Money Supply, Inflation Rate, Exchange Rate and Growth of Domestic Private Investment in Kenya

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of selected macroeconomic variables on the growth of the domestic private investment. The study used a time series quarterly data spanning 1997 t0 2018.  Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model was adopted to examine if changes in select macroeconomic variables determine the growth of domestic private investment in Kenya. These selected macroeconomic variables are; central bank rate, the repo rate, t-bill rate, money supply, exchange rate, and inflation.  The bound cointegration testing procedure revealed the existence of a long-run cointegration. The long-run cointegrating model estimated shows that private domestic investment varies significantly and negatively with the central bank rate and the commercial lending rate as well. However, an increase in the money supply increases the level of investment. Another significant observation is that moderate inflation is critical in increasing the level of investment. These results point to one critical revelation; monetary policy conduct is essential in driving private domestic investment. An error correction model shows that 62% of deviation from the cointegration path is corrected with a quarter

Mainstreaming emergency contraception pills in Kenya

To improve access to emergency contraception (ECP) and ensure that adequate information is provided to all users, the Kenyan Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, the Population Council, and Population Services International-Kenya undertook a three-year effort to mainstream ECP in Kenya. This brief presents the results of this initiative and discusses strategies for further strengthening ECP provision. Kenya has emerged as a leader in ECP programming in the region and has demonstrated that it is possible to strengthen ECP services in both the public and private sectors while at the same time increasing public awareness, knowledge, and use of the method. The Kenyan experience can serve as a model for other countries on the continent interested in mainstreaming ECP services

Making HIV services more responsive to young children and infants in Nyanza

Health workers in Kenya often miss opportunities to discuss pediatric HIV with clients and to track exposed children in order to initiate treatment. To address this problem, the Population Council’s APHIA II Operations Research Project collaborated with the Christian Health Association of Kenya, Catholic Relief Services, and the Kendu Adventist Hospital to improve HIV testing and treatment services for children at the hospital. The project recommended that pediatric HIV services be strengthened and included as an essential service at all levels of healthcare facilities in order to reach more children, including as one of the roles of the community health workers. Training and guidelines for providers should emphasize identifying gaps in client flow within health systems, and laboratory services should be streamlined to ensure optimal management of dry blood spot samples and record-keeping. The Ministry of Health and APHIA plus should also consider replicating the model of service delivery used in this OR study in other facilities in the province, to ensure that continuum of care is maintained from ANC to Well-Baby and Comprehensive Care Center clinics

Ten years of the Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Project: What has happened?

This evaluation by the Population Council’s APHIA II Operations Research Project sought to find out whether the adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) and HIV/AIDS activities in Kenya had been sustained over a 10-year period when the project was replicated and scaled up to cover seven provinces in the country. The evaluation had three main objectives: 1) to determine the extent to which activities of the Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Program (KARHP) have continued at national, provincial, and district levels; 2) to determine whether desired sexual and reproductive health outcomes (knowledge, behavior, and practices) have been sustained among in- and out-of-school adolescents over time; and 3) to identify challenges experienced by various partners in sustaining the model. The results show that reproductive health knowledge and behavior improved among the adolescents. A significant increase was found in the proportions of adolescents who have delayed sexual debut and who reported safer sexual practices at first sex in comparison with an earlier survey. Although the survey suggests that the efforts to sustain KARHP/ASRH activities may have desirable behavioral outcomes among adolescents, there is a need to strengthen these activities to increase their effect, and to streamline coordination of ASRH activities by the different partners

Foreign Exchange Risk Hedging, Corporate Governance and Financial Performance: Evidence From Kenya

Globalization, Kenya’s floating foreign exchange rate regime, and international trade have exposed Kenyan firms to foreign exchange risk. Empirical studies have demonstrated that hedging minimizes cash flow volatility, hence enhancing financial performance.  The management of these risks is critical in overall financial management, since its helps increase the financial performance and the overall returns earned by investors. Understanding factors that influence foreign exchange risks hedging is a crucial step to the effectiveness of the overall risk management process. Against this background, this study sought to evaluate the effects of foreign exchange risk hedging, corporate governance and the financial performance of listed companies in Kenya. The target population constituted all the 54 firms that were continuously listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange during the study period, from 2011 to 2016. The study used longitudinal research design. Secondary data was obtained from financial statements of the listed firms. The data was coded and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics—correlation and regression—with the aid of STATA software. The feasible generalised least square model was used to test the hypotheses. The results show currency hedging has a positive effect on financial performance.  The study also revealed that corporate governance, moderates the relationship between foreign exchange risk hedging and financial performance. In the light of this findings, management should explore the whole repertoire of risk amelioration techniques, particularly those available in the roster of innovative techniques of hedging. In order to take full advantage of such techniques, however, the regulator and the securities exchange must lead from the front by introducing cutting-edge financial instruments. In addition firms should endeavor to strengthen corporate governance which enhances the effectiveness of risk management. Keywords: Foreign Exchange risk, Hedging Techniques, Corporate Governance. DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/10-5-08 Publication date:March 31st 201

Involving men in maternity care: Health service delivery issues

Men in South Africa have traditionally not been involved in the reproductive health care of their partners. They do not normally accompany their partners to family planning or antenatal care consultations, and are mostly absent during labour and delivery. Partner notification and treatment for sexually transmitted infections have also remained problematic due to several factors, including poor power relations between men and women, lack of knowledge and men’s interest in their partner’s reproductive health, and poor couple communication. | In 2001, the Reproductive Health Research Unit (RHRU) of Witwatersrand University, in partnership with the FRONTIERS Program of Population Council and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health, began a three-year operations research study, to incorporate men in their partners’ maternity care, in order to improve couples’ reproductive health and pregnancy outcomes. | This study showed that it was indeed acceptable and feasible to involve men in the reproductive health care of their partners. Both men and women were interested in men’s involvement during maternity care. However, there remain a number of health service delivery challenges that need to be addressed within the South African context before maternity services become more male friendly

Female genital mutilation practices in Kenya: The role of alternative rites of passage. A case study of Kisii and Kuria districts

This research was undertaken by the Population Council to better understand female genital mutilation (FGM) as currently practiced by the Kuria and Kisii communities in Kenya. The study investigated current attitudes and practices in relation to FGM, awareness and attitudes toward the alternative rite of passage (ARP), and factors which encourage individuals to make decisions to abandon FGM. The findings show that FGM is still a celebrated public event among the Kuria, whereas in Kisii, it is a private family affair. The study suggests that the success of ARP as an approach to abandoning FGM is strongly dependent on the concept being understood and accepted locally, particularly by decisionmakers including parents, the Council of Elders (in Kuria), church, school, and community leaders. As such, ARP needs to be fully explained and embedded in community education and girl empowerment programs which cover the health risks, explain the violation of the rights of girls and women, and also challenge the myths and assumptions around FGM

An assessment of trends in the use of the IUD in Ghana: National results dissemination and utilization

The overall aim of this study was to inform the Ghana Health Service, USAID, and other partners involved in providing family planning services in Ghana about future directions that could be taken to reinvigorate the IUD within the context of a family planning service based on the principles of free and informed choice. The Health Research Unit conducted the study, with technical assistance from FRONTIERS and funding from USAID. The findings showed that the declining interest in and use of the IUD as a family planning method could be attributed to several factors, including negative perceptions and false beliefs about the method, the physical design of the technology, and fear of weight loss associated with its use. Other barriers apparently impeding IUD use are insufficient proactive demand creation for the method and an insufficient number of providers with practical experience of insertion and removal. Contrary to the findings in other countries where IUD use is low, this study found that providers in Ghana generally had favorable attitudes toward the product and were not biased against it in favor of other methods

Female genital cutting among the Somali of Kenya and management of its complications

The Somali community living in Kenya (and in their native Somalia) has practiced the severest form of female genital cutting (FGC)—infibulation—for centuries. To understand the context within which the practice takes place, and how its complications are managed, the Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health Program undertook a diagnostic study that confirmed that FGC is a deeply rooted and widely supported cultural practice. Several closely related reasons are used to sustain the practice: religious obligation, family honor, and virginity as a prerequisite for marriage; an aesthetic preference for infibulated genitalia was also mentioned. The study also found that the health sector is ill equipped to serve women who have been cut, particularly infibulated pregnant women. Specific recommendations were made about the ways in which the health system could strengthen its handling of FGC among the Somali: policymakers should seek to improve management of associated complications within the framework of improving safe motherhood generally, contribute to abandonment efforts through ensuring that staff adhere to MOH policy, and become involved in community-level discussions to create a climate for behavior change

Positive action for HIV in schools in Kenya

The objective of this study was to test the feasibility of using comic books, role models, and edutainment to communicate HIV and AIDS messages to in-school young people in Kenya, with a view to improving their knowledge about the epidemic, enhancing communication about it, and promoting positive attitudes and behavior among them. The study was implemented by the Population Council in eight secondary schools in Nairobi, as part of the APHIA II Operations Research Project in collaboration with the AIDS Control Unit in the Ministry of Education, Well Told Story, and the National AIDS/STI Control Programme. The study found that there is need for HIV and AIDS and other sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information among students, and that using youth-friendly channels to communicate HIV and AIDS messages to in-school youth is acceptable to members of the school community. Furthermore, the use of such channels leads to improved knowledge of SRH issues, enhanced communication about SRH, and positive changes in attitudes and behavior of students