Stirring whispers: fictionalising the 'popular' in the Kenyan Newspaper

PhD - ArtsPopular fiction columns have been among the most resilient and versatile of the newspaper sub-genres in Kenya. Since the 1970s, these columns have remained a permanent feature in the Kenyan newspapers. Among the most popular of these columns is Whispers, a satirical column written by one of Kenya’s most talented writers of the 1980s—90s decades, Wahome Mutahi. At a time when the state had all but monopolised public sites of expression in the country, Whispers kept the Kenyan popular media porous, opening up spaces for the discussion of social and political issues that could only be ‘whispered’. This study gives a detailed discussion of this column against the historical dynamics of post-independence Kenya. I examine how Whispers became a public space where Kenya’s postcolonial existence, in its many contradictory faces was constantly interrogated. I argue that this column provided its readers certain ‘moments of freedom’; it was a site where the limits of social and political taboos were boldly tested. In Whispers, people could heartily laugh at authority, and at themselves, but ultimately reflect on the reasons for their laughter. By providing such a space for self-reflection and for the critique of society, I argue that the Kenyan newspaper became an important site of cultural production especially in the 1980s through the 1990s. The introductory parts of this thesis attempt a theorisation of the ‘popular’ and later trace the emergence of popular fiction as a category of critical literary exegesis in Kenya. I examine the beginnings and growth of popular fiction, focusing mainly on the role of the popular press. The median chapters examine how the Kenyan newspaper provides the space within which popular fiction interfaces with journalism to constitute ‘publics’, by drawing on popular cultural resources to mediate contemporary and topical issues. The thesis gives a detailed reading of the cultural forms that offer subject populations interpretive frameworks within which to make sense of their world. The last part of the thesis continues this discussion with an analysis of how the ‘popular’ mediates questions of power in postcolonial Kenya

African journalism: A journey of failures and triumphs

Introduction The 1990s remain epochal in the transformation of African journalism. This period coincides with the adoption of political pluralism in many African countries, an era that was attended by the broader liberalisation of African economies. The media sector, once dominated by the state, was finally opened to private enterprise. As a consequence, both the broadcast and print media sectors have since witnessed an unprecedented expansion with numerous radio and TV stations as well as newspapers set up across the continent. Examples across the continent show staggering growth. In Kenya, from just three TV stations and handful of print media in the 1990s, by 2012 the country had 301 radio stations, 83 TV stations, 20 monthly magazines, 6 dailies and 11 regular weeklies (Status of Media Survey Report, May, 2012). In Nigeria, in the print media sector alone, there were more than 100 national and local regular newspaper titles in 2012(Mapping Digital Media: Nigeria Report, 2012). In Uganda, the radio sector saw an explosion of FM radio stations in the late 1990s and today, these can be found in some of the remotest parts of the country. While the picture might be mixed in various pockets of the continent, the phenomenal growth of the media sector in general in the continent is certainly not overstated

Exploring stakeholders’ views on the implementation of the re-entry policy of 1994 on teenage mothers: a case study of a mixed public secondary school in Kisumu East sub-county.

School girls in Kenya face myriad challenges among them teenage pregnancy. In 1994, the Kenyan government introduced the re-entry policy to give girls who get pregnant a chance to return to school after delivery to finish their schooling. Even after the introduction of the re-entry policy, many girls who fall pregnant do not return to school after they give birth. This study sought to explore the views of the stakeholders on the implementation of the Re-entry Policy of 1994. The study was carried out in one mixed day secondary school in Kisumu East Sub-County. Qualitative case study was used. Data collection was done through semi-structured interviews, analysis of documents, field notes and FGD. This was to help understand the policy’s application through the views of the principal, the GNC teacher, the teenage mother, the B.O.M member, and the FGD. Collected data was analyzed through transcription, coding, categorization, and theme establishment. The research findings revealed that the Re-entry Policy implementation had several weaknesses, the teenage mothers faced a lot of challenges. The study findings concluded that in terms of practice, a lot more needed to be done by the policy makers. Implementation is not well addressed since the policy guidelines are not available in learning institutions. Absence of clarity on the guidelines has forced the headteachers and principals, who are the implementers to use their own discretion. However, there was one notable success of the return to school policy, it offered the adolescent mothers a chance to complete their education. The recommendations include policy makers to come up with clear and inclusive policy, a budget should be provided for the teenage mothers who opt to return to school. There is need for qualified trained guidance and counselling teachers to provide quality services to the teenage mothers. Such teachers should solely provide the counselling services and not perform other duties in the school, so that there can be quality service provision in the schools. Finally, students, parents, and the communities need comprehensive sensitization on the Re-entry Policy. Future research should consider examining the impact of childcare provision to the academic performance of the teenage mothers. Since this provision would eliminate lateness and absenteeism which is rampant amongst teen mothers as they take their babies for clinics v and health checkups. The successful practice of the return to school policy hinges on robust Guidance and Counselling service provision as the study discovered

Issues in national language terminology development in Kenya

This paper examines issues that emerge in the attempts that have been made to develop the national language terminology in kenya by committees, Kiswahili enthusiasts and Kiswahili scholars. Attention is drawn to the fact that the problematic national language policy that emerges from the national language`s social history is an important backround to the issues that are discussed. The issues emerging in these attempts are examined in the prism of an encompassing terminology development framework that is synthesised from terminology development literature from different areas of the world. This framework views terminology development as a process that entails: formation of a language institute, setting up of goals, the actual engineering of the terms, the mode of dissemination and evaluation. The case of Kenya demonstrates that the attempts have so far consisted of isolated steps of terminology development rather than the whole set of required action

Africa and the Covid-19 Information Framing Crisis

Africa faces a double Covid-19 crisis. At once it is a crisis of the pandemic, at another an information framing crisis. This article argues that public health messaging about the pandemic is complicated by a competing mix of framings by a number of actors including the state, the Church, civil society and the public, all fighting for legitimacy. The article explores some of these divergences in the interpretation of the disease and how they have given rise to multiple narratives about the pandemic, particularly online. It concludes that while different perspectives and or interpretations of a crisis is not necessarily wrong, where these detract from the crisis itself and become a contestation of individual and or sector interests, they birth a new crisis. This is the new crisis facing the continent in relation to the pandemic

#Whatwouldmagufulido? Kenya’s digital “practices” and “individuation” as a (non)political act

The ubiquity of new media technologies in many parts of Africa today and the celebratory narratives with which their adoption is routinely discussed in the continent often firmly silence some important questions. Among these is new media technologies’ inherent capacity to also exclude, neuter or appropriate “popular” voices. This article attempts to explore this paradox. Focusing on Web 2.0 applications, more specifically Twitter, and using Kenya as a case study, the article explores the emergent expressive cultures new media technologies have incubated in the country. It argues that they “disrupt” the “normal” thus creating important pockets of “indiscipline” which variously challenge and confront power, and very often from the margins- but only partly. For while digital technologies enable and encourage public participation in “popular” conversations about self, community and nation through practices such as “individuation”, the article also explores how these possibilities are constrained by problematic material conditions that render claims of popular inclusion and participation in these digital spaces fundamentally tenuous

Market share as an indicator for corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending: The study of Coca Cola’s market

African Journal of Business Management Vol. 6(6) pp. 2234-2247, 15 February, 2012 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJBM DOI: 10.5897/AJBM11.2133Although, prior research has addressed the influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on perceived customer responses, market value, and bottom line, among other drivers for CSR, it is not clear whether the market share of a firm is an indicator for CSR spending in different markets. The study examined the relation between Cola-Cola’s market share in traditional soft-drinks markets and new markets to see if there is a correlation between spending on CSR and market share. The hypothesis that there is a negative correlation between market share and CSR spending was not corroborated with clear evidence. However, the interesting finding was that markets with low relative market share were found to have low spending, markets with medium relative market share (MS) show rather high spending and from there, generally speaking, the social spending declines with increasing market share. Hence, managers appear to invest more on CSR in areas with fierce rivalry, where they have medium market share.Although, prior research has addressed the influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on perceived customer responses, market value, and bottom line, among other drivers for CSR, it is not clear whether the market share of a firm is an indicator for CSR spending in different markets. The study examined the relation between Cola-Cola’s market share in traditional soft-drinks markets and new markets to see if there is a correlation between spending on CSR and market share. The hypothesis that there is a negative correlation between market share and CSR spending was not corroborated with clear evidence. However, the interesting finding was that markets with low relative market share were found to have low spending, markets with medium relative market share (MS) show rather high spending and from there, generally speaking, the social spending declines with increasing market share. Hence, managers appear to invest more on CSR in areas with fierce rivalry, where they have medium market share

Near-Surface Damage of Alloy 617 With and Without Barrier Layers During Static and Cyclic Creep Deformation at 800 C

Alloy 617 – a Cr2O3-former – is the leading candidate material for heat exchangers of the Next Generation Nuclear Plants with high outlet temperatures (750-850°C). The first objective of this work was to understand the effect of oxidizing (He-≤0.1ppm O2) and carburizing/oxidizing (He-CO/CO2=1320) environments on creep deformation under static and cyclic stresses (σmax=50MPa and 75MPa), and specifically on damage in surface and near-surface regions of Alloy 617 at 800°C. Secondly, the work investigated the mitigation of environmental attack on by using combinations of Al2O3-forming coatings, NiAl and FeCrAlY. Interrupted creep studies in the two environments were conducted on uncoated 617, aluminized 617 (NiAl/617), clad-aluminized 617 (FeCrAlY/NiAl/617), aluminized 617 with FIB micro-notches, and clad-aluminized 617 having undergone extra heat treatment (>24h). In these test conditions, the environmental attack was limited to the surface of the uncoated alloy without affecting the bulk creep behavior, with cyclic stress accelerating the surface damage. Uncoated 617 suffered surface and internal oxidation in both environments, with thin/less porous Cr2O3 scales, and porous/extensive grain boundary Cr2O3 intrusions characterizing surface damage in He-≤0.1ppm O2 and He-CO/CO2=1320, respectively. The existence in unstressed specimens of different Cr2O3 growth rates due to Cr interstitials or Cr vacancies primary mobile species as a result of low or high oxygen partial pressures, respectively, was confirmed during the application of stress in this work. Also, the carburizing nature of the environment caused embrittlement of the near-surface regions of the alloy, hence exposing fresher alloy surfaces for inward oxidation to take place. In contrast, slow growing alumina scale on NiAl and FeCrAlY coating layers protected underlying 617 from environmental attack. Surface undulation, characteristic of NiAl layers under cyclic stresses, was absent on NiAl and hence no surface cracking was observed, nor were cracks initiated or propagated from FIB-notches planted to simulate defects in the layer. The NiAl layer was, however, vulnerable to cracking when a FeCrAlY cladding overlay was employed. In general, these coatings prevented environmentally-induced damage on the substrate. However, further investigations are needed to study the long-term implications of creep damage accumulation in both the underlying substrate and coating layers in non-accelerated tests.PhDMaterials Science and EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/116771/1/aokello_1.pd