Assessment of Unaccounted For Water Strategies In Service Delivery: Case Of Nakuru Water And Sanitation Services Company, Kenya

Water is an important natural resource, indispensable for life and also the backbone of growth and prosperity for mankind. Kenya is a water scarce country with renewable fresh water per capita at 647m3 against the United Nations recommended minimum of 1,000m3. Despite the efforts made by the Government of Kenya, Unaccounted-for-Water (UFW) is still high, currently standing at 49%. The overall objective for this study was to assess the strategies for reducing UFW in water supply systems. The scope focused in identifying areas for improving the water supply systems at NAWASSCO. The target population was 296, out of which 42 were employees of RVWSB and 254 were employees of NAWASSCO. Data was collected through interviews and questionnaires and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics such as, bar graphs, percentages and means were used to present the results. The research findings indicate that majority of employees working in water supply systems are in operations level, considering that majority are diploma holders, their capacity should be enhanced. The research confirmed that on average, the level of Unaccounted-for-Water at NAWASSCO was at 45%, this is in concurrence with the 2010 Impact Report by WASREB. It was further established that implementation of appropriate strategies to reduce UFW enables water supply systems to serve more customers for longer periods and thus WSPs realize high revenue. Therefore, sustainable resource utilization, monitoring and control measures, modern technology and improvement of existing regulatory mechanisms were found to be instrumental in enhancing efficiency of water supply systems. Key Words: Unaccounted For Water strategies, Nakuru Water & Sanitation Services Compan

Assessment Of Industrial Unrest Interventions Strategies On Organizational Performance: A Case Of Mumias Sugar Company

Industrial labor unrest has for a long time been a major issue for most organizations all over the world. When employees within an organization persistently fail to realize their work goals and objectives in life that are tied to their work place, then they tend to develop negative attitudes towards their work and on the employer. This study sought to establish the influence of industrial intervention strategies on organizational performance. It specifically assessed at Mumias Sugar Company as this is one company that has had a notable decrease in industrial unrest cases in the last 5 years. The problem statement was that Industrial unrest intervention strategies have been known to counter cases of industrial unrest in organizations but their influence on organizational performance has not been measured and; exactly which intervention strategies work best for the organization as well as the employee. The purpose of the study was to assess the industrial unrest interventions on organizational performance. The objectives of the study were: To determine the causes of industrial unrest; to determine the impact of employee welfare facilities on the organizational performance; to examine the influence of working conditions on the organizational performance; to establish the influence of managerial policies on the organizational performance and; to establish the influence of industrial unrest intervention strategies used on organizational performance of Mumias Sugar Company. Research questions and hypothesis were formulated to guide the researcher. The Contagion of Industrial Conflict Theories were adopted for the study where the  bargaining theory focuses on the interactions between professional negotiators for employers and employees; the  mobilization theory focuses on the decisions of workers to participate in industrial conflict and; the comparative approach focuses on economic and social -political institutions. A conceptual framework was developed which guided the study in literature review and data collection. Related literature was reviewed and conclusions drawn and a gap identified. Causal-comparative research design was adopted for this study as the study sought to understand the causes of the industrial unrest in MSC. The study area was Mumias Sugar Company and the target population was 1938 at the time of the study. Morgan and Krejcie’s formula for sample size determination was used to calculate the sample size of 321respondents. The study employed purposive and simple random sampling techniques to select the respondents where there was 1 top level manager, 5 middle level managers and 309 respondents who participated in the study.  The study used both quantitative and qualitative data from primary and secondary sources where questionnaires and interviews were used to collect primary data while document analysis was used to collect secondary data. The instruments were pilot tested and their validity and reliability verified. Data was collected, coded and entered into the SPSS program for analysis. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. The findings from the study indicated that the major forms of industrial unrest experienced by MSC were strikes and the main cause for this was un-compromise of terms and conditions of employment. The study concluded that industrial unrest intervention strategies employed at MSC did not only address the issue of unrest but also enhanced performance of the organization. The recommendations of the study were that organizations should address causes of unrest and formulate appropriate policies. These policies should target both the organization and the employee to enhance performance. The study also made suggestions for further studies. Key Words: Industrial unrest intervention strategies, Organization performance, Mumias Sugar Compan

Analysis of Green Energy Adoption on Household Development in Kenya: Case of Kibera Slums

Green energy technology adoption has been a major problem in urban poor (slums dwellers) in developing countries.  The government and other major stakeholders in the energy sector often fail to address these issues due to poor policy and high cost of technology. The presence of NGO’s whose programmes of equipping the slum dwellers especially Kibera slum in Nairobi Kenya have done very little in addressing the problem. The use of green energy technology has grown tremendously in semi-arid areas. However little is known about the adoption, awareness and use of such household scale technologies by slums dwellers in Kenya. The general objective of the study was to analyze the green energy adoption in Kenya, case of Kibera slum which is the largest of its kind in Africa. Recent empirical evidence showed that renewable energy adoption is growing in the world’s emerging economies nearly twice as fast than in industrialized nations. Not only are renewable energy technologies now cost competitive with fossil fuels in many developing nations, but they are often more reliable, safer, and at times cheaper than conventional grid power. This study examined the cost of green energy, size of family income, energy sector reforms. The researcher used descriptive analysis to assess the awareness and adoptions of green energy technology. In particular the study used logit and probit models to examine the variables of green energy adoption and intensity use of green energy technology on household scale respectively. The study used data collected via personal interview using pretested questionnaires in all the 17 villages of Kibera slums. This area was selected because of its relevance to the study. It used probability proportion to size sampling technique to collect information from 449 respondents. The study finds high awareness (76 percent) of green energy technology among the Kibera slums dwellers. However, this has not translated into high adoption. Only 10 percent of the respondents have adopted green energy technology. Results indicate high usage in the villages supplied with the technology by the NGOs than the rest of the study areas. Results of the regression analysis indicates that family income, the cost of green energy technology, lack extension officers,  and distance to the green energy enterprises /dealers affects the adoption of green energy technology. Intense of adoption of green energy technology on the other hand is affected by membership to youth or women group, distance to the nearest enterprises with physical and financial assets. Lastly, a finding of this study also implies that adoption of green energy technology can spur good physical well-being and productivity of household members, improve welfare of such households and reduces deaths caused by pollution related disease. Therefore there is need to formulate and implement Energy sector reforms to encourage access to clean and affordable energy services by slums dwellers. Key Words: Green Energy Adoption, Household Development, Kibera Slums in Kenya

The Role of Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF) in Job Creation: A Case of Dagoretti Constituency, Nairobi County, Kenya

Youth unemployment in Kenya is a serious development issue. The government conceived the Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF) in June 2006 as a strategic move towards arresting the high rate of unemployment among the youth in the country. The overall objective of this study therefore was to investigate the role of the YEDF in job creation: A Case of Dagoretti Constituency, Nairobi County. The study population consisted of beneficiary youth groups at Dagoretti Constituency and YEDF management officials at the head office. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. To achieve this, two sets of questionnaires and one interview schedule were used to get information. Prior to data collection, authorization was sought from National Council of Science and Technology (NCST). The target population was 80 respondents and due to the small sample size, the researcher carried out a census. Out of the target population of 80 respondents, 70 responded translating to a response rate of 87.5%. Data collected was analyzed using Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) and presented in the form of frequency tables, pie charts and bar charts. The research findings showed that majority of the respondents (85%) felt that YEDF has helped reduce youth unemployment. A significant percentage of respondents (82%) strongly agreed that lack of business and management skills is the greatest challenge entrepreneurs are facing and needed entrepreneurship training. The youth groups also suggest that the Fund should have a variety of structures to disburse funds also is should give loans to individuals since not all of them are in youth groups. They felt that YEDF should be exposed them capacity building programmes and life skills. Further it was found that the interest rate and repayment terms offered by YEDF were found to be the most appealing factor to beneficiaries. The youth groups suggested that the fund have more collaborations and strategic partnerships with financial intermediaries at grassroots to facilitate disbursement of funds to youth groups at the constituency. The main study recommendations include; YEDF funds be increased by the government and other financiers. For YEDF to be more effective in empowering the young entrepreneurs in the informal sector, more emphasis should be put in giving more training in entrepreneurship skills to youth before and after accessing the loan and credit should be given primarily for enterprise expansion, rather than start-ups.Keywords: Youth enterprise Development Fund, Job Creation in Keny

Evaluation of Corporate Eco-Efficiency on Organization Performance: Case of Unilever Kenya Limited

Eco-efficiency is meant to reduce ecological effects by de-coupling resource use and environmental consequences leading to diminishing environmental impact. Eco-efficiency philosophy came to the fore during the Rio Earth summit in 1992 as a business solution for a sustainable world. Emerging global phenomenon such as global warming, negative externalities, loss of diversity, diseases among others, have resulted into a coordinated global pressure to make countries to be more responsible to the environment. Developed and developing countries are now searching for an answer, to the continued devastating ecological effect, which allows the businesses and nations to achieve environmental protection coupled with economic growth. However industries all over the world operate as profit-maximizing entities which are expected to engage in activities that meet the financial responsibilities of the firm and the shareholders. Due to intense competition and business rivalry, little room exists for firms to contribution to society as a whole and specifically to the natural environment. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the corporate eco-efficiency on organization performance at Unilever Kenya Limited. Both quantitative and exploratory research design were employed while Regression analysis was used to establish the effects of waste management, greener energy and GHG emissions. The findings refute the claims by managers that eco-efficiency adoption is expensive and reduces competitiveness of business. The results showed a significant relationship between organization performance in Unilever Company and all the four eco-efficiency variables. The study concluded that adoption of eco-efficiency influence performance of Unilever Kenya Limited especially in improving efficiency, technology acquisition, reduced long run cost and sustainability. The study recommends that Unilever Company should integrate eco-efficiency into their business strategy and also involve the stakeholders. Keywords: corporate eco-efficiency, organizational performance, Unilever Kenya Limited

An Analysis of Strategic Management Styles in Public Secondary Schools Principals on Academic Performance: Case Study of Langata Constituency, Kenya

Public secondary school principals now find themselves in the age of accountability and improvement with the expectation that they function as instructional managers. The management style that public secondary school principals use is crucial in determining how the school performs academically. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between the strategic management styles of public secondary school principals and their schools’ academic performance in Langata Constituency, while the purpose of study was to understand how different strategic management styles used by public secondary school principals in Langata constituency have influenced school’s academic performance. The study used descriptive statistics such as percentages and frequency, and Tables where data collected was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) – version 19.0. The findings are presented as per the objectives and research questions of the study. The findings of the study indicated that democratic management style lead to the best or improved academic performance of Public Secondary Schools in Langata constituency. The finding is in support of Bateman and Snell (2007) who observed that management is the process of working with people and resources to accomplish organizational goals. Good managers achieve or actualize organizational goals effectively and efficiently. The study recommends a positive approach of actualizing school objectives on academic performance improvement through efficiency and effectiveness by employing democratic styles of management. Key Words: Management styles in Public Secondary Schools, Academic Performance, Langata Constituency

An Evaluation of Strategy Implementation on Organizational Performance: Case of Public Technical, Vocational, Education Training (TVET) Institutions In Kiambu County, Kenya

Since the early years of Kenya`s independence, TVET system of education has been recognised by the Government as the major sector that produces skilled workforce which are absorbed in the industries and life support skills for self employment. However, for the effective performance of this education system, Government strategies must have a viable roadmap for implementation as strategy implementation remains a dominant means of success in all organizations. The Purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of strategy implementation on the performance of public Technical Vocational Educational Training (TVET) institutions in Kiambu County, Kenya. The aim was to identify factors that impact on strategy implementation and hence affect the performance of these institutions. The research objectives elaborated the networks of association among independent variables (which are human resources, institutional management, financial allocations, curriculum, materials and facilities among others), that were assumed to have sufficient relationships with the dependent variable which is organizational performance. Theoretical framework focuses on the Fiedler`s situational contingency theory. The total population of the study comprised of 200 employees from public TVET institutions in Kiambu County: 30 managers, 30 assistant managers, 60 supervisors and 80 teachers or instructors. The study derived a sample size of sixty (60), arrived at by calculating 30% of the study population. The study`s sampling technique that was used was purposive sampling. The survey used both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection methods and the Likert scale of self administered closed and open ended questionnaire was used. The questionnaire was tested before a refined one was administered to the respondents. The data was edited, coded, classified and then tabulated. The tabulated data was analysed quantitatively by calculating percentages and then was presented in the form of pie charts and bar graphs. Mean and standard deviation were also used in this analysis. Descriptive data was analysed qualitatively and the results were provided in the form of explanatory notes. Regression analysis was also done to determine the relationship between the relationship between the dependent and the independent variables. This was done using the statistical package for social studies software (SPSS).The study concluded that Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Kiambu County is an education sector ridden with challenges which include inadequate funding, lack of modern training equipment, lack of training materials, use of outdated technology, lack of exposure to new methods of training and poor image. The researcher therefore recommended that the government should adequately finance public technical and vocational training institutions to improve their performance, introduce the newest methods and technology for teaching and learning for both students and teachers, introduce performance standards and regularly evaluate the accomplishment of these standards. It is also recommended that the government should come up with way of supervising the implementation process of all its strategies for TVET to ensure effectiveness. Key Words: Strategy Implementation, Organization performance, TVET Kiambu, Keny

An Evaluation of Strategy Implementation on Organization Effectiveness: Case of Kenya Wildlife Service, Garissa County

Many organizations today are focusing on becoming more competitive, by launching competitive strategies that give them an edge over their rivals. To do this, they need to convert their strategies into actions (Porter, 1985). This calls for a strategic fit of an organization’s structure, resources, culture, and systems. In the past it has been proposed that the public sector in Kenya experiences great difficulties in regard to implementing reforms and offering of quality services. This study sought to fill a gap by carrying out research on strategy implementation of the Kenya Wildlife Services.  The purpose of this study was therefore to evaluate the factors affecting effective implementation of strategic plans by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) in Garissa County. The specific objectives were to determine the influence of resources, culture, systems and structure on the implementation of KWS strategic plans. This was a case study since the unit of analysis was a single organization. The research used a descriptive research design to investigate the factors affecting strategy implementation. The respondents in this study were the employees of KWS and opinion leaders from the protected wildlife sites in Garissa County. A census study of 47 respondents was considered for this study. The researcher used primary data which was collected using self administered questionnaires and semi structured interviews. The collected data was coded and entered in computer software. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics while qualitative data was analyzed by organizing data into appropriate categories. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. The study concludes that the implementation of KWS strategic plans is faced by myriad of challenges such as inadequacy of funds, staff shortages, lack of training and motivation, poor orientation of the employees, inappropriate communication flow, and lack of information technology. The research recommends that provision of adequate resources, trainings, orientations, computer literacy and efficient communication are some of the solutions that need to be factored to ensure successful implementation of KWS strategic planning. The study further recommends research in similar organizations in different context. Keywords: Strategy Implementation, Kenya Wildlife Servic

Analysis of Organic Growth Strategies on Performance of small and medium sized Enterprises: Case of Thika Sub-County, Kenya

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) play an important economic role in Kenya. The sub-sector contributes to an estimated 20 percent of the GDP and employs 85 percent of the Kenyan workforce. The purpose of the study was to analyze the influence of organic growth strategies on the performance of SMEs in Thika sub-county, Kenya. The study was guided by the Ansoff’s Matrix and Penrose’s (1959) growth theories and the Balanced Scorecard performance theory by Kaplan & Norton (1992) in the measurement of performance of SMEs. The study was guided by the following null hypothesis: There is no relationship between penetration, market development, product development and diversification strategies on the performance of SMEs in Thika Sub-county. Literature was reviewed on the concept of growth in enterprises, definition of SMEs, organic growth strategies and the concept of performance of enterprises. A conceptual framework was also developed. The organic growth strategies formed the independent variables while the performance of SMEs was the dependent variable. The strategy implementation conditions formed the intervening variable. The central thesis of the study was that organic (internal) growth strategies are core ingredients necessary for spurring growth of SMEs and in turn enhancing their performance. The study was a correlational study. It was located in Thika Sub-County in Kiambu County, Kenya. The study targeted 4805 SMEs within the Sub-County. Proportional stratified random sampling technique was used to sample 36 SMEs. The unit of analysis was the 36 CEOs/ Marketing Managers of the sampled SMEs, who were purposively chosen due to their superior knowledge of the SMEs. Data was collected using Organic Growth Strategies Questionnaire (OGSQ). Quantitative data was coded into a computer sheet that was used to enter data in Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) program (version 21.0). Quantitative data will be presented in frequency distribution tables and analyzed using mean, percentage, Pearson-Product correlation coefficient and linear regression. The significance of the results was tested at .05 significance level. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The study found out that penetration, market development, product development and diversification strategies positively influenced the performance of SMEs. The four independent variables account for 44.9% of the total variability of performance of SMEs. Penetration and market development strategies added statistically significantly to the prediction of performance of SMEs. The product development and diversification strategies should approached with caution as they are much riskier. The study concluded that SMEs should embrace the organic growth strategies to spur growth of their enterprises. The study recommended that the government should create a Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to fund the implementation of the organic growth strategies developed by SMEs and provide technical support in market research, ideas incubation and capacity building of the CEOs/Owners of the SMEs.  Finally, the study recommended that similar studies to be carried in other counties in Kenya. Also, further study should be conducted to analyze the influence of inorganic strategies on performance of SMEs. Key Words: Organic Growth Strategies, Performance of small and medium sized Enterprises

A Critical Analysis of Equity ownership Structure on Firm’s Performance: Case of Publicly Listed Companies in Kenya)

The relationship of equity ownership mix and firm performance of a firm is an important area of study in the broader field of corporate finance which has received considerable attention in finance literature in the recent past. The objective of this study was to find out whether ownership identity has any influence in corporate performance of public companies listed in Nairobi Securities Exchange. The study was based on the Agency, Stewardship and Stakeholder theories which explained the interactions of different interested parties in the firm, conflicts that results and how they affect the performance of a firm. The target population of the study was public companies listed in Nairobi Securities Exchange and stratified random sampling design was used to identify and categories the firms, and then simple random sampling was used to identify the actual sample elements. A descriptive survey research design was primarily preferred as it was able to ensure proper construction of questions for soliciting required information, identification of individuals to be surveyed, means by which survey was conduted and summarizing of the data in a way that provided descriptive information. Data collection instrument used for the study include questionnaires with a guide, interviews and document analysis for secondary data derived from published company financial statement and Capital Market Authority periodic reports. For this study data collected was first be edited and then coded and categorized into different themes according to research variables. Qualitative data collected using the questionnaire was analyzed using descriptive statistics and represented in terms of tables, graphs and pie charts. Secondary data collected using content analysis was analyzed using inferential statistics in terms of correlation analysis application of Microsoft Excel analysis. Keywords: Equity ownership Culture, Firm Performance, Publicly Listed Companies in Kenya. 1.0 Background of the Stud