admission and graduation dates; sets and mark exams and timetable, and issues syllabus to be followed. On the other hand collaborating colleges were expected to: recruit students; manage financial matters on day to day basis; supplement teaching staff; provide teaching space and facilities; act as the link between students and the university; release results, time tables and exams, and supervise daily routines and execute instructions given. This study recommends that: collaborations with middle level colleges should be encourages and regulated because they enhance utilisation of resources and increase access to higher education, and contribute to institutions funds. Universities should seek collaborations with many colleges in order to reach needy students who are in need of higher education and public universities role in collaborations be inclusive of nurturing this collaborating institutions to “independence” or a position to run on their own

Access and Equity in Higher Education in Kenya

In the last decade in Kenya, a great transformation has been witnessed in terms of access to opportunities for higher education. This is evidenced by the rapidly growing number of colleges and universities offering degrees, diplomas and certificate courses. Enrolment levels in institutions of higher learning have increased. There is competition between colleges in setting up campuses away from the capital city to far flung districts. All parts of the country have been catered for. Accessibility has cut across all ages. Fifty year olds graduating are no longer a strange phenomenon. Gender parity has also been catered for. More women can now get access to higher education than any other time in our history. Access is likely to increase even further with the shifting trend towards distant learning through the Internet and virtual learning centres. In spite of the increase in accessibility, equity is still a challenge. While each of the above issues serves to address equity, pertinent issues still need to be addressed. Pertinent issues include: high costs of tuition and other fees – which continues to lock out a large number of potential students who are still grappling with “unga” 1 issues. The opportunities also lock out a large proportion of Kenyans who dropped out of school at primary level since KCSE certificate is an entry requirement. Most colleges have located their campuses in urban areas locking out the rural folk. The number of Kenyans pursuing higher education in neighbouring Uganda is also of great concern. It is a case of missed opportunity, loss in revenue as well as possibility of brain drain. The Government needs to address these issues urgently in a bid to achieve Vision 2030

Factors to be considered in revenue allocation to devolved government in Kenya

Kenya’s 2010 Constitution declares equity to be an underlying principle of governance in the country, which is consistent with its provision for devolution. While nature vastly differentiated Kenya, successive governments did little to exploit opportunities for providing the scope for nationwide development. Kenya’s search for cohesive national development will only succeed if there is a nationwide appreciation of the history of our contemporary inequalities, which are at the root of Kenyans’ great hope in devolution. What matters now is the need for equitable disbursement of funds to the 47 countries. This study, it is hoped, will provide a comprehensive overview of the factors to be considered in revenue allocation to the devolved government in Kenya

Market Orientation and Firm Performance in Fruit Exporting Companies in Nairobi City County in Kenya: An Empirical Review

The survival of firms in the modern dynamic competitive environment brought about by globalisation is to improve on performance. Fruit exporting firms in Kenya face the same global competition challenges, and the key to success is for management of such organisations to effectively utilise their available resources. The interest to carry on this study was brought about by the lack of methodological and empirical gaps depicted by scanty literature on fruit exports from Nairobi City County in Kenya. Another reason for taking this research was the failure by fruit exporting firms in Nairobi City County to grow from infancy to maturity as their international competitors do. Africa’s share of the world market has been on a decline or even stagnating while proportion of the world market for other regions and countries have been increasing in tandem with the overall increase of world trade. It was posited that these fruit exporting firms could improve their performance by using market orientation strategies in their future long term performance

Firm-Level Institutions and Performance of Publicly Quoted Companies in Kenya

Firm-level institutions constitute the internal organizational environment which define the context in which strategic decisions are made and implemented. Effective and successful strategy implementation requires apt institutionalization of the strategy. Logically, firm-level institutions have an indirect effect on corporate performance through their direct effect on strategy implementation. In this study, a direct effect of the firm-level institutions on corporate performance was investigated. Based on a survey of 23 companies listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange, ten firm-level institutions were captured under two broad dimensions of administrative systems and resource competencies. Performance implications of these firm-level institutions were then examined. The study reports that for the surveyed companies, most of the firm-level institutions were manifest to a large extent. The results also indicate that a very strong positive relationship exists between firm-level institutions and various indicators of corporate performance. However, the overall results for the effect of firm-level institutions on corporate performance were statistically not significant. The results partially concur with pertinent theories as well as similar empirical studies. Based on the findings, implications for theory, methodology, and managerial practice as well as areas for further study are identified

ANALYSIS OF KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCE ON ADOPTION OF CASHLESS PAYMENT SYSTEM AMONG PASSENGER SERVICE VEHICLES IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA

This study sought to analyze the influence of knowledge and competence on the adoption of cashless payment systems in Nairobi. If this innovation is not adopted, then there is hindrance to entrepreneurial growth and development. The research used survey research design and the target population was 197 registered Passenger Service Vehicle SACCOS in Nairobi, Kenya. The sample was 99 respondents selected through systematic random sampling by picking every 2nd manager. The questionnaire was self designed and was used to seek information from the SACCO managers. The SPSS program version 21 was used to aid in organizing and summarizing the data by the use of descriptive statistics. Regression analysis and correlation were used and there was a positive correlation but the relationship was weak. Given that the pvalue was 0.358, a conclusion can be made that knowledge and competence of managers is was not significant in adoption of the cashless payment system, hence we don’t reject the null hypothesis. The study recommends that: passengers and the public be educated on benefits of technology adoption, the cashless system to make use of one smart card that can be used across all transport modes and the network system to be improved. Keywords: Adoption, Cashless Payment Systems, Education Level, Experience, Matatu SACCOs, Keny

The Relationship of Organizational Structure and Return on Assets of large Manufacturing Firms in Kenya

The general objective of this study was to determine the effect of organization structure on return on assets of large manufacturing firms in Kenya. The specific objective of this study was to determine the influence of organizational structure on return on assets of large manufacturing firms in Kenya. The study was a cross sectional survey targeting 102 large manufacturing firms and the response rate was from 94 firms. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Null hypothesis was tested and results indicated that organizational structure had no influence on return on assets. The study was limited in that change of variables of study was not monitored or observed over time as would be the case with longitudinal studies