Conferences/ Seminars/Workshops /Journal (JESAR)

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    PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIRST WORKSHOP ON Writing of Competitive Research Proposals Held on 24 June, 2011 At Chuka University College
    (Chuka University, 2011) Chuka University
    Introduction and Background Earlier observations show deficiencies in proposal writing skills among Academic Staff and Research Scientists that limit their ability to: Compete for competitive grants; Conduct quality research; and Guide graduate students. Poor scientific and technical writing skills limit contribution to advancement in science and knowledge. Poor written communication skills impair visibility of NARIs Research for Development (R4D) in development and policy arena. The quality of the proposals is generally weak in the region. For instance, the International Foundation for Science (IFS) recognizes that proposals from Africa are very weak compared to those from other regions e.g. Asia. Therefore there is an urgent need to strengthen proposal and scientific writing skills in academic institutions/NARS to improve quality of research proposals and to pass these skills to others, particularly graduate students and young scientists. The lecturers in Chuka University College have great ideas for research. The question is, how are we going to pay for it? The immediate answer is that we have to write a good research proposal, which refers to “A formal, written document that describes scientific goals and research plan/methodology for soliciting the necessary resources from a funding agency”. Remember, your proposal will be just one among many worthy proposals, and these days the sum of resources requested collectively often exceeds the resources actually available by up to ten fold. Therefore for us to succeed, we must write a research proposal that will in some way standout and succeed in a very crowded and competitive funding environment. Writing such a proposal requires a great deal of thought and hard work targeting mostly technical and discipline specific issues. The starting premise of this one day workshop is that many non-technical shortcomings should be mitigated. The odds for our proposals will be improved if we plan and write our proposal with an understanding of who and how our proposal will be evaluated.
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    Role of on-farm rainwater harvesting in agriculture as a response to climate change in Kenya
    (Chuka University, 2014-10-28) Kiguro, L.
    The objective of this paper is to show the role of on-farm rain water harvesting in Agriculture as a response to climate change in Kenya. It is based on the fact that water harvesting is a promising technique widely accepted throughout the world to cope with water scarcity problems in agriculture. Micro-and macro-water harvesting techniques are implemented in arid, semi-arid, and tropical regions, depending on the purpose and circumstances. Water harvesting has been shown to have a positive impact on agricultural production by providing irrigation water during critical growth stages of crops, hence increasing yields. Water harvesting reduces runoff velocity, soil erosion and recharges ground water. This paper is based on literature review and practical field experiences and concludes that a significant gain in crop production can be made in agriculture through small-scale harvesting of water in combination with suitable water conserving irrigation technologies. Keywords: Global warming, Adaptation, Water resources, Food security
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    Role of Language in Peace Building: a Case of Kenya’s 2008 Coalition Government
    (Chuka University, 2015) Chuka University
    A study on conflicts around the world found that many countries were at high risk of instability and of these, most were in Africa. Although the African continent continues to glamour for the dire need of peace, it has continued to witness political conflicts arising out of disputed elections. This has often resulted in the formation of coalition governments as a mechanism to securing peace and stability. In doing so, various conflict mechanisms such as mediation, arbitration, negotiation and peacekeeping have been employed by different bodies and/or agencies to restore peace in conflicting states of Africa. However, little attention has been paid to the use of language by the coalition leaders as a mechanism to conflict resolution and peace building. This is informed by the fact that language is the primary means to negotiate power and therefore cannot be ignored. This paper examines lexicalisation in the discourse of the two principals in the Kenyan 2008 Coalition Government negotiation for Portfolio Balance. Four written texts were purposively sampled and accessed from the official website of the former President and former Prime Minister. The study applies Fairclough’s approach of Language and Power and Social Theory anchored in Critical Discourse Analysis to tease out the lexical choices. The findings revealed that the two principals employed language that was mitigated, personalized and highly restrained in relation to hate speech. The language of political persuasion which guided citizens’ orientation and behaviour encoded respect, tolerance, optimism and reassurance for continued political support notwithstanding the underlying power struggles. Policymakers should incorporate the aspect of language in national laws and policies as a guiding principle in conflict resolution and peace building.
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    Role of Peace Committees in Peace Building and Conflict Management: A Case of Trans mara Sub-County
    (Chuka University, 2015) Chuka University
    Peace Committees programme in Kenya was rolled out in all districts in 2009 following the 2007/2008 post-election violence to aid in peace-building and conflict management. The programme has not made major breakthroughs in peace sustenance, which calls for its evaluation. This study determined the effectiveness of peace committees in peace building and conflict management, involvement of women and youth in peace building initiatives, and local measures in place to prevent recurrence of ethnic conflict. Systematic sampling was used to select households in each division from where respondents were derived. A total of 120 respondents were sampled for the study. The researchers purposively sampled DCs, DOs, OCSs and OCPDs. Simple random sampling was used to get 10 representatives from 5 organizations (Civil Society and Faith-based Organizations) working for peace in the area. Majority of the people involved in ethnic conflict were aged between 18 and 30 years. The main cause of conflict was ethnic/clan animosity (61.1%). Peace campaigns yield much in peace building. Thus peace resolution initiatives such as meeting people in churches, schools and campaigns should be adopted. Provincial administrators were the first to respond during times of conflict because they lived among the community and had the logistical capacity to reach scenes of crimes to assist affected individuals. Peace affects all spheres of life including achievement in education at all levels.
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    Effectiveness of Performance Contracting on Service Delivery in Public Universities in Kenya
    (Chuka University, 2015) Chuka University
    The Government of Kenya introduced Performance Contracting (PC) in the public service to improve service delivery. This study investigated the effectiveness of PC in service delivery in the public universities in Kenya. It evaluated the level of involvement of university staff and students in PC, the effectiveness of PC in improving customer satisfaction and accountability, as well as feedback and conflict resolution. It was based on the assumption that respondents were aware of PC policies. It used descriptive survey design and targeted 132,021 subjects, comprising 84,290 students, 15,937 academic staff, 31,789 non-teaching staff and 5 directors of PC in five public universities. A normal sample size of 384 respondents was appropriate, but 500 were used to compensate for attrition. Purposive sampling was used to select directors and simple random sampling to select academic staff, non-academic staff and students. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used in data collection. Piloting was done in three public universities which had similar characteristics with the sampled universities. Reliability was tested using split half technique and Cronbach formula was used to compute reliability, resulting in 0.81, 0.78, 0.73 and 0.79 for academic staff, non-academic staff, directors and students, respectively. Data analysis was done using SPSS. A response rate of 93% was achieved. Majority of the staff were involved in PC and a positive correlation between level of staff involvement in PC and improvement in service delivery (0.699, α=0.05) resulted. A positive correlation between: effectiveness of PC and customer satisfaction (0.807), as well as feedback process (0.90) resulted. Public universities should regularly sensitize staff and students on PC and service delivery, reward staff that perform well in PC and involve students in development of service delivery charters. The Government should strengthen public universities in carrying out PC to progressively improve service delivery.
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    Corporate Social Responsibility for Sustainable Development in Africa: A Review of Theory and Practice
    (Chuka University, 2015) Chuka University
    Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fosters development. Sufficient and effective action by the corporate world has resulted in development. The African continent has however not experienced commendable economic development through CSR. In some situations, communities have been exposed to health risks and greater poverty as companies expropriate community resources and claim to practice CSR for development. This study systematically reviewed literature on CSR and development in Africa over the last 10 years to identify the themes, incentives and challenges in the practice of CSR. Good governance, economic incentives, contextualization of CSR action, appropriate and robust legal and institutional frameworks are essential for CSR to play a meaningful role in developing the continent. This has been hampered by CSR initiatives being uncoordinated and failing to be integrated in core functions of organizations. It is also necessary to contextualize CSR to the needs and environment of Africa. Governments ought to provide a facilitative environment to encourage CSR for development in terms of policy formulation and setting in place oversight bodies to monitor and coordinate CSR activity. Corporate establishments need to form partnerships to reduce the overall cost of CSR and impact greatly on the development. Countries need to encourage companies to disclose their policies and practice so that they are held accountable to governments and communities adjacent to their establishments.
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    Hawking Of University Education in Urban Centers in Kenya: Challenges and Way Forward
    (Chuka University, 2015) Chuka University
    The demand of university education in Kenya has been increasing. Consequently, public and private universities have overenrolled to cater for this demand. Moreover, the universities have used this crisis to generate income to support both human and material resources needed for privately-sponsored students. To make education accessible to students, especially the working class, universities have moved to urban centers where they have strategically positioned themselves in satellite campuses. The main operation points of the universities are central business districts (CBD) in urban centers. Some of the universities that have not secured the coveted CBD premises have moved to the periphery. Proximity to the city notwithstanding, universities are engaged in stiff competition to outdo each other by introducing new and cost-effective courses which are taught in sandwich mode. Thus, the quality of the education offered in urban satellite campuses is brought into critical scrutiny in this paper with a view to establishing the challenges experienced and suggestions on how to improve the situation. This paper will rely on both primary and secondary data particularly records from selected private and public universities with regard to facilities and other resources. Observation and recording of information was utilized in data collection.
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    Reconstructionist Analysis on the Relevance of Secondary School Curriculum Content In Promoting National Cohesion among Students in Machakos Town Sub-County, Kenya
    (Chuka University, 2015) Chuka University
    Education is the primary means of promoting national cohesion, international cooperation as well as socio-economic development. Through school curricula, education enables a country to achieve its needs and aspirations. The National Cohesion and Integration Commission has emphasized the importance of education in promoting cohesion and integration among Kenyan communities. However, the country is faced with ethnic divisions, religious intolerance and violence and this raises concerns on relevance of the school curricula content in promoting national cohesion. This study investigated the relevance of secondary school curricula content in promoting national cohesion. The study was based on the ideals and principles of a school curriculum as advocated by re-constructionism philosophy. Descriptive survey research design was adopted. A sample size of 409 respondents comprising of 360 student leaders, 48 teachers and Sub-County Quality Assurance and Standards Officer was used. Purposive sampling was adopted to select the respondents. Questionnaires and interview schedule were used in data collection. Validity of research instrument was ascertained by experts in Faculty of Education and Resources Development. Reliability of instruments was estimated using Cronbach coefficient alpha method and the coefficients obtained were 0.78 and 0.81 for teachers and student leaders’ questionnaire, respectively. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. Secondary school curricula content gave the students little opportunity to reflect critically on issues affecting national cohesion which is attributed to lack of practical skills on issues related to national cohesion. The study recommends a review of secondary school curricula content to reflect on emerging issues on national cohesion and integration. This study provides critical information to educational stakeholders on the relevance of secondary school curricula content in promoting national cohesion.
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    Contribution of the New Constitution in Promoting Kiswahili Use in Mass Media
    (Chuka University, 2015) Chuka University
    Media plays a major role in the society; it is the medium of providing information, it creates social integration, and promotes shared values, knowledge and entertainment. Proper use of standard language is essential to achieve these objectives. Media industry in Kenya has grown exponentially from the early 1990s. This growth has been characterized by the deployment of the latest technological innovations, increased number of frequency modulated radios and professional media practitioners. Many of the media houses in Kenya today are using different styles and methods to attract and keep listeners for their own economic survival. This paper investigates the effects of new constitution on the language used in the mass media. It highlights the gains that have been made specifically in promoting Kiswahili language as a national and official language as well as the challenges.
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    Lost Opportunity: Peace Building Initiatives in Conflict Prone Areas
    (Chuka University, 2015) Chuka University
    Kenya has had ethnic conflict since the inception of multi-party democracy in 1992. In Molo Division in Nakuru County, a number of governmental and non-governmental reports underscore the social and economic ramifications of the violence. However, serious and sustained peace building efforts have been lacking in an effort to reconcile a society that has been fractured. This paper argues that there have been a number of opportunities that should have seized to reconcile citizens, but such opportunities were lost. The task of peace building has largely been reduced to mere calls for peaceful coexistence, without interrogating the fault lines that open the possibility of fresh ethnic outbreaks and violence. This paper critiques previous and current peace building initiatives in Molo Division. Data collection used focus group discussions, oral interviews, questionnaires and written documents, and analysis used the Coser Lewis conflict theory. The various peace initiatives have failed to address the issues that led to ethnic violence. Memorialization, restitution and restoration of land rights, creation of job opportunities for the youth and profiling of all victims of ethnic violence are critical ingredients for sustainable peace not only in Molo Division, but other parts of the country that have been affected by ethnic violence.
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    University Graduates’ Employability Skills Preparedness in Kenyan Economic Sectors
    (Chuka University, 2015) Chuka University
    The fast expansion of Kenyan universities has only focused on raising student numbers rather than improving the quality of education and research. These challenges are raising doubts on the level of their preparedness in their employ ability skills. This study investigated how graduates’ quality compared amongst various universities in Kenya, how university graduates from different sectors in Kenya compare in terms of employability skills, and the link between graduate quality and employ ability skills. Literature review was done on quality of education globally, in Africa, regionally and locally, while the conceptual framework on quality of graduates and work preparedness was developed to guide the study. The study used descriptive and exploratory designs to conduct qualitative analysis. The target population was 420 graduate employees and 46 supervisors/managers of the COYA 2013 companies who were given a 5 Likert Scale questionnaire ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). A survey of 5 public and 5 private universities was done to interrogate the university side of the research to get an all-inclusive perspective. Characteristics of the study variables were analyzed using SPSS and the relationship between variables was tested using Pearson’s correlation analysis. The study results showed that service and education (M = 4.5), finance (4.2), Agriculture (4.0), manufacturing (3.9), ICT (3.5), Regulatory (3.5), Communication (3.1), Hotel (3.0), insurance (2.9) and transport (2.0). Service, education and finance required more employability skills than other sectors. There was a positive link (P = 0.000) between present job competence, confidence, involvement and employability skills of graduates. The study recommends that universities should involve the industry in developing curricula to satisfy the university, graduates and labour market requirements.
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    Contribution of Multi-Purpose Pumpkin (Curcubita Moschata Duch.) to the Economy of Kenyan Small-Scale Households
    (Chuka University, 2015) Kiharason, J. W.; Isutsa, D. K.; Ngoda, P. N.
    Kenya’s agricultural sector has generally faced a blow with repeated delays in rains causing suppressed farming. Farmers should therefore grow other non-staple crops which can do well with minimal rainfall. Pumpkin is one such crop that is drought-tolerant and requires very little care and labour. Majority of households do not utilize pumpkins regularly, although it is a multi-purpose food crop capable of forming basis for various products including infant weaning foods, snacks and bakery products. The study established socio-economic status of households and extent of cultivation and sale of pumpkin. A cross-sectional survey using a semi-structured questionnaire was used among 385 households in Nyeri County of Kenya. Majority of households earned low income, with 56.3% earning less than KSh. 12,000 monthly. Pumpkin was grown by 71.4% of farmers but contributed to livelihoods of only 4.2% households. There was a high correlation between the number of pumpkin plants cultivated and amount of income received from pumpkin sale, r (16)= 0.510, P=0.043. Pumpkin fruit contributes very little to income of the households and is not yet tapped to improve food security and livelihood of people in Kenya. Improving marketability of pumpkin could increase its demand, production level and sale to generate income for many poor rural households.
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    Effect of Tomato Lycopersicon Esculentum (Mill) Varieties On Development Time Fecundity and Longevity of Red Spider Mite Tetranychus Evansi (Baker & Pritchard)
    (Chuka University, 2015) Matika, M. S.; Kamau, A. W.; Macharia, M.
    Tomato Lycopersicon esculentum (Mill), is an important source of income to many small scale farmers in Kenya and is a major dietary component. The production of tomatoes is however constrained by several pests with Red spider mite Tetranychus evansi (Baker & Pritchard) being the most important dry season pest in Eastern and Southern Africa. Control of T. evansi has mainly been by chemicals sprays, which has resulted in problem of pest resistance and pollution of the environment. This study was therefore an attempt to look into alternative environmentally friendly ways of controlling T. evansi in tomatoes. To determine the effect of tomato varieties on development time, fecundity and longevity of T. evansi an experiment was conducted in a conviron incubator maintained at 25 ± 2oC ,50-70% relative humidity and photoperiod 12:12 L:D a complete randomized design (CRD) arrangement replicated four times in Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Njoro, Kenya. The tomato varieties assessed were: Cal J, Onyx, Roma VFN, Riogrande, Money maker, Eden F1, Anna F1, and Wild type. The results showed that the, mortality rate for protonymph, deutonymph and adult stages was highest in Wild type (95%) and lowest in variety Money maker (50%). In addition, the average number of eggs per female mite was significantly higher on variety Money maker (52.4) and Riogrande (48.6), while the least number of eggs was recorded on Wild type (9.1). Tomato variety, Money maker was highly susceptible and Wild tomato was most resistant. Since only eight tomato varieties were evaluated, there is therefore need to evaluate more tomato varieties to identify high yielding and less susceptible varieties that can be recommended to farmers. Varietal resistance could become an integral part of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programme.
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    Climate-Smart Agro-Pastoral Practices: A Case Study of Narok County, Kenya
    (Chuka University, 2015) Githae, E. W.
    Pastoralism is described by a high reliance on livestock production systems for socio-economic wellbeing. In Kenya it is the dominant form of livelihood in the arid and semi-arid lands, which constitute more than 80% of the total land area, host about 10 m people and 70% of the national livestock herd. Despite these areas being the major meat producers in the country, production is threatened by climate related hazards as witnessed by livestock deaths, reduced daily yields and prices, degraded natural resources, and high incidences of livestock pests and diseases. The traditional coping strategies applied in terms of nomadic pastoralism, has been reduced due to fragmentation of rangelands, forcing them to transform towards sedentary lifestyles. Thus, what can be done to improve this sedentary lifestyle and how can it be sustained within the ASALs? What are the on-the-ground coping strategies that enhance environmental conservation? This study assessed the coping mechanisms applied to the changed lifestyle within the pastoral communities of Narok County that not only improve livelihoods through climate change adaptation but also contribute towards climate change mitigation. This was done using key informant and focus group discussions. Policy guidelines are provided on building capacity through participatory approaches to enhance long-term sustainable systems that will ensure food security to these vulnerable communities, while at the same time contributing to natural resource conservation and ecosystem services
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    Farmer Groups’ Members’ Household Factors Influencing Selection of Soil Fertility Technologies in The Central Highlands of Kenya
    (Chuka University, 2015) Mwebia, F. W.; Mucheru-Muna, M. W.; Mugwe, J. N.; Mugendi, D. N.
    This second study assessed the influence of farmer groups’ socio-economic factors on the selection of the technologies. Household variables that influenced selection of manure include: HH size (p=0.001), benefits of manure (p=0.011), land tenure (p=0.056), HHH education (p=0.075), TLU (p=0.036), and land under food crops (p=0.014). Variables that influenced selection of fertilizer included: HHH education (p=0.033), land under food crops (p=0.012), HHH occupation (p=0.041) and availability of on-farm income (p=0.012). Variables that influenced selection of a combination included: HHH education (p=0.001), land under food crops (p=0.041), TLU (p=0.011) and the most effective method to teach combination (p=0.001). This results could be helpful to the groups, researchers, policy makers, farmers’ training designers and other stakeholders in natural resource management programmes.
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    Planning and Management of Natural Resources: A Case of Sub-Saharan Africa
    (Chuka University, 2015) Ngocho, E.; Kyalo, J. N.; Muli, D.
    The world population has been increasing over time, causing an increase in demand for natural resources and threatening their replenishment. Most natural resources are non renewable. Excessive and unplanned exploitation leads to extinction, acute scarcity, widespread pollution, and uncertain feedback loops. This raises a need to discover new techniques which can effectively help in exploitation without compromising the needs and desires of future generations. There have been attempts to formulate policies on the usage of natural resources for most developing countries, especially those in the Sub-Saharan Africa, but planning and management of these resources still remains a major concern. Existing policies need to be re-evaluated to determine the rationale behind their failures. New policies focusing on planning and management of natural resources also need to be formulated and effectively implemented to improve economic growth and development. This paper reports on research, technologies and options for sustainable natural resource utilization and effective management of land, water, soil, wildlife, minerals and forests in the horn of Africa. It is possible to achieve sustainable development by controlling natural resources through proper management and planning.
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    Corporate Social Responsibility for Sustainable Development in Africa: A Review of Theory and Practice
    (Chuka University, 2015) Kebati, R. K.; Onyancha, E. O.
    Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fosters development. Sufficient and effective action by the corporate world has resulted in development. The African continent has however not experienced commendable economic development through CSR. In some situations, communities have been exposed to health risks and greater poverty as companies expropriate community resources and claim to practice CSR for development. This study systematically reviewed literature on CSR and development in Africa over the last 10 years to identify the themes, incentives and challenges in the practice of CSR. Good governance, economic incentives, contextualization of CSR action, appropriate and robust legal and institutional frameworks are essential for CSR to play a meaningful role in developing the continent. This has been hampered by CSR initiatives being uncoordinated and failing to be integrated in core functions of organizations. It is also necessary to contextualize CSR to the needs and environment of Africa. Governments ought to provide a facilitative environment to encourage CSR for development in terms of policy formulation and setting in place oversight bodies to monitor and coordinate CSR activity. Corporate establishments need to form partnerships to reduce the overall cost of CSR and impact greatly on the development. Countries need to encourage companies to disclose their policies and practice so that they are held accountable to governments and communities adjacent to their establishments.