Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, Law, Business Mgt (FoA&SS / FoL / FBM)

Determinants of Missed Opportunities for Vaccination Among Children Aged Under 5 Years in Nairobi County

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Determinants of Missed Opportunities for Vaccination Among Children Aged Under 5 Years in Nairobi County Kigathi, Loise Wanjiru Vaccination is a set of processes in which a person or child becomes immune to an infectious and fatal illness by receiving a vaccine. World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that vaccination activates defensive mechanism of the body to secure against future disease or infections (WHO, 2017). In the least developed countries, 10 million deaths are reported every year among children. These reported deaths result from the lack of access to effective interventions such as child vaccination, which would help prevent childhood illnesses (Excler, Privor-Dumm, & Kim, 2021). According to Jayaweera and Wijesinghe (2018), children in underdeveloped nations still lack access to immunization against lethal diseases such as measles, diphtheria and tetanus, which happen to be scarce in developed countries. Globally, approximately 20% of all newborns do not receive life-saving immunizations (Jayaweera & Wijesinghe, 2018). Although the rates of immunization have been high globally in the past years, in 2014, more than one-third of youngsters in India were not completely immunized. Over the past decade, India has consistently increased its vaccination rates, where every needed vaccine uptake increasing from eight to approximately 23% in the national immunization uptake in India's National Immunization Schedule (NIS-4). The Indian Government put in place a mission Indradhanush, a large state wide initiative, in the year 2014, that immunized almost 25.5 million at-risk children over the course of 2 years. Des, a 2016 report undertaken jointly by the WHO, UN, and the Government of India's MOH and welfare of family found that approximate immunization figures seemed to be overstated by governmental vaccination uptake records. Progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3), reducing child deaths, remained inadequate. The study highlighted the difficulties the administration had in recognizing and correcting "over looked immunization" chances for youngsters. A missed occassion for vaccination (MOV) is described by the WHO as any encounter between an eligible child or adult and a health care provider that does not result in the full immunization series for which the patient is eligible. Master's Research Project

Spoken Word Poetry as a Postmodern Urban Genre in Kenya

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Spoken Word Poetry as a Postmodern Urban Genre in Kenya Munala, Beatrice Grace Urbanization in Kenya has led to the creation of a multicultural society which is characterized by an increased use of digital technology in the postmodern era. This society is made up of young people who may not have affiliations to their parents’ culture. This has thus resulted in the development of an urban culture in which no ethnic language is more dominant than the other. Sheng is one of the languages of this urban society which mirrors its cultural diversity. Having a multicultural urban society has also necessitated the development of urban genres such as spoken word poetry which is mostly performed by the youth in Kenya. This study has therefore examined spoken word poetry a postmodern urban genre. The study has taken the approach of a case study of live recorded spoken word performances performed by Poet Teardrops, a youth who demonstrates a high level of social consciousness, on Churchill Show and Churchill Raw. These performances portray urban images such as criminal activities and class differences, and can be used to construct urban identities through naming, dressing and language. The spoken word performances also demonstrate how art can help to imagine a habitable urban environment. The performance theory has been employed in this study to demonstrate that more than being entertaining, the performances also carry educative elements. This theory has further been used to frame the performances within a technological frame through mediations that are important in enhancing the Poet’s message. The theory of hyper-reality has also been used to show that the selected performances contain hyper-real images that portray the virtual reality of the urban society. Lastly, the theory of ethno-poetics has been used in writing the transcriptions and translations of the selected performances. Masters Research Project

Bank Innovations, Financial Inclusion, Institutional Characteristics and Performance of Commercial Banks in Kenya

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Bank Innovations, Financial Inclusion, Institutional Characteristics and Performance of Commercial Banks in Kenya Kivuitu, Benson Mutua Evidence available from Kenya's main commercial banks shows a downward trend in investment revenue. There are a number of elements inherent to the banking industry that contributes to the aforementioned issues with banks' financial performance. This study's main goal was to investigate the aspects that contribute to the success of Kenya's commercial banking industry with respect to innovation, financial inclusion, bank characteristics, and overall financial performance. Three theories served as the basis for the research: the theory of transaction costs, the theory of finance and growth, and the Agency theory. The study combined quantitative and qualitative approaches, using a cross-sectional survey methodology. A total of 42 commercial banks in Kenya that were operational between 2009 and 2019 were analyzed for this report. These banks had all been licensed and registered under the Banking Act. The percentage of those that answered the survey was 83.3%. The research aimed to disprove five main hypotheses and six minor ones. It has been determined that mobile banking, automated teller machine banking, and agency banking significantly impact the performance of Kenya's commercial banks. Additionally, synergy between mobile banking and automated teller machine banking has a significant influence. It was found that mobile banking and agency banking significantly contribute to a boost in the profits financial performance of commercial banks, while ATM banking was found to be insignificant, in a test of the third hypothesis that used deposits and customer deposit accounts as intervening variables on the association between bank innovation and financial performance. The financial inclusion composite variable has been found to have a substantial effect on the financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya. When all factors were analysed jointly, mobile banking, deposits, deposit accounts, ATM banking, ownership, bank age, and Agency banking were found to have a significant effect on financial performance. However, ATM banking had no effect. The study concluded that the age and ownership of banks is a significant factor in determining the financial performance of all banks. Most commercial banks in Kenya's financial performance was affected by the advent of mobile banking and agency banking. To promote financial inclusion and bank profitability, the study suggests enacting regulatory changes that encourage commercially feasible innovations throughout the banking industry. This study adds to methodological discussions by reminding researchers that the works of Baron and Kenny (1986) should not be sightlessly trailed since previously irrelevant characteristics may take on new relevance if moderation and mediation are included. Theoretically, the contribution of this study is that bank innovation in Kenya has a beneficial influence on profitability and that institutions should continuously seek and execute durable business links to accelerate the diffusion of innovations and achieve the desired economic consequences. Phd Thesis

Response Strategies to COVID-19 Pandemic and Performance of Health Facilities in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Response Strategies to COVID-19 Pandemic and Performance of Health Facilities in Nairobi City County, Kenya Nyangangali, Crispus Fwamba The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges to health institutions worldwide, requiring swift and effective response strategies to mitigate its impact. This empirical research examines the relationship between response strategies adopted by health institutions in Nairobi City County and their subsequent performance during the pandemic. The research was anchored on three theories namely Resource Dependency Theory (Pfeffer & Salancik, 1978), Dynamic Capabilities Theory (Teece et al., 1997) and Resilience theory (Weick, 1993). Using a descriptive survey research design, a total of 196 health institutions were targeted and supplied with questionnaires. The study employed a quantitative analysis approach to identify significant predictors of performance, using five independent variables: Market orientation, streamlining the supply chain, restructuring of strategic approaches, fostering innovation, and reshaping the business model. The dependent variable, Performance, is measured based on relevant indicators related to the health institutions' effectiveness and efficiency in handling the pandemic. The results reveal that several response strategies significantly influence the performance of health institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, the coefficient values posted by the different indicators including Market Orientation 0.736, p=0.015< 0.05; Supply Chain Optimization 2.754, p= 0.005< 0.05, Strategy Re-organization 0.892, p=0.000< 0.05; Business Model transformation 2.042, p=0.006<0.05. These exhibited a strong positive effect on performance. Meanwhile, Innovation showed a relatively weaker positive effect as compared to the rest of the variables, with a coefficient value of 0.165, p=0.004<0.05. The model summary suggests that the combination of independent variables had a relatively strong association with the dependent variable with R2 = 0.619. The study's findings contribute to the understanding of effective response strategies employed by health institutions during pandemics, particularly in the context of Nairobi City County. By identifying key predictors of performance, this research informs policymakers and health administrators about the critical areas to focus on during future crises. It also highlights the significance of strategic re-organization and supply chain optimization as effective measures to enhance health institutions' performance in times of unprecedented challenges. However, further research is recommended to explore additional factors that may influence performance and to validate these findings in different regions and healthcare systems. Research Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Award of the Degree of Master of Business Administration