Healthcare needs of older slum dwellers deserve more attention

Despite carrying a high burden of disease, Gloria Langat points out that older people living in Nairobi’s slums are being overlooked in public health programmes. This post is part of our joint series with the Africa at LSE blog on Social Development Challenges for Africa

Don’t Touch My Hair: Examining the Natural Hair Movement Among Black Women

The natural hair movement among Black women has shown that aesthetic practices and rituals related to hair often serve as embodied methods of resistance for many Black women. These practices also reflect a dimension of their spirituality that is often unrecognized. This paper historically examines political, cultural, and religious meanings of hair within the Black community. The Nazarite vow and the Imago Dei concepts are utilized to understand the biblical and spiritual significance of hair Engaging scripture and theology with daily concerns, such as hair, rituals. Engaging scripture and theology with daily concerns, such as hair, is an important part of the task of public theology, and this article hopes to encourage more attempts to think theologically about how Black women, as well as other Christians, choose to live out their spiritual lives even in rather ordinary events. Our identity is connected to many seemingly ordinary aspects of life, and there is a need to think theologically about everything that connects with our personal and communal identity

Schooling is not Learning: A Case Study of Kenya\u27s Primary Education

The government of Kenya adopted Free Primary Education (FPE) in January 2003 with a main objective of this program is to provide education to all primary school children regardless of their economic backgrounds. Academic performance in Public Primary Schools in Kenya has been declining over time since the introduction of FPE. This research investigates the effective enrollment in the wake of FPE. A case study analysis is used which includes both primary and secondary sources of data. Primary data from Kenya National Bureau of Statistics between the years 2002-2014 and a survey conducted in March 2016. Secondary data sources include written documents such as books, journals, newspapers among others. They form the basis of the discussion and analysis of the research. In this study, factors of school quality are investigated to find out if free primary education program is yielding optimal results, in line with Vision 2030, a government strategy to improve and sustain the economic growth. This research confirms previous findings that the free primary education policy has led to a decline in the educational quality. Hence for pupils to receive high-quality education that will help them, their families and their communities fully and truly to realize the promise of Free Primary Education, teacher pupil ratio needs to be lowered by hiring more teachers and building more classes

Integration of Non-Food Biofuel Feedstock Enterprise in Smallholder Farms in Nyeri, Laikipia and Lamu Counties, Kenya

Agricultural farming is a predominant enterprise in developing countries and mainly Africa. This is attributed to land availability, abundant labour from its vast population, favourable climatic conditions and food demand among other factors. Most of the rural households depend on subsistence farming to meet their food requirements with minimal commercialization which mainly target the export market. There is thus need for caution on introduction of another enterprise in the smallholder farms so as not to distort the vulnerable food production enterprise. There is however evidence that most farms are not optimally being utilized. Hence increasing on the portfolio of the farm enterprises on the household level need not necessarily hinder or reduce their food production capabilities. One such additional enterprise could be non-food biofuel feedstock farming which has a dual potential of generating income and as a source of energy in the households. In Kenya, biofuel potential production areas have been zoned taking cognizance of the food production requirements, climatic conditions and biodiversity requirements in the midst of the energy demand and supply situations prevailing in the country. There is however ample evidence that the taking up of biofuel feedstock farming by the smallholder farmers is slow even though the government and a number of non-governmental organizations are deeply involved in its promotion. The study thus seeks to identify the factors within the smallholder farms that hinder the adoption of the Jatropha and Croton biofuel feedstock. A survey was conducted in three agro-ecological zones being Laikipia, Nyeri and Lamu of which a representative random sample of 273 was selected for the study with 136 having the crop in their farms and 137 being the control group. The study used a logistic regression econometric model sorted by crop type to take care of the uniqueness of each crop in terms of their agro-ecological requirements. The factors that influence the integration of croton in the smallholder farms are household size and proximity to the urban centre. Gender of the household head, land size and access to off-farm farm income were the main determinants of farmers’ decision to adoption of Jathropa. Keywords: biodiesel, biofuel, feedstock, integratio

Ethics review guidelines in Kenya

9TH Annual ethics conference. Theme : Bioethics medical, legal, environmental and cultural aspects in healthcare ethics at STRATHMORE UNIVERSITY, 25-26 OCTOBER 2012.9TH Annual ethics conference. Theme : Bioethics medical, legal, environmental and cultural aspects in healthcare ethics at STRATHMORE UNIVERSITY, 25-26 OCTOBER 2012

Effect of Organizational Ownership and Culture on Employee Performance Among Selected Banks in Kenya

The role of organizational culture on employee performance hasbeen a subject of interest. The purpose of the study was to establish theeffects of organizational ownership and culture on employee performance.The study was guided by Social cognitive theory. Explanatory researchdesign was used. The target population comprised of 403 employees drawnfrom 12 Commercial Banks in Kenya. Stratified and random samplingtechniques were used to obtain sample size of 141 employees. The studyused questionnaires as a tool for data collection. In order to test thereliability of the instrument, Crobanch alpha test was used. The studyadopted both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Pearsoncorrelation and multiple regression analysis were employed to estimate thecausal relationships between organization culture and performance, andother chosen variables. Findings indicate that involvement culture (β1 =0.230, p-value<0.05) and consistency culture (β2 = 0.286, p< 0.05) has apositive and significant effect on employee performance. Ownership thushas positive and significant moderating effect of bank ownership on therelationship between involvement culture and employee performance (β =0.26, ρ<0.05) and (β= -0.2, ρ<0.05) respectively hence concluding thatconsistency culture and involvement culture improves employeeperformance. The study recommends that organizations that aim atimproving employee performance need to ensure that employees haveinputs into issues that affect both their work and the organization in general.Moreover, information needs to be widely shared so that each and everyemployee can get the information they require to make the appropriatedecisions

The changing conceptions and focus of health research in East Africa

Perceptions in health research are a product of the circumstances within the society, where the research activities are situated. In East Africa there has been a change in conceptualization over a period of time from an elitist de-linked status to the present, which has evolved to embrace the local community. Here we trace the changes and highlight some occurrences that exerted the greatest influence in shaping the notions that currently dominate in research. We conclude that the paradigm shift is a positive development and that the present conception is suitable for heath research at this point in time. African Journal of Health Sciences Vol. 13 (1-2) 2008: pp. 1-

Harnessing technology and innovation to address emerging issues: Covid-19 opportunities and challenges

This study explores the opportunities and challenges presented through harnessing technology and innovation to address COVID-19 as an emerging issue in higher education institutions in Kenya. COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges to higher education institutions in sub-Saharan Africa, specifically in Kenya. The pandemic forced institutions to migrate to online learning, impacting the quality of education, enrollment rates, and mental health challenges students face. The study used a mixed-methods approach, incorporating secondary sources of information and primary data from experts such as Ministry of Education officials, university management, students\u27 counsellors, and teaching staff from Kenyan universities. It focused on teaching and assessment delivery, enrollment rates, education quality, ICT infrastructure access, and mental health challenges. The study revealed that universities with established e-learning support departments were better equipped to transition to online learning, with the level of preparedness of teaching staff for online delivery is a significant factor in enhancing performance. However, enrollment rates did not increase significantly, and mental health challenges were common among students due to the digital divide. Higher education institutions in Kenya should invest in e-learning support departments and bridge the digital divide to prepare teaching staff for better online delivery. Universities should also consider a hybrid approach to teaching and learning that combines online and face-to-face delivery modes to ensure better learning outcomes

EFFECT OF CREDIT ON HOUSEHOLD WELFARE: THE CASE OF “VILLAGE BANK” MODEL IN BOMET DISTRICT, KENYA

In recent years, governmental and nongovernmental organizations in many low-income countries have introduced credit programs targeted to the poor. Many of these programs specifically target the poor on the premise that they are more likely to be credit constrained and have restricted access to the wage labour market. Though participation is by choice, little is known about the role of credit on welfare. The purpose of this study was then to assess the role of credit service on welfare of the microfinance clients. It was also to enable the microfinance institutions assess if they are achieving the intended objectives of their program. The study area was Bomet District and the sample was drawn from Mulot and Silibwet “village banks”. A sample of 125 “village bank” members was selected, out of which 91 had used the credit service and the other 34 had not. Primary data on the selected respondents were collected using a structured interview schedule and secondary data were obtained from the selected “village banks” operating in the study area and relevant government departments in the district. The study used analysis of variance and Heckman’s selection model which corrects for selectivity bias in the sample. This consists of a probit equation (borrowing participation equation) and target equation of household expenditure. The results from the study indicated that farm income, off farm income, distance to market and household assets influences the probability to participate in “village bank” credit. The household income of credit participants was also higher than that of the non-participants. There was a positive relationship between the amount borrowed and household expenditure. Age of the household head, farm income, distance to market and off farm income also plaid a significant role in influencing the wellbeing of a household.Agricultural Finance, Farm Management,

Transitions in caregiving and health dynamics of caregivers for people with AIDS: a prospective study of caregivers in Nairobi slums, Kenya

OBJECTIVE: A cohort of older people living in a low-resource setting in Nairobi is followed to understand the transitions in caregiving status and trajectories in health over a 3-year period.METHODS: Three categories of older people comprising 65 AIDS caregivers, 102 Other caregivers and 1,322 noncaregivers identified at baseline were assessed at end-line based on two self-reported health outcome measures, a functionality score and having a severe health problem.RESULTS: A majority of caregivers were still providing care at the end of the study, and or had taken on new care recipients. Compared with noncaregivers, AIDS caregivers reported poor health, with men more likely to report poor health than women. New caregivers also reported poorer health compared with noncaregivers.DISCUSSION: The results indicate improvement in health over time among male caregivers supporting the adaptation model. We recommend timely programs to support caregivers particularly at the onset of caregiving