The Pattern of Electoral Management Practices Towards Kenya’s 2007 Post-Election Violence in Uasin Gishu and Trans-Nzoia Counties

The study sought to investigate the pattern of electoral management practices towards Kenya’s 2007 Post-Election Violence (PEV) in Uasin Gishu and Trans-Nzoia counties. The many post election violence in Kenya over the years have had unique patterns. This have often found themselves in influencing electoral management practices. The pattern of electoral management practices towards Kenya’s 2007 post election violence however, seemed to have had a departure from the previous many other elections as to their visibility in different stages of election, intensity within the electoral management, and their nature being cyclical. This study used a survey and descriptive research design with mixed method approach. The researchers opted for both methods because each paradigm is appropriate for finding different outcomes. This study examined Pattern of Electoral Management Practices to 2007 Post-Election Violence and Trends of electoral management practices on election violence in Kenya. It is evident that ethnic animosities characterised post-election violence of 2007 and hence a component of the cause to patterns. This research recommends that for peaceful elections to be conducted, effective measures should be put in place to address ethnic animosities. Keywords: Pattern of Electoral Management/ Electoral Management/ Electoral Violence/ Electoral Management Practices/ Post Election Violence/ Kenya’s PEV DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/55-05 Publication date:May 31st 201

Philosophy as a Key Instrument in Establishing Curriculum, Educational Policy, Objectives, Goals of Education, Vision and Mission of Education.

This research is about the contribution of philosophy to education. Philosophy is the foundation of knowledge and it is the theory about education. Education is the practical component of this theory. Because of this relationship philosophy is foundational in all aspects of education. This research will expose a strong link between philosophy and education which has all along been watered down. While philosophy has a critical component, education has been underscored in this research as the continuous revitalization of learning about life. Intellectually, education means the formation of understanding as a response to the calling of being which is the end of our knowing. In other words, to know is to comprehend being in its totality. The researcher goes ahead and demonstrates that in order for us to comprehend various issues in education; we need to embrace philosophy for it is the foundation of all knowledge. Secondly, philosophy underpins education as it is its critical and theoretical component. All the problems and dimensions of education can only be understood properly through philosophy and they are of philosophical nature

Critical Understanding of John Dewey’S Progressive Theory: A Solution to the Problems Facing Current Educational System in Kenya

The inquiry into Dewey’s thought in education is gradually justified by profound interest regarding the type of education that is offered currently in Kenya. There is a need to revise the whole system of education if it has to meet Kenyans expectations. This is because it has the tendency to divorce academic from practical skills. It forms individuals who are intellectually arrogant, who despises the wisdom of the old, pretending to be superiors and this creates the system of conflict between the educated and illiterate. Such individuals, in our honest submission, are not ready to participate in societal development through manual works like agriculture. They are only white job color oriented. This paper will therefore, try to suggest ways through which we can make our education more balanced in terms of academic and practical life, learning and doing so as to be self reliant in terms of job creation, societal development and innovative in the field of science and technology. In order to achieve these aims, we will borrow the ideas of Dewey and compare them with our current education system in Kenya. It is our concern that the views and thoughts of these two system coincides in some degree to challenge as well to rescue the modern man from the evident threatened enslavement of mere academic knowledge without practical skills. Education should trigger a paramount importance to man since it is the only way to reveal man’s ability to interact authentically with others in the society. It is important that the present research is meant to provide a genuine understanding of Dewey’s view of education briefly compared to current education system in Kenya. We reaffirm that a good education involves the acquisition of both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Hence, we will approach Dewey not only to look for solutions, but also, to ask profound questions on the value of education and how to make it efficient and practical in a broader perspective. Keywords: Dewey’s pragmatism, education by acquisition of theory and practical skills

Reflection on Lonergan’s Transcendental Philosophy of Education As Way of Redeeming African University Education so as to Foster Intellectual, Moral and Religious Conversion Among the Students.

Africa has been regarded as backward not only because of her social, economic and political situations, but also, because of the kind of education that is offered in our learning institution. It is not hard to depict the fact that Africans have embraced a kind of education that is not suitable and which can not be sustained by their environment. Like Nyerere, many great thinkers have maintained that Africans have got accustomed to European type of education that thrives in western world which is developed and it has failed to adequately work in Africa. The reason behind this is that education system best suited for African is that which prepares them for a future that is open to them. Secondly the kind of education that is more suitable to Africa must take in consideration African values such as respect for life, integrity, responsibility and dignity of human life. Third, a strong emphasis for both theoretical and practical arm of knowledge in all its levels of learning is desirable in Africa. This value must be inculcated not only in primary and secondary schools, but also, in African universities where higher learning is conducted and brought into term. Consequently, education in African universities must be seen to inseminate the most essential and fundamental principles of life. Such principle should promote individual development and self-fulfillment of each member of the society. Moreover, they should foster in students sound moral and religious values and strong pillars of social equality and responsibility.   The aim of this paper is to show that African universities can be improved and tailored so as offer a true and authentic education build man not only intellectually but also, morally and religiously. However, I will endeavor to show that this can only be achieved if we attest to the fact that every act of genuine learning is supposed to be transformative and educative, and it should leads us closer to the core of being. Moreover, I will show that as a method, learning is a path to self knowledge and it possesses the following transcendental guidelines: be attentive, be intelligent, be reasonable, and be responsible. Finally through the appropriation of this paper, it will be realized that education is an application of Lonergan’s Insight and it leads to formation of person’s intellectual skills, forms him, so as to become responsible, and religious citizen. The climax of this paper will be to demonstrate that education is ideally a process of a holistic conversion of the human person- intellectually, morally, and religiously, and this begs to our topic of discussion. Key words: Transcendental philosophy, education, holistic conversion

Bernard Lonergan’s Authentic Moral Subjectivity and Objectivity: A Solution to the Problem of the Culture of War and Peace in the Contemporary World.

The question that underpins every act of war and its effects negates the value of life and humanity. Yet, it is true that war is not inevitable. In place of practical mercy, one can easily see the problem lies not in the action per se, but in the activity of human consciousness which motivate this kind of pervasive influences. Animals which are pure brutes are known not to go for war. This is because they don’t imagine, think, reason, and conceive it at all. Human beings choose violence and war as ways of getting things reach their own scale of measure. In this pursuit, they seem to forget the faculty of moral judgment which should and ought to guide every human action. Thus, the problem of peace and war coils on the idea of moral self-rational judgment implicit in every conscious human act. It is this faculty, so to speak, that exonerates brute animals and human being in a sense that it command that every human act within and without should be mediated by meaning and motivated by objective values which are sought by authentic living of genuine attention, genuine intelligence, genuine reasonableness and finally genuine responsibility.   It is our intention in this paper to explain the cause of war in place of peace in the contemporary world. It further draws a true dichotomy between war and opposition which has been variously misunderstood. The paper offers practical solution to the state of war against peace which has dominated the contemporary global society. It highlights and explicitates how morally converted people would solve issues, even in place of opposition politically, socially, economically, and ideologically, without falling into the culture of violence which is a key to the current culture of death, of no future and of no peace. Finally, the paper suggest ways of embracing peace and solidarity which, as it will be see, begs the question to moral conversion.   Key words: Ethics of Value, Consciousness of human acts, Moral conversion, Peace and Ambience of harmony

Critical analysis of the foundation and the principles of Competency-Based Curriculum in Kenya: Philosophical perspective

In about four decades, Kenya has implemented three radically different systems of education. This has come due to the demand for a more proactive, efficient, responsive and foundational system of education that can be able to inculcate proper knowledge, skills and values which foster right competencies, attitude and character that is suitable for the contemporary society. The demand for the right educational system is crucial and timely because the society has undergone unprecedented technological advancement of global information spiking that makes the whole world to share concerns, expectations, desirability and general worldview. This has necessitated the need for constants review, reforms and revision of the educational system so as to march this unparalleled transformations. One such changes in the system of education that has elicited great reaction is the shifting from 8-4-4 to Competency Based Education which is midwifed by the new Competency Based Curriculum (CBC). In reference to this, various scholars have come up with arguments regarding the gamut of CBC focusing on both the trivial and mundane, on one hand and the most spectacular and momentous aspect of this curriculum, on the other hand. Notwithstanding this, one of the thing that has remained unanswered is whether there is actual and real philosophical change in the shift from 8-4-4 to Competency Based Education offered by the new CBC. The concern is anchored in the basic assumption that education and philosophy are interdependent.  They are interdependent on the sense that philosophy is the reflective component and education is the active component which together support human life. Ideally speaking, philosophy underpins all knowledge which education espouses. It is the guide and the inspiration of education. It clarifies the aim, goal and objective of education in the society. With this reciprocity in mind, this paper intends to investigate whether Competency Based Education and curriculum in Kenya is based on different philosophical foundation from that of 8-4-4. It will interrogate the philosophical nature, fundamental principles and the theoretical foundation upon which competency based education is offered with a view of showing if there is real and actual shift from that of 8-4-4

Critical assessment of political pillar in Kenya’s vision 2030: Emerging perspectives in constitutional reforms, rule of law, electoral processes and public participation in governance

The measure of the world development agenda and its focus is contained in what has come to be known as the United Nation Sustainable Development goals (UN resolution agenda 2030, 2015). In this, the transformative agenda for the whole world is set on firm targets, indicators as well as the wide expectations. All nations are obliged to strive in order to augment the process of achieving the sustainable development goals (SDG), which are the blueprints laid down to realize a better and sustainable future. These goals are meant to propel the whole world towards an overall growth in the social, economic and political sphere. In this regard, every country has been given an opportunity to develop a plan on how to firmly implement the SDG as well as how to monitor its targets through a formative evaluation in order to achieve the required development level by 2030. In Kenya, the process of realizing this commenced by the initiation of Vision 2030 (2009) which was developed in line with the then Millennium Development goals (MDG) which later in 2015, was transited to SDG. Ideally, this was meant to align Kenya’s development agenda to the UN development matrix. One of the pillars of the Vision 2030 is the political pillar which focuses on creating political system which is issue based, people centered, and result oriented and accountable to the people. This emphasis was meant to bring about fundamental shift in the political landscape of the county. However, Kenya has remained volatile with little regard to the guiding principles of political pillars. The political orientation and direction in the county is such that the expectation has not been realized. This paper therefore makes a strong attempt to assess the achievements that have been realized in the political pillar since inception of Vision 2030

Resource-based conflict on women entrepreneurs in open air markets of Kisii County, Kenya

Resource based conflict are prevalent in open air markets. Open air markets are ever crowded and often become conflict flashpoints because they bring large numbers of people from different ethnic groups and backgrounds together in a congested area. Resources that commonly cause conflicts include; physical, natural, financial, environmental and social. This paper has a bias on natural resources with a concern on water and sanitation in open air markets. The potential of climate change has contributed to the current water shortages in the world. Water crisis rates up to 90% in Kenya and yet counties have not made necessary efforts to avail water in open air markets. This paper was necessitated by the fact that Kisii County open air markets experience serious water and sanitation challenges. The objectives of this paper include: To find out the challenges women entrepreneurs experience due to lack of water and poor sanitation, to determine the kind of conflict that have emanated due to water crisis and examine the measures the county government is taking to ensure water availability for market users. This study adopted conflict theory. The sample frame was 300 women entrepreneurs from the four purposively picked open air markets as per Krechie and Morgan table and explored four markets of Daraja Mbili, Nyakoe, Suneka and Riosir. The use of questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions were employed to solicit relevant information from the respondents. Information collected was analyzed using excel in terms of tables, graphs and pie charts. The findings clearly indicated that there is a serious water shortage and supply coupled with poor sanitation in the county especially in open air markets. In summary the demand for clean water and sanitation in Kisii County is wanting. It is the responsibility of the county to ensure the open air markets have sufficient supply of water and proper sanitation. This study recommends that the county seek for partnerships who assist and harvesting rainy water can be made mandatory in all open air markets