Effects of Reward Strategies on Employee Performance at Kabete Technical Training Institute, Nairobi, Kenya

The main objective this study was to investigate the effects of reward strategies on employee performance at Kabete Technical Training Institute (KTTI). The study was guided by four specific objectives: To determine the extent to which personal drive for achievement influences employee performance at KTTI; to determine how growth opportunities influence employee performance at KTTI; to establish the extent to which recognition influences employee performance at KTTI; to establish the extent to which staff promotion influences employee performance at KTTI. The study reviewed several theories of motivation as possible avenues towards a framework of understanding what motivates employees. It also conducted an empirical literature review in order to establish a link with similar past studies. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 159 respondents from a target population of 270 employees. The study adopted a descriptive research design and utilized both primary and secondary data. Structured and unstructured questionnaires were used to collect primary data while secondary data was collected through document review. Data analysis was carried out using both qualitative and quantitative techniques with the aid of SPSS while the main method of data presentation was frequency distribution, pie charts, graphs and cross tabulation. The study found a significant relationship between the reward strategies and employee work performance. The study concluded that personal need for achievement played a key role in influencing employee performance and given a choice employees showed preference for promotion, better remuneration, cash gifts and training opportunities as reward strategies. The study recommends that KTTI should: Leverage on the intrinsic motivation factors by providing a working environment that encourages employees sense of achievement; develop and maintain a training policy for all categories of employees; establish a criterion for recognizing employee performance to ensure the whole process of reward strategy is deemed fair by all employees; design an attractive scheme of service that will also enhance retention and have a structured method of identifying and recommending teachers for promotion by the Teachers Service Commission; finally, the research study recommends a similar research study on the negative effects of reward strategies to avoid a situation where they can backfire and bring exactly the opposite of the desired behavior. Keywords: Motivation, Reward, Reward Management, KTTI, Reward policies, Performance contract, TVET, Extrinsic rewards, intrinsic rewards

Effects of Timeliness of Audit Reports on the Financial Stability of Matatu SACCOS in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

The Matatu SACCO sub sector in Kenya is not well developed and is characterized by very short life span, sub- divisions into small uneconomical units, with low capital base and poor services, limiting their financial stability. Though having an audit function is important, the quality of the reports from the function is of utmost importance. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of timeliness of audit reports on the financial stability of matatu saccos in uasin gishu county, Kenya. The study was guided by agency theory and employed Ex post facto research design. A total of 60 Matatu SACCOs have been registered in the county.  The target population of this study was all 41 active matatu Sacco’s since the others have since gone dormant. Out of 41 active Matatu Sacco’s in the county, 36 SACCOs were selected for sampling using Krejcie and Morgan table. Both primary and secondary data was collected by use of questionnaire and document analysis guide. Primary data utilized the questionnaire while secondary data utilized document analysis guide. Analysis of data was done using descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics such as means, percentages and frequency were applied while inferential statistics like multiple regression analysis were used. All tests were done at 5% significance level. Regression results were as follows: Timeliness had (β =0.507, p=0.000). The study concluded that timeliness of audit reports contributes positively to financial stability of Matatu SACCOs. The study recommended that the management of Matatu SACCOs’ should always ensure that there is timeliness of audit reports. Keywords: timeless, audit, matatu saccos, financial stability, effects DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/13-16-02 Publication date:August 31st 202

Influence of Student Teachers’ Gender, Personality and Programme of Study on their Use of Learning Resources during Teaching. Case of Egerton University

One of the skills learned by student teachers before placement in schools for teaching practice is preparation and use of learning resources. The reason for this is that use of learning resources enhances communication in the classroom and may lead to active involvement of learners. This may lead to higher achievement of the intended learning outcomes. However, it is not clear how this skill is influenced by the gender and personality of the student teacher or the training programme they pursue. This study sought to shed light in this area. The survey used correlational research design. A sample of 86 student teachers was randomly selected from the teaching practice group of 2017/2018 academic year in Egerton University. Data were collected using the Teaching Practice Observation Instrument (TPOI). The instrument was validated by teaching staff of Egerton University’s Faculty of Education and Community Studies. Data were analyzed using t-test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results show that teachers’ personality has significant relationship to their use of teaching resources. In addition, gender influences how they use resources while programme of study does not. These findings may be used by teacher trainers during the preparation of student teachers

Validation of the UNICEF fiscal diagnostic tool for SDGs 6.1 and 6.2 in East and Southern Africa using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP)

The UN High Level Panel on Water notes that a total annual capital expenditure (CAPEX) of $114 billion and operation and maintenance expenditure (OPEX) of$129 billion is required globally to meet the safe drinking water and sanitation targets 1 and 2 of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6). In Sub-Saharan Africa, $36 billion is required and UNICEF estimates$15 billion is required to meet these targets in 21 countries in East and Southern Africa. Currently, only 15% of the financial investments in the sector are accounted for, which falls significantly short of delivering SDG 6. Consequently, innovative finance tools that maximise taxes, tariffs and transfers (3ts) are required to mobilise finances for the region's sector. This paper presents a diagnostic methodology for identifying bankable and blended finance projects in East and Southern Africa's water and sanitation sector. Potential projects were identified in Malawi, Mozambique and Ethiopia. Findings from applying the AHP (analytical hierarchy process) analysis recommend the use of the decision-making tool for prioritisation and selection of water and sanitation projects in the context of multiple projects requiring blended finance. The methods are applicable to other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa to enhance project pipelines whose collective cost and revenue mitigate investment risk

Validation of the Sustainable Development Goal 6 Monitoring Structures across East and Southern Africa Using Fuzzy Logic Analysis

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organisation (WHO) Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) reports that only three African countries are on track to achieve universal access to at least basic water services by 2030 and only one country, Botswana, within the East and Southern Africa region (ESAR). Monitoring is crucial to advancing progress on SGD 6 in the region through providing reliable data to decision makers for policy, planning and much needed investment in the sector. This paper presents findings of the rapid assessment termed SDG 6 + 5 which relates to monitoring systems for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in 21 countries of ESAR, five years into the SDGs. The paper presents the results of a fuzzy logic analysis applied to aspects and findings from the rapid assessment. Fuzzy logic benefits the study by managing unconscious bias from qualitative assessment and evaluating the strengths of countries’ WASH monitoring systems. The paper demonstrates similarities and variations between results from the rapid assessment and fuzzy analysis including Angola and Botswana scoring more favourably in enabling environments for monitoring from the analysis. The paper provides methods of rapid assessment of key aspects that impact on effective WASH monitoring and recommends the use of fuzzy logic to reduce data bias from qualitative methods. The methodology presented in the paper can be adapted and applied to other regions of the world and settings to enhance evaluations on the strength of systems within other sectors

Synergistic antimicrobial activity of crude ethanolic extracts of garlic and neem leaves against bovine mastitis pathogens: an in vitro assay

Background: Treatment of bovine mastitis (BM) is highly expensive necessitating better and affordable control strategies. Synergy of plant extracts against microbes associated with BM stand unexploited. Therefore, this study sought to evaluate the sensitivity of major bovine mastitis bacteria- Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli to combination of two traditional herbal plants, garlic and neem, widely used in East Africa.Methods: Maceration and soxhlet processes were used to obtain crude ethanolic extracts of neem extracts (NE) and garlic (GE) respectively. The extracts were used to determine Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC) against test pathogens. Synergy was investigated by combining the two extracts at different concentrations and determining colony forming units per liquid medium (CFU/ml) using turbidity as a measure of inoculum growth.Results: NE was effective against S. aureus at 200µg/ml and 100µg/ml (average zone of inhibitions were 11±0.5774 mm and 10±0.5774 mm respectively). E. coli was resistant to NE. GE was effective against S. aureus at 200µl/ml and 100µl/ml (average zones of inhibition were 14±0.8819 mm and 12±0.8819 mm respectively). GE was effective against E. coli only at 200µl/ml with an average zone of inhibition of 11±0.5774 mm.Conclusions: There was synergy when garlic MIC was combined with NE MIC. Increase in concentration of GE above its MIC increased the rate of decrease of the CFU. No significant change was shown when NE concentration was increased above its MIC. The combination of NE and GE can have additive effect in treatment S. aureus mastitis while GE can supplement NE resistance

Vascular Thrombosis in Patients on Chronic Maintenance Haemodialysis Using Indwelling Venous Catheters: Case Reports and Literature Review

Vascular access is key in patients with end stage renal disease on maintenance haemodialysis. Thrombosis is a significant contributor of acces

Living-Related Kidney Graft Donors Sociodemographic Characteristics and Recipients Clinical Characteristics in Kenya: A Single Centre Experience Kenyatta National Hospital 2010-2015 Audit

This article provides summary of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the kidney transplant donors and recipients from 2010-2015 from Kenyatta national hospital, Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa. Only living-related organ donation is practiced in Kenya. Accelerated kidney transplantation activities picked up in Kenyatta national hospital from the 2010. The duration from 2010-2015 has seen more kidney transplantations undertaken in the hospital than the ones done in the same hospital from 1984 when first transplantation was performed in Kenya to 2009. The data were extracted from manual medical records. There were about 120 kidney transplantations performed during this period but only 113 complete records were traceable. There were 113 medical records for both kidney graft donors and recipients from 2010-2015. Demographic characteristics for donors and recipients captured included age, sex, and donor-recipient relationships. The mean donor age was 32.9

Validation of the Sustainable Development Goal 6 Monitoring Structures across East and Southern Africa Using Fuzzy Logic Analysis

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organisation (WHO) Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) reports that only three African countries are on track to achieve universal access to at least basic water services by 2030 and only one country, Botswana, within the East and Southern Africa region (ESAR). Monitoring is crucial to advancing progress on SGD 6 in the region through providing reliable data to decision makers for policy, planning and much needed investment in the sector. This paper presents findings of the rapid assessment termed SDG 6 + 5 which relates to monitoring systems for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in 21 countries of ESAR, five years into the SDGs. The paper presents the results of a fuzzy logic analysis applied to aspects and findings from the rapid assessment. Fuzzy logic benefits the study by managing unconscious bias from qualitative assessment and evaluating the strengths of countries’ WASH monitoring systems. The paper demonstrates similarities and variations between results from the rapid assessment and fuzzy analysis including Angola and Botswana scoring more favourably in enabling environments for monitoring from the analysis. The paper provides methods of rapid assessment of key aspects that impact on effective WASH monitoring and recommends the use of fuzzy logic to reduce data bias from qualitative methods. The methodology presented in the paper can be adapted and applied to other regions of the world and settings to enhance evaluations on the strength of systems within other sectors