FACTORS INFLUENCING PROVISION OF HEALTH CARE IN A DEVOLVED SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT, BUNGOMA COUNTY, KENYA

Purpose: The general objective of the study was to assess the factors influencing provision of health care in a devolved system of government, with a special focus on Bungoma County. Methodology: The research design was a descriptive survey utilizing both the quantitative and qualitative aspect. The target population will be all the heads of the health facilities in Bungoma County. The sampling technique will be Non Probability Sampling where Purposive Sampling will be used to identify all the heads of government hospitals, Health Centers and dispensaries in the county as they possess the relevant knowledge required for the study. Questionnaires will then be used to obtain primary data. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 12) was used to analyze quantitative data and presented using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data will be analyzed using thematic analysis and presented in form of narratives and themes. Results: Based on the findings the study concluded that disbursement and adequacy of finances, supplies and equipment affected health care provision in a devolved system of government. The study also concluded that drugs procurement challenges affected health care provision in a devolved system of government. Findings further concluded that disbursement and adequacy of finances, supplies and equipment has a positive and significant effect on health care provision as supported by (r=0.502, p=0.002).However, procurement challenges has a positively and insignificant association on health care provision as supported (r=0.309, p=0.603) The results revealed that healthcare personnel had a positively and a significantly association to health care provision (r=0.406, p=0.013). Policy recommendation: The findings of this study will be of great significance to the ministries of Health and that of Devolution and Planning plus the County Governments in Kenya on the factors that face devolution of health in order to come up with practical solutions. Keywords: Procurement and distribution, health care personnel challenges, devolved system of governmen

Appointment of Vice-Chancellors in Public Universities in Kenya: The Nexus between Ethnicity and University Employment

UNIVERSITIES by their very nature should embrace diversity in their structures and the selection and appointments of its human resources especially at the top echelons. However, Kenya as a country faces a challenge of ethnicity which is persistently in the media houses year in year out. This article interrogates this critical issue with special reference to appointments of Vice Chancellors in universities in Kenya and assess how these has affected negatively the process of development in universities and Kenya as a country. Using desk and content analysis research approach, a survey of empirical and theoretical studies were studied and research findings obtained. The study reveals that nepotism and tribalism practices are taking a centre stage in employment of staff in public universities contrary to laid down employment guidelines by the Government of Kenya. Further, appointment of Vice-Chancellors in public universities is skewed towards six major tribes in Kenya, contrary to equal employment opportunities legislations enacted by parliament relating to gender affirmative action as well as the marginalized groups and persons living with disability. The study concludes that the marginalized and persons living with disability are groups affected and therefore not benefitted appointments even after the promulgation of new Constitution of 2010. The study recommends review of the criteria and procedure of appointment to curb ethnicity and nepotism in order to ensure that inclusivity of the gender, marginalized and persons living with disability is catered for

Influence of organization structure on diversification strategy and performance of an organization Critical literature review

The contentious debate by management scholars and researchers on whether strategy influences structure or if it is structure that influences strategy has been going on for some time now. We endeavored to conduct an extensive desk review aimed at establishing if indeed there is any interrelationship between organizational structure and diversification strategy or if organization structure does influence diversification strategy and performance of an organization. Different subsections of this paper present theoretical and in some instances empirical findings by other scholars and researchers on theories relating to organization structure, diversification strategy and organizational performance. From the discussed theories and research findings, the paper concludes that there exists an interdependent relationship between organization structure and diversification strategy which ultimately impacts on the performance of an organization

Reverse Logistics Practices and Their Effect on Competitiveness of Food Manufacturing Firms in Kenya

Increased global warming and environmental degradation, has caused concern for governments, societies and business organizations even in Kenya. Kenya’s, manufacturing industry is one of the main contributors to economic growth. Unfortunately, it has also caused environmental deterioration. Consequently business managers have increasingly begun to realize the need to be environmentally accountable for their activities. Reverse logistics is a green supply chain management practice that enables companies to manage wastes and improve their competitiveness as their environmental efficiency is enhanced. This research aims to examine the relationship between reverse logistics and competitiveness of food manufacturing firms in Kenya. To fully understand this issue the research investigates the reverse logistics practices adopted by the various companies and then examines whether these practices have any effect on firm competitiveness of food manufacturers in Kenya. A cross- sectional survey was conducted among 130 food manufacturing firms that are listed in the Kenya Association of Manufacturers directory. The response rate was 73.8%. Primary data was collected through questionnaires. Factor analysis was used examine the construct validity while multivariate liner regression was employed to test criterion validity. The results of this research indicated that, the adoption of reverse logistics practices would enhance the competitiveness of Kenya’s food manufacturing firms. Further this study found that due to lack of awareness on the importance of sustainability, there is a low level of adoption of reverse logistics practices in Kenya. This study recommends that organizational managers should appreciate the environmental issues and adopt reverse logistics practices. This is important as it would curb waste, enhance cost savings thus increasing competitiveness. This study further recommends that the government and all stakeholders in the manufacturing sector should carry out public awareness campaigns on the importance of environmental conservation as it would encourage the locals to become active drivers towards the adoption of reverse logistics practices. Keywords: Green Supply Chain, Reverse Logistics, Firm Competitiveness, Food Manufacturing Firms, Keny