Department of Social sciences
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Item The Changing of African Traditional Celebration of the Living Dead and its effects of Cremation in Kenya(2023-08) Kavulavu, Leen; Achar, George OkumuThis paper investigates the effects of cremation on African traditional celebrations of the living dead in Kenya. The study examines bereavement and mourning practices in communities, with a particular focus on traditional modes of mourning, grieving, and remembering the living dead. According to the study, African traditions, the spread of Christianity, the influence of the Hindu culture, and Islamic beliefs all conflict with the changing culture that is slowly embracing cremation. The methodology for this study involved secondary data. The conclusion drawn from the study is that even as the scarcity of land pushes societies to consider the option of cremation, cultural and religious perceptions have painted the practice unethical and term it “un-African.” In Kenya, the majority of the population still opts to bury their dead in their ancestral homes in order to perform ritual and religious burial rites.Item Retelling the Mau Mau Past from the Mbeere Perspective(Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies, 2022) Mwaruvie, John; Otieno, Joshia, Osamba,; Kanyingi, BensonThis article analyzes the contested historical narrative behind the Mbeere’s role in the Mau Mau movement. Specifically, it explores the role of memorialization and marginalization in reconfiguring this past. With respect to the latter, the Mbeere were ostracized from the Mau Mau movement after the Kenyan Parliament, headed by Dedan Kimathi, sought to consolidate support by encouraging local officials to lobby bordering ethnic groups. As a result, the Mbeere, who were suspected to be pro-government and anti-Mau Mau, faced brutal reprisals from the Kikuyu and the Embu, key players in the movement. Although the physical violence may have ended, the symbolic violence of denial and ostracism persists as the Mau Mau movement’s memory is popularized and commodified through the British government’s acknowledgement of their abuse against Kenyans in the Mau Mau struggle. The dominant history of the Mau Mau rebellion is harrowing for the Mbeere Mau Mau veterans, who in fact existed and fought tenaciously against the British but were subsequently omitted from these narratives. This article draws on oral testimonies and archival sources to explore this history and potential avenues for official recognition and memorializationItem Who is Against Sino-African Relations? Evolving Perceptions on Chinese Engagement in Kenya(Chinese Journal of International Review, 2020) Waweru, Sammy MwangiRise of China and increased Chinese engagement across the globe, have attracted mixed and varied reactions of approval and disapproval in a number of host countries. Against this background, this study brings into perspective rise of anti-Chinese sentiments in Africa, with a Kenyan case study, examining who, why and where anti-Chinese sentiments are most prevalent. The study finds anti-Chinese sentiments being most prevalent among Kenya’s small scale traders who have been displaced by Chinese capital flow and trade in the country. The finding is contextualized within broader framework of globalization and its resultant effects on free movement of capital, trade and investment. More precisely, Chinese capital flow and trade have had distributional consequences of winners and losers with potential to displace Kenya’s small scale traders hence the rise of anti-Chinese sentiments. The anti-Chinese sentiments are equally evident among section of Kenya’s politicians and intelligentsia, who have questioned the viability of Chinese built infrastructure. Further, anti-Chinese sentiments have been found among ordinary citizens who have experienced, albeit isolated, incidences of Chinese misconducts in the country. Notwithstanding these negative reactions, Chinese engagement in Kenya is still pronounced and has popular support from government, general citizenry and among classes of Kenyan who have benefited from Chinese This is an Open Access article, copyright owned by World Scientific Publishing Company (WSPC) and School of International Relations and Public Affairs of Shanghai International Studies University (SIRPA of SISU). The article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 (CC BY-NC) License which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited and is used for non-commercial purposes.involvement in the country. The segmented nature of anti-Chinese sentiments has not been strong enough to undo general goodwill, attitude and perceptions, that ordinary citizen hold towards Chinese engagement in KenyaItem The effect of environmental change on sustainable energy in Olkaria geothermal and Kenya power station, Nakuru County, Kenya(INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND SOCIAL SCIENCE, 2020) Gichuhi, David; Gesimba, Paul; Kipsiele, GideonEnergy is one of the most important resources in the growth of an economy. The generation of power is key to the effectiveness of sustainable energy management. Energy production warrants production hence connected to economic development. Environmental change has an impact on the sustainability of renewable energy. The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of environmental change on sustainable energy in Olkaria Geothermal and Kenya Power Station, Nakuru County, Kenya. The study was informed by two theories namely; Socio-technical Transitions Approach Theory and Coevolutionary Approach to Transitions. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population was 359 employees with a stratified sample design. The sample frame was 108 employees being 30% of the total population. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). The preliminary data was analysed using descriptive statistics and presented in the form of tables. Inferential statistics were employed through Pearson’s Correlation analysis and regression analysis was used to test the study hypothesis at a 5% significance level. The findings indicated that was a statistically significant relationship between environmental change and sustainable energy (r=0.286; p=0.005). Further, the study revealed that environmental change has a statistically significant effect on sustainable energy in Olkaria Geothermal and Kenya Power Station, Nakuru County, Kenya (p<0.05). The study recommends that institutional environmental changes should be examined and their influence on sustainable energy management.Item Influence of Leadership on Innovation Efficiency in Manufacturing Firms in Kenya(International Journal of Management, Knowledge and Learning, 2020) Gachanja, Isaac Muiruri; Nganga, Stephen Irura; Kiganane, Lucy MainaThe purpose of this paper is to determine the influence of leadership on Innovation Efficiency (IE) in manufacturing firms in Kenya. A mixed research methodology was and cross-sectional design was applied. The target population was 2484 leaders and multi-stage sampling was used to sample 345 respondents. Primary data was collected. The results revealed that leadership has a significant influence on IE. It is concluded that management should practice and encourage creativity, exploration, inspiration, exploitation and entrepreneurial mindset to promote IE. Further research should be conducted to find out how leadership should balance the trade-off between risk management and IE.Item Human Capital Development and Services Delivery of Public Health Facilities(International Journal of Commerce and Finance, 2020) Kiambati, Kellen; Chege, Agnes Kabithe; Mwenja, Dominic; Mbugua, LeviHealthcare provision stipulated by Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a relatively new concept in many developing countries SubSaharan Africa part of Asia. Therefore, this study examined the influence of human capital development on the service delivery of devolved County Health Facilities. The path coefficients were positive and significant at 0.05 level of significance. The path coefficient beta value was β = 0.50. These findings indicate that for every 1-unit increase in human capital development, service delivery is predicted to increase by 0.5 in public county health facilities in Kenya. The study concluded that measures contributed to the positive relationship between human capital development and service delivery in these facilities. As the hospitals lacked funding of further training for their staff and also failed to pay competitive salaries and allowances, the study recommends that for improved service delivery within these facilities, promotions should be on performance, as well remuneration. Most employees will work hard when they know that they get rewards for it. The hospitals should also promote staff and offer scholarships for training to the high performing staffItem Correlates of Loneliness in Single Gender and Coeducational Boarding Schools in Murang’a County, Kenya(African Journal of Education, Science and Technology, 2020-07-15) Baru, M. P; Mbugua, Z. K.; Ndegwa, L. W; Njoka, J. NLoneliness remains a challenge among learners all over the world especially at adolescence stage. Major correlates of loneliness in schools have been identified as teacher-learner relationships, sense of belonging to school and learners’ peer relationships. The interplay of these factors has not been widely studied in the gendered context of schools. The purpose of this study was to establish power of determination of learners’ peer relationships, sense of belonging to school and teacher-learner relationships on loneliness, in single gender and coeducational sub county public secondary schools in Murang’a County of Kenya. The Krejecie and Morgan table was used to determine sample size of 435 participants from a population of 13,572 students in the sub county coeducational and single gender secondary schools in the county. Stratified random sampling method was used to select 231 boys and 204 girls, each type of school formed a stratum. A cross sectional survey research design was used in the study. Loneliness was measured using Perth aloneness loneliness scale while learners’ peer relationships, teacher-learner relationships and sense of belonging to school were measured using scales developed for this research, with reliability index (α) of 0.81, 0.68, 0.79 and 0.82 respectively. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis was done using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) program version 20. Lerner (1991) developmental contexualism theory was applied in interpreting the findings. The results indicated that girls were adversely affected by the presence of boys in all variables under observation except in learners’ peer relationships. Learners’ peer relationships, sense of belonging to school and teacher-learner relationships were protective against loneliness. Recommendations are that approaches to improve school climate and alleviate loneliness be anchoredItem Analysis of Corruption Risky Areas in Public Secondary Schools in Nyandarua and Nakuru Counties in Kenya(American Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research (AJHSSR), 2020) Ngatia, Richard; Njoka, Johannes Njagi; Ndegwa, LucyCitizens and stakeholders in education continue to express great concerns regarding the escalating cases of academic dishonesty, misappropriation and misuse of resources in education in the world and Kenya in particular. Corruption activities manifest themselves in all areas of education especially in teaching and learning processes, academic dishonesty, and utilization of educational resources as well as in the development of policies.The purpose of this study was to analyse the corruption risky areas in public secondary schools in Nyandarua and Nakuru Counties in Kenya. Specifically the study sought to establish the corruption risky areas in public secondary schools and compare the levels of corruption in public secondary schools in Nakuru and Nyandarua counties in Kenya. The study tested the null hypothesis that there is no statistically significant difference in corruption risky areas in public secondary schools in Nyandarua and Nakuru Counties. The descriptive survey research design was used to guide the study. The target population for the study comprised all secondary school principals, heads of departments and bursars. The sample size was determined using the Cochran sampling formula which yielded a total of 321 respondents. Data was collected using a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and t-tests were used to analyse data with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Results of the study revealed thecorruption risky areas in public secondary schools as thecharging of extra levies, teachers missing lessons, unreported teachers absenteeism, falsification of information on student enrolment data and irregular procurement of goods and services. Hypothesis testing revealed that corruption risky areas in public secondary schools in Nakuru and Nyandarua Counties were largely similar, thus the null hypothesis (Ho1) was accepted. The study recommended the need to broaden the scope of school auditing to cover all areas of academic life as opposed to the current practice that only focuses majorly on financial management.