School of Arts and Social Sciences
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Item Adoption of Sahiwal Cattle and Household Food Security among Pastoralist Communities: The Case of Isiria Maasai of Kenya(International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development, 2020-12) Saranta, Moses Kipainoi; Otengah, Wilson A. P.Pastoralism enabled households to attain livelihood outcomes, including food security. Over the years climatic and socio-economic changes have affected livestock production practices and pastoralist have responded in a myriad of ways. Governments and non governmental organizations also intervened through programmes to improve pastoralists’ food security. Studies on the impact of the programmes indicated mixed results with some recording improved food security while others indicated deterioration. This study investigated the association between adoption of Sahiwal cattle and household food security among Isiria Maasai of Narok County, Kenya. Quantitative and qualitative methods were applied to collect and analyse information from a sample of 400 households selected through a multi-stage sampling procedure. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize and compare respondents’ attributes. The study used Spearman Correlation Coefficient to test for the association between adoption of Sahiwal cattle and household food security. Results indicated that all households were food secure with 70.0% of the respondents having high dietary diversities. Most respondents consumed milk and milk products (91%), fruits (69%) as well as vegetables and leaves (61.7%). Sahiwal cattle adopters with high dietary diversity were more than non-adopters. There was a positive, significant weak association between adoption of Sahiwal cattle and household food securityItem Adoption of Sahiwal Cattle and Household Food Security among Pastoralist Communities: The Case of Isiria Maasai of Kenya(International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development, 2020) Otengah, Wilson; Saranta, Moses KipainoiPastoralism enabled households to attain livelihood outcomes, including food security. Over the years climatic and socio-economic changes have affected livestock production practices and pastoralist have responded in a myriad of ways. Governments and nongovernmental organizations also intervened through programmes to improve pastoralists’ food security. Studies on the impact of the programmes indicated mixed results with some recording improved food security while others indicated deterioration. This study investigated the association between adoption of Sahiwal cattle and household food security among Isiria Maasai of Narok County, Kenya. Quantitative and qualitative methods were applied to collect and analyse information from a sample of 400 households selected through a multi-stage sampling procedure. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize and compare respondents’ attributes. The study used Spearman Correlation Coefficient to test for the association between adoption of Sahiwal cattle and household food security. Results indicated that all households were food secure with 70.0% of the respondents having high dietary diversities. Most respondents consumed milk and milk products (91%), fruits (69%) as well as vegetables and leaves (61.7%). Sahiwal cattle adopters with high dietary diversity were more than non-adopters. There was a positive, significant weak association between adoption of Sahiwal cattle and household food security.Item The Aesthetic Function of the Style of Masking as used in V.S. Naipaul’s collection of Sketches, Miguel Street(International journal of English Language, Literature and Translation Studies (IJERL), 2016) Paulino, Stella Kagwiria; Weche, MichaelThe study is based on the assumption that literary style is paramount to literary communication and the meaning we derive out of a work of literature. Literary meaning cannot therefore be divorced from literary style. The purpose of the study is to examine how the style of masking communicates meaning in V.S. Naipaul’s collection of sketches, Miguel Street. The technique of masking is analyzed to show its aesthetic function in the text. The main objective of the study is to evaluate the text and show how the technique is used by the writer to communicate meaning and artistic vision. The rationale of the study is based on the recognition of Naipaul as one of the best world writers and more important that though his works have received extensive literary attention, little has been done on the aesthetic function of the style of masking in the text under study. The study therefore gives a new direction of reading Naipaul’s works and thus contributes not only to the understanding of Naipaul’s idiocyncratic manner of artistic communication but also to the richness of his literature. The sampled text was purposively chosen based on the aim of the study. The study is grounded in the New Historicism literary theory and more specifically the theory’s tenets that emphasize the study of literary works from a historical context.Item The aesthetic function of the style of masking as used in v.s. naipaul’s collection of sketches, miguel street(International journal of English, literature and translation studies, 2016) Weche, Michael; Kagwiria, StellaThe study is based on the assumption that literary style is paramount to literary communication and the meaning we derive out of a work of literature. Literary meaning cannot therefore be divorced from literary style. The purpose of the study is to examine how the style of masking communicates meaning in V.S. Naipaul’s collection of sketches, Miguel Street. The technique of masking is analyzed to show its aesthetic function in the text. The main objective of the study is to evaluate the text and show how the technique is used by the writer to communicate meaning and artistic vision. The rationale of the study is based on the recognition of Naipaul as one of the best world writers and more important that though his works have received extensive literary attention, little has been done on the aesthetic function of the style of masking in the text under study. The study therefore gives a new direction of reading Naipaul’s works and thus contributes not only to the understanding of Naipaul’s idiocyncratic manner of artistic communication but also to the richness of his literature. The sampled text was purposively chosen based on the aim of the study. The study is grounded in the New Historicism literary theory and more specifically the theory’s tenets that emphasize the study of literary works from a historical context.Item Application of Rules and Regulations on Students’ Involvement in Arson at public boarding secondary schools in Migori County, Kenya(International J ournal of Re search and Innovati on in S ocial Sci ence (IJRISS, 2022-05) K’odero, Jannes Okinyi; Otengah, Wilson A. P.; Okello, Lazarus MillanIn the last 20 years, there has been a global increase in episodes of school unrest characterized by violence and arson attacks. They resulted in the destruction of school property and deaths. Arson persists, with the latest cases seen in 2021. Past studies have not focused on social and cultural aspects in learning institutions as possible causes of arson. The study focused on the application of rules and regulations on students’ involvement in arson at public boarding secondary schools in Migori County. Descriptive Cross-sectional survey design. It involved 380 students in Forms 3 and 4 from 28 public boarding secondary schools that experienced arson from 2017 to 2020; and 28 KII’s. Probability sampling techniques were used to arrive at the respondents, KII’s were purposively selected. Questionnaires and FGDs were used on respondents; and interview schedule for KIIs. Quantitative data was analyzed using Pearson’s product moment correlations and presented in graphs, tables and charts. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically. It was revealed that utilization of school rules and regulations had a positive significant relationship (r= .447, p<.05) with students’ involvement in arson. Further, informal discussions on school rules and regulations had a positive relationship (r =.487, p<.05) with students’ involvement in arson. The study recommends that the ministry of education should outline the guidelines for the formulation of school rules and regulations.Item Assessment of iron status among preschool children (6 to 59 months) with and without malaria in Western Province, Kenya(Pan African Medical Journal, 2015-05-28) Kisiangani, Isaac; Mbakaya, Charles; Makokha, Anzelimo; Magu, DennisIntroduction: Iron deficiency is a major public health concern. Globally, iron deficiency ranks number 9 and is responsible for about 60% of all anemia cases among preschool children. In Africa iron deficiency is 43-52% while in Kenya, children under 5 years constitute the largest burden with 69% of them being deficient. There is limited iron deficiency data in Kenya. This study determined haemoglobin levels, serum ferritin levels, nutritional status and P.falciparum malaria infection in preschool children. Methods: A household cross sectional study was undertaken among 125 preschoolers in Western province, drawn from 37 clusters. Systematic random sampling was used for sample selection. Data was collected using pretested structured questionnaires, entered in Microsoft package. Data analysis was done in Statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 20 using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression and differences were considered significant at P < 0.05. Results: The prevalence of iron deficiency (Serum ferritin <12mg/l), anaemia (Hb<110g/l) and plasmodium falciparum malaria were 20.8%, 25% and 6.8% respectively. There was a significant association between iron deficiency and anaemia (OR=3.43, 95% CI: 1.33-8.84, p=0.008). A preschool child with anaemia was 3.43 times likely to be iron deficient compared to a preschool child who was not anaemic. Conclusion: Iron deficiency, anaemia and plasmodium falciparum malaria was prevalent among preschool children. The findings revealed a significant association between iron deficiency and anaemia. Therefore effective interventions to improve iron status will have large health benefits by greatly reducing anaemia in preschool children.Item An Assessment of Online Translation: A Case of Business Discourse(The International Journal of Humanities & Social Studies, 2019-11) Anjejo, Mark Odawo; Ontieri, James Omari; Nyandiba, CarrenThe success of economic development in any society to a large extent depends on the availability of information related to business opportunities and infrastructural avenues. In the current digital generation, business activities have transformed from commodity exchange to include different services among them information which is an integral pillar for development. Clients’ consumption of information as a pre-requisite to real business planning is a phenomenon that continues to grow by the day. Knowledge and information as anchored in languages of different communities of the world highly depends on translation as a bridge of transmission into the global arena. Today, globalization of information has been made simpler and faster through online translation. Vivid information about raw materials, markets for goods, services, business opportunities and interactions largely depend on the accurate and clear translation of source text into the target text. This article argues that, if a translator produces a translation of business discourses devoid of equivalence, then the knowledge of occurrences in the business world will be shaky. This is likely to negate the efforts of building business relations that are imperative in the achievement of meaningful economic development that the human race is desperately craving for today.Item Astudy on socio-economic conditions and work life balance of women workers in textile spinning mills.(International Journal of Business Management Insight & Transformations, 2019) Palanivel, Pr; Ganesh, K Sankar; Nyangosi, RichardToday, in addition to the traditional unpaid labour required for maintaining a household, which involves growing food and securing water and fuel supplies, women increasingly take on paid work outside the home to augment personal and family income. The world over, these dual responsibilities respectively termed "reproductive" and “productive” by social scientists always play a vital role in human economic activity. Although women as workers have traditionally been regarded as dependent adjuncts of their husbands, partners on closet male kin, the rapid influx of women into labour markets worldwide over the past three decades has become a key factor in the growing independence of women, economically, socially and legally. Increasingly too, their ‘household’ work, long taken for granted, is being acknowledged as a central contribution to society’s wealth.Item Athari ya Ukiushi wa Kisarufi katika Tafsiri ya Matini katika Majukwaa ya Kidijiti(2019) Nyandiba, CarrenItem Item Bantu and Nilotic Children’s Singing Games: a Comparative Study of their Value Communication(International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research, 2016) Weche, Michael; Kagwira, Stella PaulinhoThe study is based on the assumption that literary style is paramount to literary communication and the meaning we derive out of a work of literature. Literary meaning cannot therefore be divorced from literary style. The purpose of the study is to examine how the style of calypso communicates meaning in V.S. Naipaul’s collection of sketches, Miguel Street. The technique of calypso is analyzed to show its aesthetic function in the text. The main objective of the study is to evaluate the text and show how the technique is used by the writer to communicate meaning and artistic vision. The rationale of the study is based on the recognition of Naipaul as one of the best world writers and more important that though his works have received extensive literary attention, little has been done on the aesthetic function of the calypso in the text under study. The study therefore gives a new direction of reading Naipaul’s works and thus contributes not only to the understanding of Naipaul’s idiosyncratic manner of artistic communication but also to the richness of his literature. The sampled text was purposively chosen based on the aim of the study. The study is grounded in the New Historicism literary theory and more specifically the theory’s tenets that emphasize the study of literary works from a historical context.Item Can religion transform human behaviour? A review of impacts of religious studies on moral development in Kenya(International Journal of Religious Studies, 2018-12) Ochola, George OumaOver the last decades, a question of whether religion affect moral development, has been in the minds of many people. Despite the fact that one can discern right and wrong, good and but even without becoming religious, the role of religious studies in moral development should not be over emphasized. Some characters of the current youth need modification especially when they are still going to school. The world outside school is nowadays characterized by corruption, terrorism, wickedness, drunkenness among other vices. If left untamed and un-oriented to religious beliefs, then school products might be disaster to the societies. The study used document analysis to determine the role of religion in human life; assess the relationship between religious studies and development of human morals and evaluate the extent religious awareness affect the morality. The study relied heavily on the already published literature that we reviewed for the relevant information that was needed.Item Care Giver’s Knowledge: A Stimulus for Advocated Alternative Family Care for Children in Kenya(The International Journal Of Humanities & Social Studies, 2017) Onyango, Erick Ater; Otengah, Wilson; Iteyo, CrispinousPublic campaigns augment caregiver’s knowledge base on advocated alternative family care arrangement for children. Awareness campaigns through public barazas and community dialogues complement milestones in implementing government social policies in child protection. Pointers on caregiver’s knowledge of alternative family care however expose a dreary stimulus to the practice of the advocated care arrangements among care givers. This paper examined care giver’s knowledge as stimulus for advocated alternative family care for children practice in Migori County, Kenya. Specifically the paper examined care givers knowledge and perception of advocated alternative family care arrangements in Kenya. The study was guided by the social theory of action systems by Talcott Parsons and theory of structuration by Antony Giddens premised on the fact that actions of individuals regulate social order. Descriptive cross sectional survey design was used and data collection involved mixed methods, where both quantitative and qualitative data were collected by use of semi structured questionnaires from a sample size of 399 and guiding questions for focus groups. Data from quantitative methods were analyzed using inferential and descriptive statistics with the aid of (SPSS) version 23 and, both correlation statistics and mean were used to organize and summarize the data for meaningful interpretations. Analysis of qualitative data adopted methodologies that drew from both a framework analysis and content analysis. The paper revealed that care givers were knowledgeable of the advocated alternative family care arrangements with 58% of the respondents pointing that they were best for child protection but pointed to the complications 11% and non practicability 8% in acquisition and use. Computation of the Karl Pearson correlation coefficient statistics revealed a moderate negative correlation of sociodemographic characteristics on knowledge of alternative family care at -0.568. The paper recommends that the Government of Kenya formalize all alternative family care arrangements for enhanced child protection intervention.Item The challenge of teaching in a second/foreign language and alternative approaches to developing fluency in the languages of instruction(Chemchemi, 2016) Kembo, Jane; Kembo, JaneTeaching at the university makes me realize that something needs to be done in the teaching of language for learning. Observation shows that students arrive at university without the requisite language skills (Tekeste, 2006; Aspen, et al., 2009), to benefit fully from the kind of independent work that is expected of them, and that should, by and large, be buttressed by ingrained language and study skills which they should have acquired and honed at secondary school. In addition, more than half of the students I teach at university cannot succinctly express themselves in English and are unable to write effectively in English, the language of instruction. The studies cited in the paper are not confined to Kenya; there is the SAQMEC II Study which covered 15 African countries at primary level. The UWEZO study of 2012 covered Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, while the report on Ethiopia covers the Ethiopian situation. The study covered undergraduate writing errors from 201 students, while the Ethiopian data covers PhD theses from 7 candidates. What the data shows is that mastery of the language of instruction across the board is not what it should be and candidates struggle to express themselves both in writing and speech. In attending PhD vivas, I have come across candidates who are unable to express themselves orally using English, even when they are English language majors. The paper argues, based on existing research, that language is a big determinant of reading (Winne, 1993; Kinstch, 1991; Olshavksy 1977; Kembo, 1994, which, in turn, is a big part of independent learning, thereby determining school success. The paper further contends that in circumstances where input from the environment is limited, as is often the case in most second and foreign language contexts, the student must be aided to get it from alternative sources: extensive reading programs that are monitored until they become habitual, clubs, listening to radio and television as part of teaching and learning, production and use of self-learning materials that learners can utilize in schools and at home at affordable costs. Alternatively, we must revert to the use of African languages because of the benefits accruing: early mastery, conceptualization of the world, fluency, and the freedom to use their mental capacities and resources for grappling with content rather than with mastery of language at the same time.Item The Communicative Functions of Tanzanian Online Newspaper Headlines(International Journal of Innovative Research & Development, 2020-09) Nyakoe, Gechemba Damaris; Musa, Nasibu M. K.; Odhiambo, KennethThis paper sought to analyse the communicative functions Tanzanian online newspaper headlines. A sample of Mwananchi and The Citizen dailies was obtained purposively from10 Tanzanian registered online newspapers. Also, the corpus of 259 front page headlines was randomly collected from the two digital papers. Using a checklist, the study collected and analysed data from the online newspaper headlines with SPSS version 20. The study revealed that 69.9 % of the two daily newspaper headlines observed the traditional communicative function of a newspaper headline that requires the headline to informative and summarise the articles it represents. However, a small fraction of newspaper headlines appeared to be less informative, ambiguous and vague, and metaphorically constructed in that readers could only understand their intentions either by clicking or reading the full articles or infer the meaning through contexts. The study concluded that the use of less informative headlines was the marketing strategy that the digital newspaper writers used to draw the attention of readers. The study recommended carrying out the study on how the newspaper headlines published impacted readership and visibility on the search engines and social platforms.Item Community Based Approach to the Management of Nyando Wetland, Lake Victoria Basin, Kenya(Mcpowl Media Ltd, 2012) Owuor, J. B. Okeyo; Raburu, P.O.; Kwena, FTropical wetlands are known to be very productive, providing water and primary productivity upon which large numbers of plants and animal species depend for survival. In the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB), wetlands are part and parcel of many water bodies where they are hydrologically and ecologically linked through the supply of water, nutrients and organic matter. In the upper reaches of the LVB, many wetlands have been formed by spring water draining into valley bottoms where the gradient is low and hence water accumulates, hence supporting characteristic biota. Other wetlands are formed as a result of shallow water table in depressions, though most of these are seasonal and their area fluctuates depending on the prevailing weather conditions. Other wetlands in the upper reaches have been formed out of damming of streams and rivers for domestic and industrial water supply. In the middle reaches, springs fed wetlands still dominate, with a few riverine wetlands occurring along the edges of the large rivers. In the lower reaches and floodplains, we have seasonal wetlands that form during the rainy season when rivers over-top their banks. Many of the large wetlands in the LVB are found at the river mouths of the major rivers and in the inshore areas of the lake. Examples include the Nyando Wetland, Yala Swamp, Bunyala Wetland, River Mara Swamp, Mosirori Wetland, Osodo Swamp, Ngegu Wetland and Kuja Delta Wetland. Because of their high productivity, these wetlands are threatened by human activities, exacerbated by high human population growth. Changing land use and intensity in the catchments has compromised their integrity, resulting into sedimentation, poor water quality and eutrophication. There is thus a need for awareness creation, adoption of best management practices at the catchment scale and research, especially in socioeconomics, to help avert the negative influences on the wetlands in the LVB.Item Community perceptions on the impact of the recession of Lake Victoria waters on Nyando Wetlands(Scientific Research and Essays, 2012-04-18) Owuor, J. B. Okeyo; Obiero Kevin; Philip Raburu; Elizabeth A, RaburuLake Victoria experienced drastic water level changes from October 2005 raising concerns about impact to the livelihood of the communities around the lake. The study investigated impacts of the water level decline on land use changes, wetland resource utilization, household food production, income generation, fish catches, water supply, quality and quantity and biodiversity changes within the Nyando wetlands in Western Kenya. Data was collected between August and December 2006 through in-depth household interviews of 120 randomly selected wetland resource users; key informant interviews (KII), and focused group discussions (FGD). Qualitative description and SPSS computer package Version 11.6 was used for statistical data analysis. Results of the study indicate that receding water levels led to increased availability of land for farming through reclamation and conversion of exposed wetland areas; over-exploitation of macrophytes; increased food production and income generation; and increased conflicts in the use of wetland resources. Water recession also caused shortage of domestic water supply, decrease in fish catches and biodiversity. The study recommends establishment of buffer zones to protect papyrus, formulation of national policies on wetland conservation, creation of alternative sustainable development options, and development of site specific wetland management plan to regulate the utilization of wetland resources.Item Construction of Feminine Identity through Metaphor in Facebook Discourses(2020-08-08) Njura, Gerald; Oloo, Pamela; Omondi, ErickOne of the ways through which people construct their identities and others' identities is through use of conceptual metaphors. Conceptual metaphors are not just elements of language but are elements of thought as well and as such they both reflect the inner feelings oflanguage users and describe the world. The purpose of this study was to interpret how feminine identities are constructed through use of metaphors among Kenyan Facebook users. The study was premised on the conceptual Metaphor Theory (Kovecses, 2008) a development of Lakoff and Johnson's (1980) work on metaphors. The study population comprised of sixty-five metaphors collected from 100 articles that were posted on Facebook between January, 20017 and May, 2018. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the texts with required metaphorical expressions and saturated sampling technique was employed to get adequate linguistic metaphors for analysis. The study reported that Kenyan females are mostly negatively constructed by the metaphors. They are portrayed as evil and dangerous beings who do not hesitant to cause harm to their male counterparts. They are represented as dangerous and exploitative.Item The contribution of interactive communication to the improvement of maternal healthcare services in Migori County, Kenya(Jozac Publishers, 2024-06-26) Odero, Felicity; Otieno, Millicent Awuor; Adayo, MaureenThe contribution of interactive communication in promoting maternal healthcare services are missing in the county's healthcare literature thus leading to higher levels of morbidity and mortality in Migori County. The study therefore achieved the following objectives: it established the influence of face-to-face interactions in promoting maternal health services in Migori County, and it also investigated the role of support group discussion in the uptake of maternal health services in Migori County. The health belief model and the elaboration likelihood models were used to underpin the study. A cross-sectional research design was used with a mixed research method approach. The study targeted a sample size of three hundred and ninety-eight (398) respondents. Sampling techniques used included cluster, systematic random sampling and purposive sampling. The study collected both primary and secondary data. The research instruments used in this study to collect data were questionnaires and key informant interview schedules. The results were done with the help of Microsoft Office Excel and the Statistics Package for Social Sciences (SPSS v25). The results were presented using a combination of narrative explanations, tables, and graphs. The validity and reliability of the instrument were determined through a pre-test and expert opinion to determine whether it addressed all relevant aspects of the variables. The study findings indicate that face-to-face interaction has the most significant influence on promoting maternal healthcare services in Migori County. The study recommends that the county government of Migori should employ more health workers to facilitate support for the use of face-to-face communication.Item Convenient or Nuisance? The Paradox of Motorbike Taxis in Rural Kenya. The Case of Rongo Sub-County, Kenya(2020) Obudho, Samora Marchele; Otengah, Wilson; Shivachi, TajiThis study sought to assess rural people‘s level of satisfaction with motorcycle taxi transport services, taking Rongo Sub-County, Kenya as a typical case. This awareness is crucial to transport planning, particularly in the pursuit of an equitable mobility system in rural Kenya, Africa and beyond. The main data collection tool was a semi-structured questionnaire which was complemented by a key informant interview schedule, focus group discussions guide and an observation checklist. The study found that while the satisfaction of the respondents ranged from neutral to satisfied there was a strong difference between groups. Most of the respondents were satisfied with the MT services, largely due to the physical attributes of the MT. Negative reasons were mainly related to MT riders‘ mannerism, unprofessional driving, and poor safety. Nonetheless, almost all respondents recognised the importance of motorcycle taxi transport in realising their needs of accessing locations and activities within and outside Rongo Sub-County. This paper strongly recommends that rural transport needs and options should be understood from the point of view of rural people (differentiated by age, gender, occupation and income) in order to provide better rural transport services that meet different needs.