Gender and Electoral Politics in
Kenya: The Case of Gusii Women, 1990-2002
Dr. Charles Otoigo Choti
Assistant Professor
of History
Dept. of History
Clark Atlanta
University
223 James P. Brawley
Dr. SW
Atlanta, GA 30314.
Phone: 301-755-8806
This
study examines the nature and extent of Kenyan women’s participation in the
multiparty electoral politics of the 1990s.
Specifically, it analyzes the electoral impact of the multi-party
democratic political dispensation on Kenyan women. The study is based on a case study of seven
politically active Gusii women who were individually interviewed on issues
related to their respective personal, political careers, and electoral
experiences. Utilizing the qualitative
research techniques, the study established that the marginalization of women in
electoral politics is a result of a combination of factors, namely colonial
legacy, socialization and Gusii cultural rigidity on gender roles, poverty,
political violence, and lack of political careerism and staying power. The
research findings show a paucity of women holding electoral positions
reflecting the existence of a very unfavorable political climate for women’s
political initiative. In addition, it
reveals that the democratization process, beginning with the introduction of
multiparty politics in 1991 has not, necessarily, empowered Kenyan women in
terms of electoral gains.
Decentralization
for sustainable local economic development:
Exploring the potential and key challenges in Kenya
Dr. Margaret Gachuru
University of Nairobi Kenya
Department of Real Estate and Construction Management, School of The
Built Environment, University of Nairobi.
Email: gachurum@yahoo.com
Decentralization
can be defined broadly as the transfer of authority and responsibility for
public functions and service delivery from the central government to local
level government entities or private sector.
Championed by the World Bank as the key to achieving sustainable growth
in developing countries, decentralization can play important roles in
broadening participation in political, economic and social activities. It helps
in alleviating bottlenecks in decision making by allowing participatory
planning in local economic development and in the implementation of development
projects. When decision making is pushed
to the local level, it reflects sensitivity to local conditions and local
needs, and there is potentially increased probability of enhanced transparency
and accountability, which are a major concern in developing countries.In Kenya,
decentralization of fiscal resources began in the 1990s, and currently, there
are a number of decentralized or devolved programmes, including, Local
Authority Transfer Fund (LATF), the Constituency Developemnt Fund (CDF),
District Roads Maintenance Levy Fund, the Constituency/District HIV/AIDS Fund,
Bursary Funds, Poverty Eradication Funds, Youth and Women Funds, among
others. To some extent, some of these
devolved programs have contributed to local economic development, and the CDF
for instance has helped in the construction of schools, health facilities and
other local programs that benefit local communities. Moreover, devolved programs have contributed
to formation of groups, which are not only contributing towards local economic
development, but also work together to push for change. Participatory planning has also been enhanced
by the implementation of Local
Authority Service Delivery Action Plan (LASDAP), that was initiated as a
way to involve communities in local resource planning, and therefore to
influence decision making. But despite its achievements and the potential that
decentralization has for local economic development, there are many challenges
that threaten successful implementation and achievement of meaningful
outcomes. The LASDAP process has for
instance not been as inclusive as was intended, and is often manipulated by
local council officers to suit their own personal objectives. Other shortcomings of devolved funds include,
lack of proper procedures for utilization of funds, lack of proper legal and
institutional framework for administration of the funds, and lack of community
education and information about the funds and procedures for application and
use of the allocated funds. Furthermore,
investment decisions are frequently made without regard to wider development
plans and objectives, leading to duplication and wastage of resources.But
despite the many hurdles, decentralization has been acknowledged as the way
forward especially for developing countries, and provides an opportunity for
local communities to make decisions that affect their local space. This paper discusses decentralization as a
development strategy for Kenya, and investigates the various bottlenecks to
achieving sustainable progress in decentralization of financial resources,
programs and service delivery in Kenya.
The paper further discusses the options available in pursuing
realization of the full potential of decentralization. The role of the Kenyan academics and
professionals in addressing and influencing the outcomes of decentralization,
and how the needs of people at the local level can be meaningfully addressed is
also discussed.
Keywords: Decentralization; devolved; local economic
development; local people
Beyond
‘Imperial Presidency’ in Kenya: Interrogating the Commissions and Omissions of
Kenyatta, Moi and Kibaki Regimes and Implications for Development
Maurice Amutabi, Ph.D.
Department of
History, Central Washington University, 400 University Way
Language and
Literature Building, 100T
Ellensburg, WA 98926
E-mail: amutabim@cwu.edu; amutabi@yahoo.com
This
paper will use a historical trajectory to examine the impact of presidential
politics in development in Kenya, using Kenyatta, Mo and Kibaki regimes. My
argument is that corruption and inefficiency of the three regimes has made
Kenya very vulnerable, now regarded as one of the fragile states on the African
continent. Kenyatta inherited colonial structures that were designed to serve
British imperial and financial interests, and these structures have remained
intact and have brought certain material advantages to privileged few. A recurring
problem for the three regimes has been the unresolved land issue and
factiousness of the state. I suggest
that the expansion of representational technologies and capacities has meant
that people now put together their sense of past, present and the future, their
very destinies and their sense of self, in collusion with new mediascapes.
These new mentalities and self imagings have been generated, largely outside
spaces of political control such as the internet which address the challenges
of this new historical period. Proliferations of FM radio stations and gutter
press have also added to this. As a consequence, new critical discourses
abound. New approaches such as postmodernism, multiculturalism and
postcolonialism—the latter being the framework that informs and integrates the
various disparate elements and threads of our argument in this essay – have
also helped to ask new questions. All of these developments represent the
triumph of multiplicity and the carnival of difference now overtaking lives of
Kenyans. And, they incite, in the Foucauldian sense, new tasks and new
challenges for the practices of political and cultural reproduction generally
and the practices of political recruitment in Kenya. I believe that addressing
these critical issues in a discursive manner, using a historical framework is
pivotal in understanding Kenya’s development imbroglio in the past 45 years.
This is particularly useful at a time in which there are deepening patterns of
political balkanization and ethnic tensions as well as emerging class tensions
----perhaps a product of the uncertainty precipitated by the proliferation of
difference as a consequence of globalization. The last years of Kenyatta and
Moi were notably unproductive, and replete with succession intrigues. Kibaki’s
last years in office are not likely to be different. The three are similar:
Kenyatta was old and suffered ill health which made him insecure. Moi lacked
charisma and did not have a solid intellectual base; while Kibaki has been a
political pariah of sorts, largely as a result of his approach to politics.
Kenyatta and Moi were convinced of the dangers of constitutionalism and tried
to impose total control over the information available to Kenyans through VOK
and KBC through single party rule.
Alternate political voices were mercilessly suppressed. The harshest
measures were directed against the university community and trade unions. To
prepare better ground for Kenya’s future development, we need to unpack and
expose past mistakes in order to learn from them.
Understanding
the University-Going Process in Kenya
Truphena M. Choti
University of
Maryland, College Park, 14904 McKisson Ct
Silver Spring, MD
20906
Tel. 240-273-8373
Email: truchoti@yahoo.com
The
main objective of this qualitative case study is to create an understanding of
how Kenyan high school students conceptualize university education
opportunities and possibilities within their socio-cultural context. The in-depth interviews with students, parents
and teachers were conducted in Kenya in 2008. The findings of this study show that the family context, school context,
community context, and the socio-political contexts interact to influence how
students aspire and prepare for higher education. The paper examines parenting styles, parental
involvement and expectations, and socialization of students towards academic
success. The contributions of the school environment, role of teachers and
peers are also examined. In addition,
personal ambition and spiritual guidance are some of the factors that emerged
to influence student aspirations.
However, structural inequality in the distribution of educational
resources, rigidness of the curriculum and overemphasis on examinations,
extreme poverty and local politics emerged as some the barriers to students
encountered on their university pathways.
Hence, students adopted unique strategies characterized by strict study
schedule, group networks and holiday tuition to gain entry into university.
This research contributes original material on the university going process in
Kenya and, hopefully, provides impetus for further research in this hitherto
unexplored area. What students know
about higher education including their plans on how to pay for their university
costs is worthwhile in helping Kenyan policy makers and scholars in
understanding the needs of prospective undergraduate students entering Kenyan
universities.
Key words: University
education; high school students; challenges andstrategies
What
shall we eat and when? Addressing Food
Insecurity in the 21st Century
2009 KESSA Conference
Christine Mathenge
Austin Peay State
University
Geosciences, P.O. Box
4418
Clarksville, TN,
37040
The
occurrence of food shortages and famine appears to be an increasingly common
scenario in the 21st century.
Although there have been significant improvements in agricultural
productivity, better management of soil fertility, better yielding crops, more
drought and disease resistant crop varieties, increased diversity in available
foods, better animal husbandry and other technological advancements, the number
of people that are unable to feed themselves has risen steadily over the past
decade. This paper examines three
perspectives and highlights a number of issues that are deeply embedded in the
larger question of food insecurity.
Future technological innovations including biotechnological solutions
may stabilize food supplies at the regional level. The private sector holds potential to
improving resource allocation and access to food at the individual and
household levels. National and regional
food policies may be analyzed and reformulated with an objective to stabilize
and strengthen food distribution systems, including the role for regional
bodies like the East African Community.
The role of entitlements and increasing vulnerability of local
communities to food insecurity is hinged on land tenure and tenure security. Addressing this larger question of food
insecurity although multifaceted and complex appears essential in facilitating
Kenya’s future economic advancement. Can
these complexities be addressed in time to transform Kenya into a food secure
nation?
Key Terms: food insecurity,
food access, entitlement
Survey
of Traditional Agriculture in western Kenya
Prof. Rick Bein
Department of
Geography
Indiana University
Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), USA
Email: rbein@iupui.edu
&
Although most livelihoods in western Kenya
are based in agriculture, resent climatic trends have been perceived to limit
lucrative crop production. Utilization of indigenous crops has begun to help
alleviate the impact of droughts and other crop hazards. Local demand for
indigenous food stuffs appears to be increasing as a part of food production,
security, nutrition and the health of Kenyan populations. A variety of
indigenous farming practices that take advantage of the limited favorable
conditions over space and time are practiced and make use of the rich genetic
variation of indigenous crops. This paper demonstrates that traditional crops are
more resilient and their expanded cultivation would help alleviate the
challenge of food insecurity in Kenya.
Key words: Traditional
agriculture, agro-biodiversity,
Indigenous crops, Food security
Reporting Health in Kenya: A case study of
Malaria and HIV/AIDS in Kenya’s Print Media
Alakie Asige,
Westminster University London,
UK.
Rethinking Cultural Capital: A
better Kenya is possible
Mwendah M’Mailutha
Ph.D. student in the
School of Media and Communication
Studies at Bowling
Green State University
112 University Hall,
Bowling Green, OH
43403.
Email: mmwenda@bgsu.edu
How
can we understand and evaluate the relationship between cultural capital and
the latent national frustration in response to the political and economic
stagnation in Kenya? Successive administrations have deliberately shirked the
responsibility to build a strong and dynamic national identity. Rent-seeking
and political gaming on behalf of “my people” has reduced Kenya to an
interminable stasis. I argue that we need to develop a more nuanced cultural
understanding of the national political economy, one that takes into account
important characteristics of cultural capital and national identity. That is, a
resonant analysis of how political and economic success is tightly welded into
collective identities that are more encompassing than the accursed tribe.
Keywords: Cultural capital;
Rent-seeking; Political-Gaming; Collective Identity; Tribe
Mass Customisation as a Business Strategy for Five
Star Hotels in Nairobi, Kenya.
Rosemarie
A. Khayiya PhD
School of Hospitality & Tourism Management;
Department of Hospitality Management,
Kenyatta University, P.O. Box 43844-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
Tel. +254-810901-19 EXT. 57022
mailto:Email:%20khayiyarosemarie@yahoo.co.uk
The study sought to empirically establish the suitability of mass
customisation as a business strategy for five star hotels in Nairobi, Kenya.The
study used a sample survey design. Findings of the study revealed that mass
customisation aspects varied on the degree to which they influenced the length
of stay and reason for visiting the five star hotels. Notably, though all the
variables considered did contribute to length of stay and reasons for visiting
the five star hotels, only a few were significant on Chi-square analysis.
Furthermore, some of those factors which were insignificant under Chi-square
tests were found to be significant in the multiple regression models.
Additionally, controlling specific variables helped determine the critical
predictor variables of the reason for visiting the five star hotels. The study
also established that the hotels were not flexible enough to accommodate the
customer requests. Finally, study findings showed that the initial cost of
implementing mass customisation strategies was prohibitive.
Keywords – Hotels; Business Strategy; Mass Customisation.
The Development
Prospects of Fair Trade Coffee in Kenya
Jeffrey Walters
Carleton University,
3-54 Glen Ave
Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1S 2Z9
Email: jwalters@connect.carleton.ca
The
processes of deregulation and liberalization associated with neo-liberal
globalization have left small scale agricultural producers vulnerable to global
price fluctuations. In an effort to
combat the debilitating effects of market liberalization in coffee on
small-scale producers, fair trade has come to the forefront. Fair trade seeks to mitigate the problems free
trade has brought to Southern producers through the provision of minimum price
guarantees and strengthening the bargaining power of producers in the global
marketplace. Proponents of fair trade tout it as a viable development strategy,
which can alleviate poverty and empower a significant number of people in the
South. This sentiment is captured in the
fair trade movement’s slogan, “Trade, not aid”.
This presentation critically examines the dominant fair trade discourse
through the case of fair trade coffee in Kenya.
Due to operating within global capitalist markets (rather than outside
of them, as proponents suggest) fair trade is constricted by supply and demand
factors, fails to consider gender adequately, and does not empower producers to
a significant extent. The global
economic slowdown will only serve to exacerbate the internal tensions within
fair trade, making it even less likely fair trade will function as a widespread
poverty reduction tool.
Key Words: Fair Trade, coffee, globalization
Conservation
perspectives: International wildlife priorities, individual animals, and
wildlife management strategies in Kenya
Stella Capoccia, Ph.D. Candidate
Rutgers University
Department of
Geography
This
work falls in the main KESSA category of “Scientific, Technological, and
Environmental perspectives and development;” it may also be sub-categorized as
Rural Development under KESSA’s “Urban and rural development,” and under
KESSA’s “Politics and development”This research looks at the role that international
wildlife priorities play on wildlife management and conservation in Kenya. In
particular, this work explores how a focus on animals as individuals and their
protection unfolds in the larger conservation strategy. Over the last few
decades, wildlife non-government organizations (NGO) played a major hand in the
development of Kenya’s wildlife management and conservation. In the late 1980s,
a fierce international debate took shape around the fate of the African
elephant. An initiative was proposed to ban ivory sales under the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species; in the final moments, international
wildlife protection campaigns, combined with the sponsorship by the Kenyan
government, proved decisive in the decision to enact a full ban on ivory sales
worldwide. Today, Kenya remains the last country on the African continent that
maintains a full ban on hunting, initiated in 1977, yet a new wildlife bill is
challenging that ban. Recent discussions to reinstate hunting, cropping and/or
culling have been met with a strong anti-hunting campaign lead by wildlife
NGOs. At the time of the ivory ban, international campaigns were well
documented (Duffy 2000; Bonner 1993) but today, they receive limited attention.
This research updates work by Rosaleen Duffy and Raymond Bonner by addressing
the ways in which, and to what degree do, international wildlife campaigns
influence wildlife management on a case-by-case basis and in larger
conservation strategies.
Keywords: Kenyan Geography/
Animal Geographies/ Wildlife
Quality
of Education: A tool for Development: A case study of Kenya’s Educational
Reforms
Peter C. Otiato Ojiambo Ph.D.
University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2012 C Orchard Downs,
Urbana, IL, 61801
Email: pojiambo@illinois.edu
Phone: 217-333-7921
There
has been a widespread belief that educational development would lead to
accelerated economic growth, more wealth and income distribution, greater
equality of opportunity, availability of skilled human power, a decline in
population growth, national unity and political stability. This belief has made
many individuals and nations to invest immensely in education. In many of their
works on this subject, Schultz (1981), Harbison (1973), Pscharopolos (1998)
posit that the wealth of nations depends on the development of its human
resources and not so much on its physical resources. Education in this regard
is considered the route to economic prosperity, the key to scientific and
technological advancement, the means to combat the unemployment, the foundation
of social equality, and the spearhead of political socialization and cultural
diversity. In this paper, a critical qualitative inquiry is made of various
educational reforms that have been undertaken in Kenya in both colonial and
post-colonial period and their correlation to national development.
Specifically, the paper examines historical development of Kenyan education and
its challenges in meeting its national developmental goals. In order for education
to foster development this paper recommends the need to: develop a clear
educational policy and to correlate it to national character and societal
needs; provide adequate educational financing; conduct periodic educational
reviews; involvement of relevant stakeholders; separate the management of the
education process from the national political process. Change and management of
the educational process should include: examining its historical trends,
theoretical considerations, objectives, curriculum and administrative demands.
Key words: Education, Reforms
and Development
Tropicality
and Disease: Malaria, History, and the Production of Medical Knowledge on
Kenya.
Osaak A. Olumwullah
Though
considerable progress has in recent years been made in understanding the basic
microbiology and pathogenesis of infectious diseases in Africa, and the world
has witnessed expansion in new approaches to their treatment and/or
eradication, much remains unknown or poorly understood about the language and
concepts researchers use to both represent these diseases to the world, and
enunciate their findings. Through a ‘reading’ of malaria research in Kenya,
this paper will attempt to address these two issues by locating them in a
twentieth-century drama whose theoretical moorings are late nineteenth- and
early twentieth-century medical thought-styles in tropical medicine and
epidemiology. These thought-styles, it will be suggested, have since the end of
the nineteenth century vied for narrative control in the conceptualization, and
production, of medical knowledge on malaria. The paper, broadly defined, is
therefore on the socio-political nature of scientific thought as it has
popularly been narrated with regard to malaria. The relationship between ways
of narrating the science of malaria, the paper further suggests, has had
far-reaching consequences for medical research ethics. It will be argued that
whatever the passions and intensity that have been brought to bear on issues
like informed consent in medical research, at core is the problem of ethics not
as a matter of abstractly correct behavior, but of relations between people:
How, for example, poverty, racism, and gender inequality do constrain agency,
the ability to make choices. Recent debates in international forums and learned
journals notwithstanding, issues about ethics in medical research have a long
history. To understand and contextualize these issues, the paper concludes,
calls for the location of current debates in medical thought processes that
have governed the relationship between Africa and the West since the late
fifteenth century.
Gender
Representation in the Education Sector in Kenya: Identifying Opportunities for
Policy and Action
Prof. Olive M. Mugenda
Vice-Chancellor
Kenyatta University
P.O Box 43844-00100,
Nairobi
Email: kuvc@ku.ac.ke
The Global
Platform for Action (Beijing, 1995), the Ougadougou Declaration and Framework for Action in 1993, The 5th Dakar Conference on Women in 1994, and the 1993 Pan African Conference on the Education of Girls among others have
advocated for women’s right to equal educational opportunity. These Conferences
have aroused African states and regional organizations to recognize the need to
address the issues of gender disparities in education and their implications on
development. Further, the promotion of
women empowerment as expressed in the performance indicators of the Millennium
Development Goal (MDG) number three has a lot of bearing on the
achievement of the other MDGs, and the Kenya Vision 2030 which aims to
transform Kenya into a newly industrializing “middle income country” providing
a high quality life to all its citizens by the year 2030. This paper addresses
these concerns and the glaring gender disparities based on the participation of
females at all levels of education in Kenya. Quantitative and qualitative data collection is utilised together
with the retrospective and survey
research design; in addition to content analysis of related documents. Primary
respondents are students, staff and managers from universities and other
tertiary institutions. Conclusions drawn focus on identifying
opportunities for policy and action, based on gender trends in education and their implications on the development
process. This culminates in a National Plan of Action for advocacy and policy
formulation in the promotion of female participation in all level of education
in Kenya.
Key words: Gender, Education,
Development
Naomi
and Ruth of Kenya: Searching for a Tribe in the Face of powerlessness and
foreignness at Home
Rev Elivered Nasambu-Mulongo, Ph.D. Candidate
Biblical Studies and
Interpretation
TST-University of
Toronto
The
2008 post election violence that claimed the lives of more than 1500 Kenyans is
a sad story of patriarchy whose victim is a Kenyan woman, whose powerlessness
and foreignness keeps her from full participation in all levels of development
of her country. It invites Biblical readings and scholarship that confront the
colonial, patriarchal, racist, classist and missionary readings of biblical
texts that have long placed the Kenyan woman at the margins of society besides
making her insecure and vulnerable. I use examples of Kenyan women’s experiences
to argue that traditional critical readings, African theologies and some
feminist theological discourses are inadequate to address Kenyan women who are
marginalized by the missionary Bible, colonialism and patriarchy, the seatbelts
of violence and tribalism. Drawing from Bosadi womanhood as propounded by the
leading South African biblical scholar, Prof Mmadipoane Masenya, I use the
story of Naomi and Ruth in the Biblical book of Ruth to argue that Kenyan women
can be like Naomi and Ruth by forging unity to confront what impedes both of
them from forging their own course in the midst of emphasis on tribal
differences and power imbalance. I propose that it is possible for Kenyan women
to forge unity for their own sake and benefit in the face of patriarchy.
Constitution-Making
in Contemporary Kenya: Lessons from the
20th Century
Robert M. Maxon
Department of
History, West Virginia University
P. O. Box 6303,
Morgantown, WV 26506-6303
Phone: 304-292-2421
Ext 5223
Email: rmaxon@wvu.edu
The
paper will address a critical issue facing Kenya’s in the 21st
century: the need to draft and implement
a new constitutions that will meet the aspirations of the nation’s peoples and
facilitate its development agenda. The
need for a new constitution has been high on the political agenda since the
1990s and featured prominently in the election campaigns of 2002 and 2007. Nevertheless, little has been accomplished as
the failed efforts to craft a new constitution that culminated in the 2005
referendum have left Kenya at a dead end, despite promises from
politicians. The paper seeks answers to
the current constitutional stalemate in the experiences of the past,
specifically the 1950s and 1960s. It
will focus on four then critical issues which help to highlight the problems of
constitution-making that continue to stall the process in Kenya. The issues are the failure of Kenya’s
political elite to reach consensus on constitutional goals and the means to
attain them. The fact that expert
assistance, particularly from non-Kenyan individuals, produced negligible
impact on the constitution-making process should also be understood. Thirdly, majimbo
or utaguzi, while not lacking in support
among Kenya’s elite, has never enjoyed the support of the majority of the
population. Finally, a key element in
the lack of success of past efforts to provide a Kenya with a workable
constitution that would stand the test of time was the failure to implement key
elements of democratic governance.
Voices
Unheard: Concerns of Young people in the wake of HIV prevention in Kenya
Kezia Njoroge
Department
of Women’s and Children’s Health, Uppsala University
Drottinggatan
4, floor 4, SE-751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
This
paper explores concerns expressed by the young people on sexuality. It is based
on secondary
analysis of qualitative data generated from school youth, teachers and parents
from Kajiado and Meru Districts in Kenya. The social
ecological conceptual model used, explained the contextual factors influencing
young people sexual behaviour. Different qualitative methods were
employed to generate data, connect people and capture complex issues. The data was collected from two hundred and ninety students and two community
dialogues. Young people wrote questions on adolescence, sexuality and related
problems or questions they could not ask their parents or friends. This allowed
them to express their concerns rather than researchers directing the questions.
Questions generated were discussed with
parents and teachers where the adults reflected on their own silences and denials on sexuality. Predominant
concerns were love, sexual urge, desires and emotions, issues not so commonly
addressed by adults openly. The community dialogue enabled the adults to
reflect and suggest solutions. Honest and open communication among the adults
is needed in building the foundation for young people to mature into healthy
adults. This can be achieved if interventions, including
research address the cultural influences and the complex contextual factors
underlined in Social Ecological Model.
Keywords: Sexuality, Prohibitive silence, Kenya
Refugees
with disabilities in Africa
Edward Manyibe, Ph.D., CRC.
Assistant Professor,
Langston University, 4205 N. Lincoln Blvd
Oklahoma City, OK
73105
Phone: 405.962-1673
(O), (520) 548-4835
Email: eomanyibe@lunet.edu
Refugees
with disabilities in Africa are among the most marginalized. There are 80
million individuals with disabilities in Africa some of whom are refugees. Of
the 80 million individuals with disabilities only 2% have access to any form of
rehabilitation services. This
presentation will examine the situation of persons with disabilities in Africa
with emphasis on refugees.
Rehabilitation challenges facing refugees and service providers will be
addressed and possible solutions will be recommended.
Community
Preparedness to Chemical Releases and Environmental Emergency Response
Beatrice Miringu, M. En.
Environmental
Specialist,
City of Toledo, OH
USA
Email: beatrice_miringu@hotmail.com
Accidental
release of toxic chemicals has adverse effects on the environment and it is a
threat to public health and safety. The severity of a chemical release or
environmental emergency to public health and safety is greatly dependent on the
level of awareness in the general population and the first responders. On
January 11, 2009, a chemical release claimed over 120 lives and injured more
than 200 in a rural community in Kenya. This presentation will looks at how
communities should prepare for such disasters and advocates for public
education and community outreach programs.
I
hate politics. I like pragmatism
Fred Olwendo
Bowling Green State
University
Kenya
is a “failed state”, economically speaking. Kenyans in their millions cannot
afford their basic needs like food, water and shelter, let alone decent
education or health care. Countless Kenyans are daily succumbing to death from
poverty and starvation. Yet Kenya is a rich country. It is claimed to be one of
the best economies in Africa. Its reputation as one of the best tourist
destinations in the world is not in dispute. Politically, Kenya could
reasonably qualify as an island of peace compared to its neighbors; it is one
of the most progressive democracies in Africa. The Kenyan athletes continue to
dominate the world scene, scooping medals left right and center, especially in
the marathon races. Yet, with all these endowments, ordinary Kenyans have, on
the contrary, continued to live a life of misery as they are ravaged by hunger,
poverty, homelessness, and disease, among others. Be that as it may, however,
it is the contention of this paper that at the center of this tragedy is a
trend for which the Kenyan masses are not responsible. As I argue, the
underlying cause of this “failed state” syndrome is because the wealth of the
country is under the tight grip of a “selected few”, specifically the political
elites and the politically connected. This paper argues that a deliberate
effort must be undertaken to delink politics and the socio-economic life line
of the county as a way to stop Kenya from sliding further into this
socio-economic abyss.
Kenya’s Post-Independence Public Health
Milestones
Joshua Otiso, MT, MPH
Bowling Green State
University and The University of Toledo
The Northwest Ohio
Consortium for Public Health
Upon her attainment
of independence on 12th December 1963, the Kenyan Government pledged
to fight three ‘enemies’ of development namely illiteracy, poverty, and
disease. Ultimately, illiteracy,
poverty, and disease are inseparable as they synergistically affect the lives
of Kenyans. However, in this analysis I
will explore the aspect of disease, with emphasis on the Public Health realm
rather than clinical care. Forty six
years post-independence, Kenyans continue to suffer from infectious diseases,
and chronic diseases are now on the rise.
Furthermore, since Kenya is the economic nerve center for East and
Central Africa, it is at risk of other health threats such as epidemic and pandemic
diseases. While Public Health is a
fairly new concept in Kenya, its positive impacts on the health of Kenyans are
beginning to be realized. With increased
understanding and adequate government support, Public Health will be the main
conduit for protecting the health of Kenyans, now and in the future
Managing Ethnic Diversity in Kenya
Vincent
Khapoya, Ph.D.
Oakland University
Drawing from Donald Rothchild’s
work on ethnic bargaining in Kenya, I would briefly discuss the genesis of
tribalism, how and why the issue has been addressed - unsuccessfully, so far.
I’ll examine a variety of approaches that have been tried in multi-ethnic
societies elsewhere and then suggest what Kenyans need to do if they are
to avoid in the year 2012 the devastation of the kind of violence that we
saw in 2008.
Theories
of Poverty and their relevance to Kenya
Meshack Sagini, Ph.D.
Langston University
4205 N. Lincoln Blvd
Oklahoma City, OK
73105
A plethora of scholarly and interdisciplinary
print and online literature from research universities and poverty centers were
reviewed to articulate the theories, causes, effects and solutions to poverty
in the world. To a large extent, and based on the rigorous analysis of
authoritative sources, the theories and causes of poverty are closely
associated with structural, cultural and institutionalist influences. This
comprehensive analysis is a theoretical and interdisciplinary discourse about
the roots, causes, effects of and solutions to poverty in society and what
cultural and institutional mechanisms exit for its amelioration. Throughout
history, issues of poverty in Oklahoma, the U.S. in general, Africa and Kenya
in particular have been associated with a deep tension between English and the
American creed of life, liberty and property, including the intrinsic worth and
dignity of the human beings and the continuous struggle to search for the
Republic’s “soul”. Some scholars view this struggle between the haves and the
have not’s as an allegorical expression of the West’s enlightenment’s values
versus its inherent and contradictory dilemma of poverty. Others see the situation to be “a tangle of
pathology”, a web tangle, the social dislocation of the underclass, the
fluctuating conflict between market forces of laissez-faire vis a vis
government regulation, while others see it as a form of global paradox.
Regardless of who says what, when, how and why, the wisdom and challenge of our
time is not to conspire for silence and inaction, though that is a possibility,
it is to strategically search our intellect for moral authority that will
pragmatically and synergistically enable our institutions to look for positive,
lasting, and cost-effective solutions. Preparing, mobilizing and utilizing
available resources for statewide debate, rationalization and articulation of
the scourge of poverty is commensurate with the finest and noblest mission of
our excellent policy makers in the state/country.
Women’s
Leadership for Transformation In Kenya: Resolving Conflicts, Building Peaceful
Communities
Faith Wambura Ngunjiri, Ed.D
Assistant Professor
of Organizational Leadership
Eastern University,
Saint Davids, PA 19087
Email: fngunjir@eastern.edu
Africa
is a continent that has experienced many man-made calamities in the last few
decades – the worst of which are HIV/AIDS and war. Women seem to be the most
affected by both calamities, paying an inordinately high price as the victims
of war, displacement, and the effects of HIV/AIDS. This proposal focuses on
women’s response inter-ethnic conflicts in Kenya, as women, mothers, leaders
and community members invested in restoring sanity to their nations. Kenyan
women refuse to be silent victims, some among them insist on being victors by
rising to leadership for the transformation of their communities (Ngunjiri,
Forthcoming). “The relationships between women and war is
complex and contradictory…men are presented as heroes and villains of war,
whereas women are portrayed in subordinate roles as passive, vulnerable,
defenseless victims of violence and intimidation” (Ross-Sheriff &
Swigonski, 2006) (p. 129) This
project will demonstrate the work and leadership of Kenyan women utilizing the
resources at their disposal to resolve conflicts and build peace. The paper is based on interviews with select
women leaders from Kenya who were involved in the peace process after the last
general elections.
Keywords: Peace building,
conflict resolution, transformational leadership
Development
of Built Environment Guidelines
for Sustainable Ecotourism in East
African Countries: An Application for Kenya
Anthony Mutai, PhD. Candidate
Bowling Green State
University-Indiana University
College of Technology
With
the increase on environmental concerns, and coupled with a strong desire to
escape from the traditional vacation, the market for ecotourism is ever
increasing. However although ecotourism is touted as a tool to promote
sustainable development and conservation of protected areas, unplanned
developments have resulted in negative impacts to the natural and cultural
environments on which they operate. This
study utilized concepts of sustainable tourism development together with
information from the following four environmental standards to establish
general guidelines for the development of ecotourism facilities in East Africa:
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED 2.0), British Research
Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), ISO 14001, and Green
globe 21. The alternative technologies
that can be used to address the problem of negative environmental and
social-cultural impacts related to ecotourism developments were examined and
organized to form the guidelines. The organization of the guidelines was based
on the objectives of Agenda 21 on sustainable development, that basically
emphasizes maintaining, and enhancing biodiversity, minimization of resource
use, protecting nature, and increasing the safety and comfort of building occupants.
The Globalization of Nairobi, Kenya
Kefa M. Otiso,
PhD
Bowling
Green State University
School
of Earth, Environment and Society,
Department of Geography Bowling Green, Ohio 43403-0217.
E-mail: kmotiso@bgsu.edu
Nairobi has globalized significantly in the
past two decades in response to domestic and global economic, social, cultural
and political forces. In particular, the
World Bank-IMF’s Structural Adjustment Programs of the 1980s and 1990s played
an important role in liberalizing the economy of Kenya to the benefit of
domestic and global capital. As a
result, Nairobi has witnessed significant development and reinforcement of its
global trade, transport, communications, financial, and investment linkages
since the 1980s due to greater tourist flows to Kenya and the ongoing
concentration of multinational corporations, international NGOs, and UN
agencies in the city. Moreover, the
city’s global distribution and consumption (and to some extent production) role
has benefitted from (i) the increased emigration of Kenyans to richer countries
and the subsequent increase in remittances, (ii) continuing regional political
instability in East and Central Africa and the ensuing relocation of wealthy
Somalis, Rwandese, & Congolese to the city and, (iii) the increasing role
of Nairobi in aspects of the global underground economy. Nevertheless, the city’s increased
globalization has heightened its socioeconomic cleavages, with the local and
global elite increasingly retreating to gated residential, office, commercial,
and leisure spaces even as the relative deprivation of average Nairobians has
increased; raising serious questions about city’s, and indeed Kenya’s, future
social and political stability. Besides
these negative consequences, the paper also explores positive aspects of
Nairobi’s globalization and ends with lessons for other globalizing Kenyan and
African cities.
Content,
Bandwidth & Development in the Age of the Internet
Matunda Nyanchama, PhD, CISSP
Principal, Agano
Consulting Inc.
Email: Mnyanchama@aganoconsulting.com;
matunda@matunda.org
The
Internet has been part of Kenyan reality for close to 15 years. There are
approximately 3 million Kenyans with Internet access. This number is expected
to rise dramatically with the opening up of the country to affordable bandwidth
with the planned completion of the SEACOM Optical Fibre Project in June
2009. Affordable bandwidth would speed
up communications, spur ecommerce and bring the region fully to the information
age with its attendant benefits.This paper will address some of these benefits
and risks associated with the coming of affordable Internet. Perils include
increased gap between information haves and have-nots, given that most (up to
80%) of the Kenyan population lives in the rural areas with little or no access
to electricity and cannot afford the cost of computing equipment and
connectivity charges. Yet another hazard pertains to Internet content. To date,
Africa’s contribution to Internet content is miniscule, leaving it as a net
consumer in this respect. Much of today’s content is also undesirable and, by
nature, polluting! Some studies suggest that pornography and gambling dominate
Internet use. This paper will explore ways to jumpstart Internet content
creation by countries such as Kenya. We will focus on areas of cultural content
and means of its creation, both as a means of perpetuation of identity as well
as a means of economic gain. We will present case studies from countries such
as India and the United States of America and how cultural industries have made
effective use of the Internet and allowed these countries to assert themselves
globally. We will propose investment models for jumpstarting such cultural
industries, again illustrating with experiences of others.
Keywords: cultural
industries, Internet content, bandwidth, economic development.
Technology and Place of Diaspora in the New Kenya
Shem J. Ochuodho, MSc (EE), PhD, LLD (Hon)
Senior Advisor
Ministry of Telecommunication
& Postal Services1
Government of Southern Sudan
(GoSS)
Email: shemochuodho@yahoo.com
Kenya is at cross-roads. A country that hitherto befitted the term
‘pearl of Africa2’ is fast sliding into abyss. Some believe that unless
decisive action is taken in time, Kenya could become a failed state. They
contend that the signs are already there: impunity, rampant pilferage of
resources, insecurity, breakdown of law and order, upswing of illegal vigilante
groups, chronic nepotism, worsening inequality, joblessness, rampant poverty,
widespread famine, hopelessness, etc. Yet Kenya is so strategic both regionally
and globally that it should not dip further. After all, for many years, hasn’t
she been the near-sole example of political stability and peace – an island of
modern civilization? To its credit, Kenya has a very strong private sector and
human capital, comparable to very few in Africa. It has vast natural resources,
and relatively good weather. Its unwritten foreign policy has over the years
earned her many friends, most among its neighbours. It has been envy to many
emerging countries not only in peacekeeping, but also sports (especially
athletics and cricket) and a supply-basket of skilled professionals and
entrepreneurs. It is imperative that a way be found – urgently so – to reverse
the tide. Two attributes have a major role to play: technology and the
Diaspora. Many contend that Kenya’s slow but gradual slide is due to leadership
poverty. In this paper, we assert that
technology and Diaspora will not only help Kenya get back onto the path of
growth and prosperity, but also inculcate good leadership.
Key words: Technology, Diaspora and Leadership.
Post-Moi
era discourse patterns in Kenyan universities: a call for paradigm shift.
Alex Chege, PhD
Rhetoric and
Composition
General Studies
Writing Program, Bowling Green State University, Ohio
Email: cmwangi@bgnet.bgsu.edu
Phone: (office):
419-372-6842
The
Kenyatta and Moi regimes in Kenya are known for their ruthless suppression of
discourse, especially in higher education. Examples are galore of university
lecturers and students who were harassed, arrested, detained without trial, and
even some who died under suspicious circumstances for their perceived
opposition to the political establishment. But, the same period, 70s, 80s, and
to some extent the 90s, experienced the most vibrant engagement among
intellectuals and university students in the socio-political issues affecting
the country at the time. However, in a surprising turn of events, since the
late 90’s, when democracy started taking root in the country following the
return of political pluralism, the intelligentsia appear to have retreated,
leaving the task of nurturing the nascent democracy to politicians, the media,
the civil society, the clergy, and ordinary people. The silence is even more
disturbing during the Kibaki regime, a time that one would have expected the
intelligentsia to take advantage of the opened-up democratic space credited to
the administration to join in the fight against the status quo—one that is
characterized by tribalism, corruption, and economic inequalities. I argue that
the Kenyan intelligentsia has a significant role to play in the fight for
social change and that for this to happen a pedagogical and conceptual paradigm
shift is imperative.
Participatory
HIV/AIDS education: Integration and Implementation of HIV/AIDS education in the
curriculum: A Kenyan case Study
Wanjiru Maina
Email:
Shirumaina@yahoo.com
&
Rachael
Nyamai
Email:
rkakinya@yahoo.com
Globally,
the HIV and AIDS epidemic remains a major public health, social, economic and
development challenge. Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be disproportionately
affected (UNAIDS 2006). HIV and AIDS threaten the achievement of key
developmental goals, especially in Africa. Education ranks among the most
effective and cost-effective means of HIV prevention. Therefore, most countries
are making efforts to strengthen their education systems, which offer a window
of hope to an AIDS free society. In Kenya HIV/AIDS education is taught in both
primary and secondary schools. However studies conducted indicate that the
implementation of the HIV/AIDS Curriculum in Kenya has remained problematic
with some noting that the ‘integration and infusion’ approach where HIV/AIDS
topics are included in other subjects is not effective. Other studies have
noted that teachers themselves lack both the competences and commitment to
teach these topics in an already over-crowded and examination-driven
curriculum. The issues of training have also been noted as a problem as little
or no training has been provided. This
paper is based on the findings A PhD study conducted in Kitui district in Kenya
between July 2006 to March 2008. The study employed a participatory model of
learning in HIV/AIDS education. Methods for data collection included
observations, interviews with teachers, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with
students, and document analysis. The purpose of this study was to analyze the
situation in regard to the implementation of the HIV/AIDS education in Kenyan
schools. It also sought to find out the teaching approaches advocated for by
the ministry of education, the levels of training of teachers to implement the
HIV/AIDS curriculum and the approaches which were being used by teachers in the
implementation of the curriculum. In the
presentation we will discuss from the analysis (i) The teaching of HIV/AIDS
education in schools, (ii) Teachers’ levels of training and preparedness in
handling the curriculum, (iii) Availability of teaching materials, (iv) Levels
of interaction between pupils, teachers and parents, (v) The focus on sexual
abstinence as opposed to comprehensive education and, (vi) Difficult areas of
communication in HIV/AIDS education
Empowering
and Mobilizing Kenyan Youth to be Productive Citizens: A Guide for
Collaborative Action among Kenyans in Diaspora
Dr.
Jerono P. Rotich*, Pastor. Sammy
Ngetich*, Ms. Bellah Kiteki+, & Dr. Paul Ankomah*.
North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State
University*, The University of North
Carolina at Greensboro+
Kenyan youth from all walks of life,
ages and regions were active participants in the post election violence that
erupted in 2007. Most of these
individuals were either forced to participate, obligated to protect themselves
or to avenge the death of their parents/loved ones. Others simply got involved
due to idleness and attractiveness to populist rhetoric of politicians. Many of
the youth manned road blocks, looted shops, and committed atrocities. Others
threatened the security and safety for many defenseless Kenyans. Irrespective of whatever role the youth
played in the ensuing violence, it is evident that Kenyan youth currently have
limited opportunities and face challenges that if not timely addressed could
lead to serious problems. Thus, there is an urgent need to redirect this currently untapped and wasteful youthful
energy and momentum towards positive personal and community development.
This presentation focuses on diaspora collaborative approaches that can educate, engage, prepare and provide support and
opportunities for harnessing the youthful energies to make them useful
citizens, true agents of peace and catalyst for development. This paper will
share three preliminary diaspora initiated collaborative projects: sports camp, fellowship and an international
radio program delivered through Kass FM international. This paper used the
Kenyan hearth (Jiko) with its three (3) cooking stones at its framework for
developing the collaborative partnerships. Preliminary findings alluded to the
importance of building positive youth/adult partnerships in this process cannot
be stressed enough.
Key
Words: Kenyan Youth, Kenyans in Diaspora,
Collaborative projects
Novel
carbamates for malaria vector control: Impact of recent developments and the
future of insecticide use in malaria mosquito control.
James M. Mutunga1, Troy D. Anderson1, Joshua A.
Hartsel2, Sally L. Paulson1, Dawn M. Wong, Paul R.
Carlier2 and Jeffrey R. Bloomquist1.
Departments
of Entomology1 and Chemistry2, Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University, Blacksburg VA 24061.
Kenya, and Africa in general, continues to
suffer immensely from morbidity and mortality due to malaria. Recently, there have been advances to
mosquito control through integrated vector management (IVM). Use of insecticides, an important component
of IVM, has led to the reduction of malaria in Kenya and other African
countries; an advance towards realizing the millennium development goals
(MDGs). Despite such progress, lack of alternative insecticides for indoor
residual sprays (IRS) and insecticide treated bednets (ITNs); coupled with
insecticide resistance to pyrethroids, threatens chemical mosquito
control. Our research focus is to
develop highly selective insecticides that might be used in parallel with
pyrethroids. Using mosquito
acetylcholinesterase (AChE) protein homology modeling, we report the
re-engineering of carbamates to increase selectivity and mitigate resistance
development in Anopheles gambiae. Anticholinesterase activities of each
carbamate were evaluated for both human and mosquito AChEs and compared to
those of propoxur (Baygon®, a WHO standard). We demonstrate novel carbamates of
greater selectivity (>8000-fold) towards An.
gambiae AChE, compared to 3-fold with propoxur. We report both intrinsic and contact mosquito
toxicity of these compounds and demonstrate comparable toxicities to that of
conventional carbamates. With such high
levels of selectivity, potency and toxicity, these novel carbamates provide
valuable leads to developing of alternative mosquitocides for use in
insecticide treated bednets and indoor residual sprays. Our findings are important in the search for
new mosquito selective-insecticides that can be used in malaria control
programs.
Key
words:
Malaria, anticholinesterases, selectivity
The
Economic and Social role of the Co-Operative Movement in Kenya: Towards
Stability and Profitability.
Henry Osando
Bowling Green State
University
College of Education
and Human Development
School of
Intervention Services
Department of
Rehabilitation Counseling
Email: hosando@bgnet.bgsu.edu
The
economic and social role of the co-operative movement in the world is enormous.
Co-operatives are the only enterprises that put people at the center of their
business and not capital. They are defined in terms of three basic interests;
ownership, control and beneficiary (vested in the hands of the user). It is estimated that over 800 million people
in the world are members of a cooperative, providing 100 million jobs, 20% more
than multinational enterprises. In 1994,
United Nations estimated that the livelihood of nearly 3 billion of the world
population was made secure by cooperative enterprise (ICA). In Kenya, the cooperative movement’s
contribution to economic and social needs of people for the last 100 years
cannot be overemphasized. The
Cooperative movement is one of the nationally organized institutions available
to all cadres of people. There is the
potential for its growth owing to member loyalty and government support. However, the inadequate legislation
(cooperative Society’s Act No.12, 1997) opened room for mismanagement of
society’s assets coupled with lack of support from the then regime. The above
and other factors weakened the cooperative movement which is the leading in
Africa in terms of national Savings. In
2003, the Ministry of Cooperative Development was re-established (after being
scrapped) and the Cooperative Act (No.12, 1997) amended to strengthen
supervision of the societies. There are
both external and internal threats facing these institutions which support
directly and indirectly an estimated 63% of the Kenyan population. However with the adoption of proper and
viable strategies as discussed herein, the cooperative movement will regain its
lost glory and return to profitability.
By putting Cooperative principles and ethics in practice, they promote
solidarity and tolerance and create wealth.
Key words: Co-operative, the Act, national savings,
beneficiary, principles, ministry
A
Quantitative Analysis of the role of the U.S Media in Perpetuating Beliefs and
Attitudes about Kenya and Africa in the United States
Dane Kiambi
Miami University
610 S. Locust St. #60
Oxford, OH 45056
Email: kiambidm@muohio.edu
Phone: (513) 593-0619
The
role of U.S. media in perpetuating certain beliefs and attitudes about Kenya
and Africa in America and the West is a disturbing phenomenon to many. While
reporting on the 2007-2008 post election violence in Kenya, the U.S. media
heightened the sensationalized reporting on Africa when TV stations like CNN
choose to repeatedly run clips of dead bodies at the City Mortuary without
caring to neither verify whether the dead were victims of the post election
violence nor inform the viewers that what they were watching were file clips
recorded a few weeks ago. As Kenya embarks on branding itself abroad, there is
need to quantify the extent to which the style of news presentation in the West
can make or break Kenya. Every time chaos breaks out home, the American news
media will be there to gather the news in readiness to generalize Kenya as
another “troubled spot.” An understanding of the impact that negative news has
on Kenya in the West would jolt the Kenyan political class and citizenry to
recognize that a calm, violence-free environment is key to building a
long-lasting Kenyan brand abroad. A
study to examine the influence of print news was conducted on three groups of
students at Miami University. With the available topoi supporting the argument
that the style of reporting by the U.S. media perpetuates certain attitudes and
beliefs about Africa, explanations can be arrived at to explain why the
hypothesis – that there is a difference between those who read a positive and
negative story – was not supported. Print news is unlikely to change the mind
of a participant/ reader who grew up watching on TV emotion laden visual images
of famine and war about Africa. The likelihood that such visual images have
been ingrained in the mind of Americans is quite high.
Key
words:
Branding Kenya, U.S. media on Kenya, Beliefs and attitudes about Africa.
Telemedicine
for Kenya
Sam Tombe
Email: tombesam@gmail.com
Creating
a sharable patient information system for government and private hospitals in
Kenya promises to be a key step in making high quality health care more readily
available, accessible, affordable because such a system would support timely
medical exams, patient consultations, disease diagnosis, and drug dispensing
and provision of other medical procedures.
Moreover the collection, storage and sharing of telemedical data among
specialists for medical assessment will greatly facilitate patient doctor
interaction and disease management. Easily searchable records could speed up
life saving care. Real time telemedicine through video-conferencing could
facilitate delivery of clinical care to patients in remote facilities. Through
specialized peripheral devices attached to computers or other
video-conferencing equipment, interactive medical examinations and treatments
could be administered remotely to patients who would otherwise be deprived of
such services limiting their chances of survival.
A
strategic investment to put in place a system geared towards achieving the
above goals will consequently enable the country to maintain a healthy populace
more cost-effectively in the long term because it facilitates the maximum use
of limited healthcare services to save lives across the country. This will also
put any nation in a strategic position to develop economically in this era of
technological advancement. With the Kenya ICT board’s mission to place the
country among the top ten global ICT hubs, there could be no better time to
leverage the soon to be functional infrastructure right from its onset.
Reacculturation:
Experiences of Kenyans relocating from the US at the end of their studies
Wairimu Wanjau Mutai, PhD, PC
Phone: 410 617 7609
Email: wwmutai@loyola.edu
This
phenomenological study was aimed at the lived experiences of individuals who
had studied in the US as international students and then relocated back to
Kenya at the end of their studies. Its purpose was to better understand the
process these individuals went through in planning to relocate and then living
in this “new” culture. The researcher also sought to find out more on resources
that had proved helpful (or not) to the participants in their encounters. All
the participants had relocated to Kenya less than 5 years prior to this study
being carried out. This was a qualitative study done using the phenomenological
approach. The researcher interviewed 9 participants on their relocation
experiences and sought common themes in their accounts. The goal was to better
understand what experiences they had and what meaning they placed on these.
Structured interviews were used in this process.
Several
common themes were found in the participants’ accounts, including their
struggle with reverse culture shock, the need for planning, and the need for
modified support structures in Kenya. Implications of the findings on educators
as well as the counseling field will be presented, along with implications of
the study for current international students. Questions for further research
will also be presented.
Key words: Relocation, Reverse
culture shock, Re-acculturation
Perceptions
of prospective and current Kenyan international students of international
student life in the US
Wairimu Wanjau Mutai, PhD, PC
Phone: 410 617 7609
Email: wwmutai@loyola.edu
This
study was set up to explore how current and prospective Kenyan international
perceived international student life in the US to be. It was based on
observations and prior studies that suggested a disconnect in the perceptions
of the two groups.
Q
methodology was utilized in this study. There were 40 participants, who were
all Kenyans. Half of these were prospective international students still
residing in Kenya at the time of the study, and planning to begin their studies
in the US within 12 months of that time. The other half was made of current
international students, who were in their first or second year of study. Brief
semi-structured interviews were used with some participants to better
understand the emergent factors. Four factors emerged from this study. It was
interesting to note that only 2 of these were made up of purely one of the two
groups. Information gleaned can be helpful for international student offices in
their orientation process, as well as for prospective students’ planning to
relocate. Current students may also find a normalizing factor in the results.
Implications of the findings on educators as well as the counseling field will
be presented, along with implications of the study for current international
students. Questions for further research will also be presented.
Key
words:
International students, Kenya, Perceptions
Speaking
our mother tongues: Gender, education and development among women’s groups in
Kenya
Catherine Cutcher
Ph.D. Candidate
Department of
Educational Studies
College of Education
Ohio University
Email: cutcher@ohio.edu
The purpose of this
research is to analyze popular education and leadership development among
grassroots women’s organizations in Kenya. From November 2007 - 2008, I engaged
in ethnographic research among women’s organizations in the Nairobi, Taita and
Lamu Districts of Kenya. Data was
collected through participant observation, focus groups, individual interviews,
and document analysis. Popular education
is a field of growing concern among educators, activists, and others who call
for informal education in the absence of effective schools. The formal education of women and girls has
been neglected in Africa due to cultural, political, and economic
barriers. Tensions have arisen between
indigenous, Islamic, colonial, and contemporary educational systems. Kenya reveals a 60% illiteracy rate among
adult women. To respond to challenges facing their communities, Kenyan women
must be educated and empowered to take action. Women’s organizations are
uniquely placed to deliver popular education services. This project analyzes
how women’s organizations preserve indigenous knowledge systems and work to
educate rural and urban populations.
Women’s groups organize projects in literacy, business, finance, civic
education, health, environmental restoration, sustainable development, peace,
and gender equality. I seek to understand how women’s organizations build
capacity in communities by raising the consciousness of ordinary citizens and
enhancing their skills in problem-solving and collective action. By observing
their processes of popular education, I analyze the contributions of women’s
groups to social, political, economic, and environmental change in Kenya.
