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The Use of Orality to Invoke Setting and Thematic Aspects in Children’s Stories
(Ngano: The Journal of Eastern African Oral Literature, 2023) Colomba Kaburi Muriungi
This study aims at examining how orality is utilized in children’s stories. The study
argues that orality as a stylistic device in children’s texts not only helps in creating the
narrative structure but it also helps in revealing the setting and themes of children's
stories. The essay uses close textual reading to examine how orality interacts with the
written form in Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s children’s text Njamba Nene and the Flying Bus. I
argue that the amalgamation of oral features like songs, poems, proverbs and other
oral art forms from oral tradition, into the text situates the narrative in specific set ups,
and to bring out cultural identity, among other themes visible in the narrative. Inclusion
of such oral features in stories for children in the twenty first century, not only helps
children to think about the rich African oral tradition, but these oral features also help
in shaping the imagination of young readers.
Epochal Relevance of Selected Post Millennial Short Stories in East Africa
(International Journal of Language, Linguistics, Literature and Culture, 2023) Omondi Hillary Owino; Colomba Kaburi Muriungi; Mukasa Antony
Literary writers in Africa have used different genres of art to reflect and critique actions in thesociety at different points of history. Apart from entertaining and preserving culture, works ofart have a role in creating awareness among the audience and proposing action in the society.The pre-colonial, colonial and pre-millennium texts have received significant literary attentionwith reference to their concerns. Most studies in Africa for example tend to focus on canonicalwriters and their contributions to the political and economic developments in the society.However, many post millennial short stories have received minimal critical attention. Thispaper, therefore, examines the socio-cultural and economic resurgence in selected postmillennium short stories in East Africa in order to find out the kind of society that upcomingwriters are yearning for, thus revealing the major concerns of short stories written in the 21stcentury. Post-colonial theory guides the analysis done in this paper and helps in demonstratinghow the Millennium Development Goals influenced the thematic concerns in the five (5) shortstories under discussion, which are all written by emerging post-millennial writers. The paperargues that 21st Century writers are sensitive to issues affecting their society and they, in theprocess of writing, attempt to propose ways of societal transformation through literature. Thepaper gives variety and contributes to the existing reservoir of literary analysis in East Africa.
Examining the Sexual and Reproductive Health Literacy Crisis for Adolescents in Rural Primary Schools in Kisii Central Sub-County, Kenya
(CODE (Canadian Organization for Development through Education)., 2025-05) Andima George; Colomba K. Muriungi
Kisii Central Sub-County is one of the most densely populated sub-counties in rural Kenya with a population growthrate of 2.75% compared to 2.28% national population growth rate, according to the National Council for Population andDevelopment (NCPD, 2017). Records available from several health facilities in Kisii County indicate that teenpregnancies are on the rise (Abuga, 2019). The fact that Kisii Central Sub-County continues to experience a surge inthe number of teen pregnancies is a serious concern among health professionals, educationists, politicians and otherstakeholders in the Sub-County. This challenge is caused by both lack of information or limited access to sexual andreproductive health information and services, among other factors as noted in the NCPD report (2017). Researchconducted in Tharaka Nithi County (2018-2019), revealed that girls’ lack of exposure to knowledge on menstruationand sexual reproductive health information and services, contributed towards high levels of teen pregnancies (Muriungiand Andima, 2020). This is a clear testimony that issues of sexual and reproductive health education need to be keyin girls’ empowerment programmes in Kenya. This study therefore sought to establish the nature of Sexual andReproductive Health Literacy Materials (SRHLMs) available to adolescent girls in Kisii Central Sub-County, how thematerials were accessed, and whether the adolescents were able to comprehend messages contained in thesematerials. The study included 225 pupils in grades 5, 6 and class 7 aged between 10-15 years from five (5) primaryschools, 20 teachers, 5 deputy head teachers (one from each of the 5 schools), 5 head teachers (one form each of the5 schools) and 20 community leaders (four from each school). Descriptive survey research design was used togenerate data on the status of the SRHLMs in Kisii Central Sub- County. Both quantitative and qualitative data werecollected. The study was guided by Anna Kågesten & Miranda van Reeuwijk’s conceptual framework for adolescentsexual wellbeing (2021). It was established that there were limited SRHLMs for adolescents in the research communityand the comprehension level by the adolescents was relatively low. A number of recommendations have been madeto help address challenges teens face in addressing their sexual and reproductive health needs.
Leveraging Multilingual Classroom Realities for Grade 3 Learners’ Literacy Development in Kakuma Refugee Context
(CODE, 2026-03) Colomba Kaburi Muriungi; George Andima; Josephine Kwenga
Plain Language Summary
This study looked at how to improve reading skills for Grade 3 children living in andaround Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. Many children in refugee settings speakdifferent languages at home from the language used in school (often English). Thisdifference in can make learning to read and understand lessons very difficult for therefugee children.To address this, the researchers tested a teaching method called Translanguaging. Thisapproach allows children to use all the languages they know—both their homelanguage and the school language—when learning. For example, children can discussideas in their home language and then share answers in English.The study involved four schools with both refugee and local children. Some classes usedthe translanguaging approach, while others continued with regular teaching methods.The researchers compared learners’ performance in reading comprehension before andafter the Translanguaging lessons.
Motherhood in Context: An Analysis of Edwidge Dancticat’s Breath,Eyes, Memory
(International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), 2026-07-06) Nelly Gatuti Kamankura; Colomba Muriungi
Women’s writings from the Caribbean have gained immense interest in recent years due to the feministmovement which swept across the globe in the last few decades. Within the feminist framework, arose the blackfeminist strand to address specific experiences and contexts of women in the black world, popularly known asBlack feminism. Initially dismissed as the ‘political’ wing of the movement, black feminism has come toinfluence how literary discourse is consumed. Literary attention has gradually shifted from looking at howhistory, economic environment and patriarchy affect women characters, to the study of mother characters inorder to understand how their experiences intersect with the contexts they find themselves in. However, therehas been little focus on black motherhood especially when dealing with specific contexts, feelings of characters,attitudes and even personal ambitions. This study therefore sought to fill this gap by examining the multiplicityof factors affecting motherhood from a black people’s perspective in Edwidge Dancticat’s Breath, Eyes, Memoryin order to reveal what shapes the experience of motherhood in a black people’s context. Concepts of Blackfeminism as advanced by Kimberle Crenshaw formed a backdrop to analyze literary representation of blackmotherhood in the text. From the analysis, the study established that black mothers go through physical andemotional pain in their struggle to create a good life for their children and that mother figures referred to as‘othermothers’ in the text, assume the important roles of mothers and are also subjects of patriarchy. The studyconcludes that black mothers resist these oppressive societal structures in their quest for personal identity whichallows them to survive in such inconducive and unfriendly environments shaped by patriarchal tendencies.