Informality, Ethnicity and Productivity: Evidence from Small Manufacturers in Kenya

A rapidly increasing share of firms in Kenya consists of not only small but also informal establishments. This paper investigates the role of ethnicity and other factors in the choice of formality status at start-up. Differences in productivity, investment and growth across the formality and ethnicity divide are also investigated. The results show that while African-owned firms are more likely to start informally, enterprises owned by either professionals or persons who are older are less likely to start informally. African informal firms are more efficient than African formal firms are, but both categories are less efficient than Asian-owned formal firms are. We conclude that ethnicity is important in explaining choice of formality status, while the network implications of ethnicity account for the differences in firm productivity, investment and growth prospects. It is possible to mainstream informal enterprises by reducing cost related to business registration. However, additional analysis is needed to unpack the ethnic variable en route to developing policy interventions for improving the performance of small scale manufacturing in Kenya.informal sector; informality; ethnicity; productivity; manufacturing; Kenya

Corruption, firm growth and export propensity in Kenya

Manufacturing firms in Kenya spend an average of 7.5% of their annual sales on bribery, and as much as 14% of the value of government contracts on kick-backs. These averages mask significant sector, location and size differences in the exposure to corruption. Networking with public servants somewhat shields firms against corruption but that with politicians deepens exposure. Corruption does not fast-track access to public services and does not, therefore, play any greasing function. Rather, corruption significantly dampens firm growth and the propensity to export, implicitly reducing returns to investment and employment. It also adds to the cost of doing business, reducing Kenya's competitiveness and critically undermining the country's development prospects. These findings uphold others that have demonstrated the deleterious consequences of corruption, and provide further reason for intensifying the fight against the vice. In the circumstance, there is value in exploring ways of dismantling bureaucratic discretion and control rights on which corruption thrives. Furthermore, sustaining the program of privatisation of state corporations and utility companies would create space for expanding services, ameliorate capacity restrictions, obviate service-stretching, inject competition in the provision of services and reduce rents that are the objects of corruption

Precision and accuracy of tridimensional localization in Statscan digital medical radiology

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-86).The emergence of computerized medical imaging in early 1970s, which merged with digital technology in the 1980s, was celebrated as a major breakthrough in three-dimensional (3D) medicine. However, a recent South African innovation, the high speed scanning Lodox Stat scanCritical Digital Radiology modality, has posed challenges in X-ray photogrammetry. This is due to the system's imaging geometry. This research investigates the applicability of Direct Linear Transformation (DLT) method in Lodox Statscan 3D point localization. Static modelsdesigned from metal frames bearing targets of different contrast have been imaged on the Statscan system to generate experimental data. These models were used to eliminate distortions that arise from involuntary human body movements. A control frame for the 3D models has been generated at an accuracy of ± 0.5mm. Point positioning accuracy has been computed by comparing the acquired Statscan 3D point positions to the established control. Two different reference frames were used, showing that point positions could be established with RMS values in the mm range in the middle axis of the Statscan X-ray patient platform. This range of acceptable mm accuracies extends about 15 to 20 cm sideways towards the edge of the table and to about 20 cm above the table surface. Beyond this range, accuracy deteriorated significantly. The experiments further showed that the inclusion of control points close to the table edges and more than 20cm above the table resulted in lower accuracies for the L - parameters ofthe DLT solution than those derived from points close to the center axis only. As the accuracy of the L - parameters propagates into accuracy of the final coordinates of newly determined points, it becomes essential to restrict the space of the control points to the above described limits

Effect of Reforms on Technical Efficiency of Electricity Production in Kenya Relative to Other Developing Countries

The current structure of the Kenyan electricity sector has resulted from many changes brought about by both donor and government driven reforms. The sector which was once run as a government owned monopoly is now a more market-oriented entity. The reforms have resulted in splitting of generation, transmission and distribution into independent entities, establishment of an independent regulatory authority, private sector participation in generation and institution of other complementary entities. One of the drivers of these reforms was the need to improve the economic performance of the sector to make it capable of supporting the economy. This study uses Data Envelopment analysis and stochastic frontier methods to analyse the effect of the reforms on the efficiency of Kenya’s power sector in relation to other countries in similar stage of development. The findings reveal that Kenya’s Power sector has been experiencing positive changes in technical efficiency over the period after the reforms. The countries which have undertaken reforms, to a larger extent, appear to be more efficient. However, they experience huge system losses which need to be reduced to better the sector’s efficiency Keywords: Reforms, Technical efficiency, Data envelopment analysis, Stochastic frontier analysis DOI: 10.7176/JETP/13-1-03 Publication date: January 31st 202

Modelling and Forecasting Electricity Demand for Commercial and Industrial Consumers in Kenya to 2035

Commercial and industrial consumers are the largest users of electrical energy in Kenya. They play a central role in driving electricity demand by contributing to over 70% of the electricity demand in the country. Despite their consumption of electricity being the highest, there is a gap on the drivers of their demand. There are significant deviations between past official forecasts and actual putting into question the official forecast assumptions.This study adressed this gap by estimating the drivers of commercial and industrial electricity demand.The drivers included supply side constraints represented by hydro inflows hence contributing to literature. A demand forecast upto to the year 2035 was also undertaken and compared with the official forecast. Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) method and time series data from 1985 to 2016 was used in undertaking the analysis. The results indicated that commercial and industrial consumers’ electricity demand is income elastic. Other drivers include efficiency, electricity price and hydro inflows. A projection of the demand indicated the official forecast could be overstated and may need to be reviewed

Information Security Threats to e-government Services in Kenya

This study examined information security threats to e-government services commonly known as e-citizen Grounded on General Systems Theory examined the nature of complex inter-relationships and interdependence of global society states non-state actors and individuals and how they relate in a complex internet enabled communication network Mixed method cross sectional survey was used Targeted population of 12000 respondents from 51 Huduma Centres Purposive sampling at 10 was chosen where 1200 structured questionnaires issued returned 966 responses at 80 The data was processed and analysed using SPSS The hypothesis was tested at 5 significance level The study found that Kenyan citizens were the majority at 50 Companies at 35 Foreign Agencies 10 and Foreign Nationals at 5 The services sought Government to G2C 43 Government to Business G2B 35 Government to employees G2E 20 and Government to Government G2G 2 The study identified 12 categories of information security threats i e unauthorized access illegal devices unauthorized codes distributed denial of services ddos false publications computer frauds cyber espionage terrorism and squatting phishing identity thefts electronic interceptions fraudulent electronic data employee aiding and child pornograph

Popular culture, family relations and issues of everyday democracy: a study of youth in Pumwani

This paper deals with young women and men's appropriation of local and global popular culture in Pumwani, a poor Nairobi neighbourhood. Local media articulate Christian ideals of marriage and gender relations, ideals, which in the West would be considered conservative. In a Kenyan context the ideals support the transformation of extended family systems, based on a clear separation of functions between generations and sexes, into 'modem' nuclear families, which are ..more fluid, and where power may be distributed more equally between sexes and generations. Influential global popular culture narratives, such as the television soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful, and several situation comedies, featuring African American stars, also support ideals of equality between the sexes and generations, implicit in the modern love marriage and nuclear family ideal. At the same time they may seem to encourage non-binding love affairs. The role of popular culture in central areas of life is increasing in tandem with a general social transformation, which renders the authority of older generations and also of church and state debatable. The arguments of the paper are based on group and life history interviews and surveys of work and leisure activities of a group of fairly well educated but mostly out-of-work or self-employed young men and women. Accounts of selected popular culture texts and reception analyses of visual material supplement the sociological approaches. The conclusion of the article is that young women in particular make use of a public sphere, understood as a process of articulation. The discursive spaces opened up by media do not have the barriers, which elsewhere keep women and poor people from taking part in debates on key social and moral questions. In that sense they contribute significantly to the creation of a democratic public spher