FACTORS AFFECTING GROWTH OF RURAL SACCOS IN EMBU COUNTY: A CASE STUDY OF COUNTY SACCO SOCIETY LIMITED IN EMBU

While the Kenya cooperative sector has developed rapidly in the recent past, no one has investigated the slowed growth of SACCOs. Despite all these, the Sacco's in Kenya face challenges which hinder them from attaining economies of scale. They are financially illiterate which result to poor management of resources and business. Study was therefore carried out to examine factors that affect Sacco’s growth. The specific objectives of the study were to determine how morale and staff motivation, finances, leadership and management, and competition affected the growth of Saccos. The study was conducted among the Sacco members, directors and the customers of County Sacco Society Limited in Embu County. The study was anchored on the growth and portfolio theory, agency theory, Taylors motivation theory and the social capital theory. The study used a descriptive survey to investigate factors affecting growth of Sacco's. The target population was 200 and the sample size was 40 which were composed of staff, board of directors and Sacco members. Structured questionnaire were self-administered to collect data from sampled and selected enterprises. Inferential and descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. The study results were presented through frequency tables, pie charts and bar graph. The results revealed that management and leadership of the Sacco, staff morale and motivation attributed greatly to the growth of the Sacco. Finances and competition also seem to affect the growth of the Sacco to a great extent. The researcher recommended that the Sacco’s management and leadership should be reviewed in terms of knowledge, Sacco’s ethics and faithfulness. The staff should also be well trained and have a conducive working environment, they should also be motivated and appreciated in order to ensure smooth delivery of service

The Yokes of Gender and Class: The Policy Reforms and Implications for Equitable Access to Education in Kenya

Kenya, a former British colony, attained its political independence in 1963. Despite its political independence, Kenya inherited a colonial education system that was based on segregation and exclusion because of race, culture, class, and gender. This is a qualitative analysis examining the education system in Kenya. In the analysis, we explore gender and class barriers that may inhibit education for women in Kenya. We review existing secondary literature on policy documents; reflect on our experiences and observations; and also reflect on interviews with Njeri and Nyokavi, who live in the 21st century ‘post-colonial’ Kenya. As Kenyan women from subsistence-farming backgrounds, we, the authors, seemed destined to remain at the very bottom of the hierarchical education structure established during the colonial period. We explore the impact of contemporary, globally and locally mandated education policy reforms and emerging social service provision partnerships. These are often packaged as policy reforms and viable strategies of a just, equitable, and fair distribution of opportunities for all, meant to correct the colonial disparities. Our arguments are informed by the system's discursive framework (Wane 2000b) and the anti-colonial discursive framework (Amadiume 1989, 1997; Dei 1999, 2000; Oyewumi 1997; Wane 2002). The analysis authenticates that, since independence, Kenya has realized tremendous educational growth at all levels. However, such educational reforms have resulted in the exclusion of many children who are from low socio-economic groups, in essence replacing the racial segregation of the colonial system with cultural and class-based inequities of the post-colonial society.

Health-promotion needs of youth with a spinal cord injury in South Africa

Purpose. To determine the health promotion needs through an exploration of health-related behaviours and the factors that influence the behaviour of physically disabled youth with spinal cord injury. Methods. A descriptive and exploratory study that utilized a qualitative approach was carried out among ten participants aged between 15 and 29 years who were purposely selected. Information was obtained from individual face-to-face interviews and a focus-group discussion. Results. The participants were involved in risky health behaviours including sedentary lifestyles, use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Various factors that influenced their participation in these behaviours were identified including personal struggles with identity and adjustment issues. Conclusions. The results emphasize that participants were involved in health-risk behaviours, which are associated with development of secondary conditions such as respiratory problems, heart diseases, and stroke. Health-promotion strategies employed for these individuals should address the psychological impact of spinal cord injury (SCI) on the individual as an influence to participation in health risk behaviours

Electrodynamics of Media

Contains reports on four research projects.Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAB07-74-C-0630)California Institute of Technology (Contract 953524

Electrodynamics of Media

Contains reports on five research projects.California Institute of Technology (Contract 953524)Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAABO7-71-C-0300

The effect of capital flows on the Kenyan economy

Foreign capital inflows (FCI) play an important role in the economic development of the recipient country as they fund investments and promote growth. However, the size and composition of such inflows are determined on the basis of country specific requirements. The study investigates the impact of capital inflows on the economy of Kenya at a time when the government implemented economic reform measures to stabilize the economy and restore sustainable growth. More specifically, the study examines the impact of foreign capital flows remittances such as overseas workers remittance, official development aid, and external debt, on selected macro-economic variables using monthly time series data and a single-equation empirical approach. The study findings reveal that some forms of FCI are not influenced by the macro economic variables in the country but by other factors such as political stability and policy variables

Manager and Provider Perspectives of the Work Environment Experienced by Associate Clinicians, Nurses and Midwives Who Deliver Emergency Obstetric Care in Tanzania

Positive practice environments promote the health, safety and well-being of health workers by supporting professionalism, acknowledging performance and ensuring opportunities for professional growth. According to the International Collaborating Partners of the Positive Practice Environments Campaign, positive practice environments foster a motivated, productive and high-performing pool of workers who deliver high quality care. Research shows that achieving positive practice environments for health care professionals is problematic worldwide. In Tanzania, the capacity of human resources for health managers to implement deliberate and strategic action to plan for and effectively deploy health workers, as well as safeguard their practice environments, is severely diminished. The basic strategic human resources management (SHRM) components model was used to guide understanding of the relationship between people management practices and the practice environment. This dissertation examined the people management practices that have been implemented in Tanzania and their impact on the practice environment experienced by associate clinicians (ACs), nurses and midwives who deliver emergency obstetric care (EmOC). Interview and survey data obtained from frontline ACs, nurses and midwives and members of Council Health Management Teams (CHMTs) tasked with planning for and deploying health human resources offered provider and managerial perspectives of the practice environment within which EmOC is delivered in Tanzania. The eight people management practices specified in the basic SHRM components model were applied in varying extents across the 48 districts assessed. Partial implementation contributed to loss of motivation and undermined the performance of ACs, nurses and midwives who deliver the essential interventions constituting EmOC in Tanzania

A pilot study : designing and evaluating a parental educational program for parents with school-aged children diagnosed with ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological disorder that is characterized by inappropriate persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. It is one of the most prevalent childhood disorders. ADHD has been found to have negative effects on children’s behavior and academic performance, places an educational and economic burden on school systems, and increases the need for services such as special education, in-school medication administration, and parental counseling. Parental Educational Programs for ADHD are evidenced-based interventions that have been used for children with behavioral problems. The intended purpose of this pilot study was to examine the feasibility of designing and evaluating a parental educational program for parents with school-aged children diagnosed with ADHD. The program focused on educating the parents about the disorder, behavioral techniques, medications, parental stress, and self-efficacy, and how these issues affect both the child and the parent. The Parental Program was evaluated using pre and post survey tools which measured levels of parental stress, ADHD knowledge, parental self-efficacy and confidence. The educational program will be used in the management of ADHD among parents with school aged children to improve parental readiness to care for children with ADHD

Implications of Economic Partnership Agreements on agriculture: the case of Kenya’s horticultural sub-sector

A Master’s degree Dissertation presented in partial Fulfilment for the Award of Master of Management in Public Policy at University of Witwatersrand, Wits School of Governance (WSG), 2016As a result of the dependency created during the colonial period and later through preferential trade initiatives, Europe has been and continues to be Kenya’s major trading partner. The current trade relationship between Kenya and Europe was recently formalised after the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), a reciprocal and comprehensive free trade agreement that is legal under Article XXIV of General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT). The agreement has caused great debate on whether it is truly beneficial to Kenya in light of the asymmetrical levels of development, with many questioning what role the agreement will play towards sustainable growth and development and specifically in the horticultural sub-sector. Sharing the pitfalls of both the Lomé Convention and Cotonou Agreement that failed to deliver the expected development there is reason to believe that few gains will be made by signing the EPAs as they are today. The horticultural sub-sector is a major provider of employment, especially in the rural areas, and is the second largest foreign exchange earner for Kenya. Facing increasing domestic and international demand, coupled with continued and enhanced market access to Europe, participation in the highly profitable sub-sector has the potential of transforming rural agriculture by presenting an opportunity for small-scale farmers to increase their income and reduce poverty. As a non-Least Developed Country (LDC) country, the loss of trade preference for Kenya could severely undermine export competitiveness and damage the horticultural sub-sector which is heavily dependent on exports to the European Union (EU). The main objectives of the Kenyan government for signing the EPAs include sustaining the current market preferences, avoiding macroeconomic instability and the disruption of economic activities in the agricultural sector. The study found that, given Kenya’s substantial dependency on the horticultural sub-sector and the limited trade schemes options available to engage in trade with the EU, the government had no option but to sign the EPAs. The failure to diversify the economy, inadequate public institutions, insufficient human and financial capacity, declining public investments in agriculture and limited intra-African trade and the failure to seek other market destinations are some of the reasons why the government entered into the agreement. The Kenyan government needs to aggressively increase investments in the agricultural sector in order to enable transformation and promote diversification through value addition. Manufacturing should be prioritised as this will enable the economy to become less exposed to commodity price fluctuations. The government should seek to develop and increase intraAfrica trade as well as explore other market options in Asia, North America and South America in efforts to lessen Kenya’s dependency on Europe. Further, Kenya and other African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries should, instead of signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) such as an EPA, collectively call for an improved EU General Scheme of Preference (GSP) tailored for both LDC and non-LDC countries that would provide real cooperation and development.XL201