Socio-economic analysis of community-based micro hydro electricity schemes in Kenya

This thesis addresses three economic and social impediments to the successful deployment of community-based micro hydro grids using a case study from the Republic of Kenya. Kenya is one of the countries in Sub-Sahara Africa currently faced with low rural electricity access rates, but with abundant micro hydro resources spread across vast rural locations. Although majority of financial resources are channeled to grid extension in developing countries like Kenya, many rural households still live 'under the grid' because they cannot afford connection fees and/or cost of grid electricity. Such phenomenon has led to innovative solutions such as the concept of Community-Based Renewable Energy Schemes (CRES), facilitating joint exploitation of a local renewable energy (RE) resources. The government of Kenya in partnership with non-state actors set up demonstration points for Community-Based Micro Hydro Schemes (CBMHS) in two locations, and other communities have adopted this model by setting up their own electrification schemes in Kenya. However, the success of such schemes continues to be very limited in Kenya and other developing countries with majority of them disintegrating after few years of operation. This phenomenon is widely documented in literature, and a variety of barriers to success of such schemes continue to be interrogated in both published and unpublished academic literature. There are issues relevant to both establishment and continued operation of such electrification that have not received much scholarly research, but continue to largely limit delivery of sustainable and quality service, as well as hindering scaling up of these potentially useful rural electrification alternatives. These include: a) mismatch between the provided services by such group electrification schemes and the expectations of their consumers b) lack of supportive capacity for joint effort mobilization and capacity for self-governance within such schemes c) unsubstantiated claims of the capability of small scale renewable energy electrification impact on households that make them not to be considered as equally important energy solutions. This thesis makes a threefold contribution to the literature of rural electrification by firstly analyzing preference for properties of decentralized electricity delivery service in a field dominated by utility provided grid solutions. Secondly, the literature on governance of man-made common pool resources (CPR) is extended by providing evidence for the requirements for successful management of a small-scale electricity commons line a CBMHS. Lastly, the study produces reliable evidence regarding immediate or short-term changes to households anticipated from small scale electrification projects. Overall, the study presents lessons on implementing and sustaining rural communities' investments in decentralized RE electrification while demonstrating why such schemes should now form essential part of rural electrification delivery models. The three research issues are addressed independently in three chapters that follow the introductory chapter of this thesis

Smart education: an event framework for cognitive blended learning

Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Mobile Telecommunication and Innovation at (MSc.MTI) at Strathmore UniversityDigital learning has increasingly been adopted around the world, evidenced by large scale deployment of online learning platforms. More specifically, the use of hand held devices such as mobile phones and tablets has disrupted learning as we traditionally knew it. Blended learning,which extends classroom learning with computer mediated learning, is increasingly being adopted by education systems around the world. However, the two (blended learning and traditional classroom learning) have not been well integrated. For example, there is limited or no information sharing between digital learning mostly carried out by an automated tutor and the traditional classroom conducted by a human instructor. This leads to fragmentation in the overall teaching and learning experience.Existing blended learning platforms have tried to address this issue by focusing on performance management. This approach ignores the bigger challenge in public and private schools: the large number of students to teacher and the inability to offer personalised learning that is essential for students to excel academically. Understanding how personalized technical interventions can be designed requires understanding of where issues intersects. We present the overall architecture and design of event framework. The first version supporting a core set of capabilities for blended learning has been implemented as mobile applications for teachers and students. We conducted a limited pilot to test the technology in an actual classroom setting. We also report on a usability study of the event framework that demonstrates user awareness and support for data-driven cognitive decision-making in education

Job entry-level skills: Seizing the moment, securing the future

The aim of this study was to generate evidence to support reliable assessment of the skills and competences possessed by youth in entry-level jobs (the supply), and the skills and competences needed by employers (the demand). The study was conducted in 24 counties, which are home to over 85 % of Kenya’s formal sector business establishments1. Fifteen sectors, comprising agriculture, wholesale & retail, construction, health and ICT, which account for 90 % of jobs in both formal and informal sector, were included in the survey. A total of 9,355 interviews were conducted; 6,362 employed youth and 693 self-employed youth aged between 18 and 30 years both in the formal and informal sector, and 2,300 employers from formal and informal sectors. The study revealed that Kenya’s labour markets are shaped by the dominance of sectors such as wholesale and retail, food and accommodation services and transport, which account for most jobs created in the economy. Consequently, it appears that there is less demand for hard, technical skills compared to skills such as marketing and sales and entrepreneurship. The study finds that there is very little collaboration or coordination between employers and training/skills development institutions. Hence, according to employers, most of the youth hired at entry-level lack relevant skills and competences needed for the work place. Underlying trends in retail and wholesale, transportation, food and accommodation will continue to shape skills requirements into the future. Hence, rapid expansion of technical and vocational training must respond accordingly, with programs in sales, customer service, purchasing, marketing/branding. Moreover, there is need to strengthen training and capacity in key professional areas that are critical to enhancing the productivity and efficiency of these sectors. These include: accountancy; finance; human resources; supply chain management and data analytics. However, the conundrum is that we must build the human capital, for what we project will be the future economy; one fueled by vision 2030 – newly industrializing middle-income country and what will define the future of work – the 4th Industrial Revolution, where robotics, Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality are transforming businesses, leisure and work

Whole Youth Development in Kenya: Survey of employers and employees in the formal and informal sectors to determine entry-level skills among youth (18-30 yrs) in employment Kenya

An estimated 78% of Kenya’s population is aged below 35 years (NCPD, 2017) with a median age of 19 years (World Population Review, 2019). This demographic structure can be either a valuable dividend or a risk to development (UNDP, 2013). One of the major downsides of the ‘youth bulge’ has been youth unemployment, which is both an economic and social challenge. According to the Kenya Youth Survey 2016, unemployment is the top concern for the youth at 63%. About 1 in 2 university graduates are out of full-time employment; youth aged between 18 and 25 are twice more likely to be unemployed; and unemployment among rural women aged 18 to 35 is about 62%. Whereas hard work was considered a respected value, the association between hard work and success declined dramatically with the level of education (Awiti & Scott, 2016)

The Impact of Micro Hydroelectricity on Household Welfare Indicators

The use of small-scale off-grid renewable energy for rural electrification is now seen as one sustainable energy solution. The expectations from such small-scale investment include meeting basic household energy needs and thereby improving some aspects of household welfare. However, these stated benefits remain largely hypothetical because there are data and methodological challenges in existing literature attempting to isolate such impacts. This paper uses field data from micro hydro schemes in Kenya and a propensity score matching technique to demonstrate such an impact. We find that, on average, households connected to micro hydroelectricity consume 1.5 litres less kerosene per month compared to households without any such electricity connection. Also, non-connected households spend 0.92 USD more for re-charging their cell phone batteries per month in comparison to those who were using micro hydroelectricity service. Finally, school children from households that are connected to micro hydroelectricity were found to devote 43 minutes less to evening studies compared to those without electricity. The findings provide interesting insights about some of the claims made for or against the use of off-grid renewable energy for rural electrification.JEL Codes: C21, Q01, Q4

Exploring The Role of Spiritual Beliefs and Rituals in Recruitment, Retention, And Peacebuilding: The Case of the Lord’s Resistance Army

A Thesis Submitted To The School Of Humanities And Social Sciences In Partial Fulfillment Of The Requirements For The Award Of The Master Of Arts Degree In International RelationsThis exploratory study examines whether spiritual belief and rituals play a significant role in the recruitment and retention of rebel group members and attempts to find patterns that have an effect on long-term peacebuilding. A brief review indicates that while beliefs and rituals have been highlighted by some scholars within civil war literature as playing a part, there remains a lacuna in the study of the phenomenon. The study finds that for the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), the charismatic authority of Joseph Kony, its leader, was central to the recruitment and retention of members into the group. The findings of the study were attained through key informant interviews with former members of the LRA and community leaders in and around Gulu, Northern Uganda. The study also finds that spiritual beliefs were in this case, not critical to recruitment and retention. For peacebuilding and peaceful co-existence, however, Acholi beliefs, and rituals about cleansing play a considerable function. These beliefs reveal an alternative explanation to why the war occurred in the community and concludes that these rituals and beliefs offer power, protection, and belonging

The impact of microhydroelectricity on household welfare indicators

The use of small-scale off-grid renewable energy for rural electrification is now seen as part of the sustainable energy solutions. The expectation from such small-scale investment is that it can meet the basic energy needs of a household and subsequently improve some aspects of household welfare. However, these stated benefits remain largely hypothetical because there are data and methodological challenges in existing literature attempting to isolate such impact. This paper uses field data from microhydro schemes in Kenya, and propensity score matching technique to demonstrate such an impact. We find that on average, households connected to microhydroelectricity consume 1.5 l less of kerosene per month compared to households without any such electricity connection. In addition, non-connected households spend 0.92 USD more for recharging their cell phone batteries per month in comparison to those who were using microhydroelectricity service. Finally, school children from households that are connected to microhydroelectricity were found to devote 43 min less on evening studies compared to those without electricity. The findings provide interesting insights to some of the claims made for or against use of off grid renewable energy for rural electrification

Critical Writing Skills: A Review of Kenzabure Oe’s Silent Cry

Some upcoming critical writers and students confuse reviews for book summaries and reports for the sole purpose of marketing the story to the audience. Even in high institutions of learning, students write book reports with name of publisher, price of the book, major characters, dominant themes, styles and impact of the story. Allyson Skene defines a review as the writer’s interpretation of a work of art. He underscores the importance of the thesis statement in the interpretation of a work of a text. Whereas a book report gives a summary of events in a story, a review gives the main argument and a summary is only given to support the thesis. This paper is a review Kenzabure Oe’s Silent Cry. Using the ideas of Allyson Skene and other literary scholars, it demonstrates the components of a critical book review

Analyse critique de l'education de la fille rurale -Cas la collectivité chefferie de Ngweshe project de la création d'un centre pilote d'intégration socioculturelles des filles

Document collected by the University of Texas Libraries from the web-site of the Reseau Documentaire International Sur La Region Des Grands Lacs Africains (International Documentation Network on the Great African Lakes Region). The Reseau distributes "gray literature", non-published or limited distribution government or NGO documents regarding the Great Lakes area of central Africa including Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.UT Librarie