EXAMINATION OF BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR SINGLE MOTHERS ON THEIR SPIRITUAL GROWTH IN THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

The study was about an Assessment of the Challenges facing Single Mothers on their Spiritual Growth in the Seventh Day Adventist Church. The objective was to establish the biblical and theological foundations for single mothers on their spiritual growth in the Seventh Dy Adventist Church. The Marxist Theory of Feminism was used. The study was conducted in Kisii County which is in Western Kenya. The target population in the study included 5 Churches within the Nyanchwa Station, South Kenya Conference. The researcher employed a census sampling method from the 5 churches with a sample population of 105 participants. The main instruments of data collection for the study were questionnaires, focused group discussions, and oral interviews. The study established the biblical and theological foundations for single mothers by referencing single mothers in the Bible. The study recommended that all aspects of inclusivity, acceptance and being welcome need to be accorded to all Christians, regardless of their marital status; The Church in Africa could borrow a leaf from the Church in the West in practicing the doctrine and social teaching of the church, about accepting members as they come; and Pastoral Councils and Christians in leadership need to be on the front line in practicing inclusiveness and acceptance of every Christian. Article visualizations

EXECUTION OF SENSITIZATION PROGRAMMES OF ADVENTIST RELIEF AGENCY ON FEMALE CIRCUMCISION IN NYAMIRA CONFERENCE OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS IN NYAMIRA COUNTY, KENYA

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which sensitization programmes of Adventist Relief Agency on female circumcision have been executed in Nyamira Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists in Nyamira County, Kenya. This study adopted a theoretical framework based on social change, social control theories. This study adopted mixed methods approach which includes both quantitative and qualitative methods which encompassed concurrent triangulation. Concurrent triangulation enabled the researcher to adopt descriptive survey research design. The target population in this study was 7 Conference management staff, 3 ADRA programme implementation officers, 60 church pastors and 700 church lay leaders. The sample size consisted of 18 church pastors and 210 lay leaders which was 30% of the target population whereas all the 7 Nyamira Conference management staff members and the 3 ADRA programme implementation officials were purposively included in the study. The study used questionnaires and oral interviews to collect data from the respondents. A pilot study was conducted for reliability and validity of the research instruments. The instruments were piloted in the churches within Nyamira Conference whose pastors and lay leaders did not participate in the study utilizing simple random sampling to select respondents. To ensure reliability of the findings, the data was subjected to cronbanch alpha index. The Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.7878 was obtained and this implied that the research instruments were reliable and therefore the researcher adopted the research instruments. It was established that there were sensitization programmes on female circumcision in Nyamira County. Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that there is need to support the sensitization programmes of Adventist Relief Agency on female circumcision in Nyamira Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists in Nyamira County. Based on the findings of this study it was recommended that the Nyamira Conference management of the Seventh Day Adventist church should strive to encourage and support the sensitization programmes by the Adventist Relief Agency on female circumcision in the area of jurisdiction. Article visualizations

Kenya’s Destination Image: Perceptions of Kenya as a Premier Destination of Africa

A Journal article by Juliana Kyalo and Dr. Paul Katuse, a Lecturer at the Chandaria School of Business in USIU- AfricaThe purpose of the paper was to investigate the perceptions of Kenya as a premier destination in Africa by potential visitors from the United Kingdom source market. The article specifically looked at the perceptions before actual visitation by the prospective visitors. United Kingdom has over the years been one of the key source markets for tourists for Kenya. An understanding of the perceptions held by potential tourists is an important tool for marketers to re-brand Kenya and give it a new image that will among other things ensure continued growth of the industry. There is dearth of research in destination image on UK perspective on Kenya as a tourist destination. It is expected that the results of the study will lead to better strategies for tourism growth in the wake of global competition in the industry. The study was cross-sectional survey carried out in selected locations of the city of Glasgow in Scotland among prospective visitors to Kenya where face to face random sampling was used. Data was collected using a self administered questionnaire and analysed using quantitative and qualitative techniques. The results indicate that the perceptions of Kenya as a premier destination of Africa are positive. The research was only limited in the city of Glasgow in Scotland thereby representing a fraction of the entire source market. A large sample would have been appropriate from several cities in Europe. The fact that Kenya bears a positive image as a premiere tourist destination in Africa despite the many calamities and destination issues that have affected it such as terrorism, political violence and others, it is imperative for the government and other key players to put good competitive strategies in place in order to not only increase the tourist arrivals from diverse markets but also to increase tourism revenues

Effect of Organizational Leadership on Strategy Implementation in Kenya’s Tourism Industry: Case of Kenya Government Tourism Agencies

A Journal paper by Dr. Kyalo, Juliana M. M., Dr. Paul Katuse and Dr. Peter Kiriri who are Lecturers in the the Chandaria School of Business at USIU - AfricaOrganizations in all sectors are striving to succeed despite the many challenges they face including issues of globalization, rapid changes, especially changes in technology and increased competition among others. Organizations’ perspective today in the third world are striving to maximize on their major resources to develop and grow their entities by use of their strategic managers. Companies today are spending most of their time making strategies so as to out win their competitors within a rapidly changing environment. Thus the strategies formulated have to be well implemented to yield success against competitors. The implementation process has to be well managed, led and monitored. This study was motivated by the need to establish the influence organizational leadership had on strategy implementation. The data was collected through questionnaires and interviews with a sample size of 327 in the Kenya government tourism agencies. The data was analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found that aspects of leadership such as motivation and reward of employees were highly positively correlated with objective and profit realization which measured strategy implementation. Both motivation and rewards positively influence realization of objectives and profits in organizations. The motivation of employees led to highly motivated and committed workforce which increases individual productivity and subsequent increased performance and success in achievement of organizational objectives and profits

FACTORS INFLUENCING RESOURCE USE BEHAVIOR IN EWASO NAROK WETLAND, KENYA

Wetlands are areas permanently or seasonally flooded by water where plants and animals have become adapted over time. They provide critical ecosystem services and contribute to the national economy both directly and indirectly. The Ewaso Narok Wetland is an important ecosystem providing water, farming land and pasture for the livestock. Despite its importance, the wetland is threatened by human activities such as over-cultivation and overgrazing. Therefore, there is a need for sustainable management of the wetland in order to increase its contribution to livelihoods of the current and future generations. The objective of this study was to characterize the major wetland users, to assess the determinants of the individual rate of time preference and resource use behavior among the users. Stratified simple random sampling technique was used to select 99 pastoralists, 95 commercial and 106 small scale farmers in Ewaso Narok Wetland, Kenya. A questionnaire was used to collect household level data. Descriptive statistics, cross tabulations, one-way ANOVA with Tukey's HSD test were used to characterize the wetland users. Hyperbolic model was used in after the choice and matching tasks in calculating the individual rate of time preference while land use intensity index was used as a proxy for the resource use behaviour. Seemingly unrelated regression estimator (SURE) model was used to identify the factors influencing the individual rate of time preference and resource use behavior of the wetland users. Results show that the individual rate of time preference was influenced positively by the size of land area under crop, conflicts among the users, being a commercial farmer and the distance of a homestead to piped water. The resource use behavior was influenced positively by the individual rate of time preference, household size, the number of years of using the wetland and tropical livestock units and negatively by membership to credit lending groups, the level of education, and security of land tenure. The study concludes that the individual rate of time preference was the major contributor of the high intensity of land use and hence its determinants should be considered in sustainable management of the Ewaso Narok Wetland. Consequently, the study recommends that there should be a provision of title deeds to users in areas outside the wetland area to facilitate sustainable wetland use. Diversification into alternative income generating activities should be encouraged through groups and encourage infrastructural development like installation of piped water as an alternative source of resource to minimize dependency on the wetland

Rhamphicarpa fistulosa, a parasitic weed threatening rain-fed lowland rice production in sub-Saharan Africa – A case study from Benin

Expansion of the facultative parasitic plant Rhamphicarpa fistulosa as a weed of rain-fed lowland rice was studied in 2007 on a national level (Benin) by repeating a survey from 1998. Wider species’ distribution was investigated in 2008. Current and potential impact and management strategies were investigated through farmer surveys and pot experiments. Out of 36 cultivated inland valleys visited across Benin, eight were found to be infested with Rhamphicarpa. Out of nine inland valleys inspected in 1998, Rhamphicarpa was found in five in 2007, compared with only three in 1998. Farmers estimated Rhamphicarpa-inflicted yield losses could exceed 60% and indicated that heavily infested fields are abandoned. In a pot experiment with a wide infestation range, the popular cultivar Gambiaka, combining resistance with sensitivity, showed a mean relative yield loss (RYL) of 63%. Parasitic Rhamphicarpa biomass (PRB), the difference between the above-ground biomass produced with and without a host, was suggested as indicator for infection level of this facultative parasite and hence as a practical measure for host resistance. Genetic variation in resistance and tolerance levels was observed among rice cultivars, but fertilizer applications significantly reduced parasite numbers, biomass and effects, cancelling out such genotypic differences. Depending on the tolerance level of the cultivars, the PRB only accounted for 3.7–38.8% of the average parasite-inflicted host biomass reductions, indicating phytotoxic effects of Rhamphicarpa infection. R. fistulosa is an apparently increasing constraint to rain-fed lowland rice in Benin, threatening rice production in the wider region. The use of resistant and tolerant cultivars, combined with fertilizer applications could reduce Rhamphicarpa infections and mitigate negative effects on rice yields