Journal Articles

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A Comparison of Technical and Vocational Acquired Skills Differences Based on Gender in Tvet Institutions, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya
(Journal of Education and Practice, 2024-02-29) Titus Kiptoo Murgor
Lower participation of women in the labor force and/or concentration of women labor in un skilled or low skilled, low income generating economic activities including part time and casual work has created many questions among the researcher on the kind and quality of technical and vocational skills acquired by woman. The current study compared technical and vocational acquired skills acquired between male and female in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, Uasin Gishu. From the findings it has been observed that Male students had significantly and highly acquired interpersonal skills, Information Communication Technical (ICT) skills, Critical analysis, ability to use numerical data and management skills than female. Male students had also acquired critical thinking skills two times higher than that of female students. In addition, the study concludes that male students had acquired skills in many areas than female students. On the other hand female students had acquired high significant skills in ability to work in a team, organizational skills and academic qualifications than male. There is need to diversify Vocational and Technical Training and improve access for and retention of girls and women in education and vocational training in such fields as science, mathematics, engineering, environmental sciences, information technology and new technologies, as well as management training.
A Comparison of Technical and Vocational Acquired Skills Differences Based on Gender in Tvet Institutions, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya
(2024-07-19) Titus Murgor
Lower participation of women in the labor force and/or concentration of women labor in un skilled or low skilled, low income generating economic activities including part time and casual work has created many questions among the researcher on the kind and quality of technical and vocational skills acquired by woman. The current study compared technical and vocational acquired skills acquired between male and female in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, Uasin Gishu. From the findings it has been observed that Male students had significantly and highly acquired interpersonal skills, Information Communication Technical (ICT) skills, Critical analysis, ability to use numerical data and management skills than female. Male students had also acquired critical thinking skills two times higher than that of female students. In addition, the study concludes that male students had acquired skills in many areas than female students. On the other hand female students had acquired high significant skills in ability to work in a team, organizational skills and academic qualifications than male. There is need to diversify Vocational and Technical Training and improve access for and retention of girls and women in education and vocational training in such fields as science, mathematics, engineering, environmental sciences, information technology and new technologies, as well as management training.
A Contextualized Farm Management Information System
(East African Journal of Information Technology, 2024-07-17) Christopher Chepken
Various Information Communication Technology (ICT) Agricultural initiatives implemented in Kenya have largely concentrated on the general farming set ups, ignoring the specific farm and Agricultural activities contexts. Literature review, sampling of ICT for Agriculture initiative (ICT4Agri) reports, and our knowledge on existing Agricultural Management Information Systems (AMISs) showed that a majority of the ICT4Agri for various farm management were general in nature and mostly facilitated information push towards farmers as opposed to allowing for a bidirectional flow of information. Only a few personalized and contextualized MISs for day-to-day management of farms existed. Besides their abundance, adoption, and use, challenges still exist due to the generalized nature in which system designers and developers conceptualize the ICT4Agri artefacts. With the objective of finding out if a more contextualized Agricultural farm Management Information System was better than the generalized Agricultural systems, we carried out an analysis of the current situation and designed, implemented, and tested a new integrated ICT4Agri dairy farm Management Information System. The system was co-designed with five purposefully selected ICT literate dairy farmers from the North rift counties of Kenya. Besides the presentation of the developed artefact, this paper presents the study results which showed that there is still need for compatible ICT agricultural systems which can allow farmers to process their own data by being allowed to have bidirectional movement of data and being able to create and use their own data. As a result, it was noted that there still exists a lot of opportunities for Agriculturaldigitization, especially if contextualization was to be factored in.
A COVID-19 SEIR model for people living with underlying medical conditions in Kenya
(nternational Journal of Statistics and Applied Mathematics, 2024-08-19) Iyaya CC Wanjala; George M Mocheche; Sitawa Wattanga
In this study we propose a modified SEIR mathematical transmission model with a focus on Kenyans living with underlying medical conditions. The research will rely on reported data from the Kenya Government’s Ministry of Health to fit the model parameters. The next generation matrix approach is employed to ascertain the level of infection or the stability condition of infection based on the basic reproduction number R that the model will determine. Results obtained will give predictions on the impact of the disease on the impact on impact of the disease on this group of people which will inform government in relation to prioritization of vaccination and other mitigating measures on policy formulation.
A model for evaluating e-learning systems quality in higher education in developing countries
(2024-07-17) Kennedy Hadullo; Robert Oboko; Elijah Omwenga
The rapid growth of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has brought about significant changes in the practice of e-learning globally. In recent years, there has been an increasing adoption of Learning Management System (LMS) assisted e-learning in higher education institutions (HEIs) in developing countries. Despite the perceived benefits attached to e-learning, several studies concur that there are still many challenges facing e-learning. These include but are not limited to: course development, assessment, learner support, institutional factors, user characteristics and overall performance. The overall implication is that that developing countries still lag behind in adopting ICTs in their education systems. Accordingly, further investigation into e-learning practices is required in order to fill in this gap of research. This study presents a model for evaluating LMS assisted e-learning through reviewing the existing elearning frameworks and models for quality evaluation. The review which was based on the six dimensions of quality and their constructs targeted: the P3 Course Evaluation Model, the PDPP evaluation model, the e-learning Quality Framework, the TMLE framework and the e-learning maturity model. A comprehensive e-learning quality evaluation model was obtained which is to be validated through a survey of 200 respondents from JKUAT university in Kenya by structured equation modeling.
A Study on the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic in African Universities
(2024-07-17) Elijah I. Omwenga; Peter M. F. Mbithi; John M. Muthama; John Mwarabu Chone
Abstract: This paper presents a study on how University students, lecturers, administrators and managers perceive the impacts of the of COVID-19 crisis on various aspects of University teaching and learning in Africa, and particularly in Kenya. The sudden closure of campuses as a preventive measure to community transmission shifted face-to-face classes to virtual learning modes. With a sample of 1,236 University students and staff from 18 universities in Kenya and Nigeria, the study reveals that amid the worldwide lockdown and transition to online learning, expectation by 44% of the students were met. Students were mainly concerned about issues to do with internet connectivity, computing devices and electrical power. In addition, utilising e-Learning tools and platforms for effective student engagement posed limitations of accessibility and affordability for many students. The teaching staff on the other hand were mainly concerned with access to the teaching resources, conducting online teaching, capacity to handle the online mode of teaching, devices and eContent development. The pandemic has exposed the shortcomings of the current higher education system and the need for enhanced policy formulation and implementation on digital infrastructure to adapt to the rapidly changing education ecosystem of the world. In the post-pandemic situation, the use of eLearning and virtual education may become an integral part of the higher education system. Key factors influencing students’ satisfaction with the role of their University are also identified as internet access, quality of e-content and e-content development. Policymakers, stakeholders and higher education institutions in Africa may benefit from these findings while formulating policy recommendations and strategies to support University teaching and learning during this and any future pandemics. Universities need to plan the post-pandemic education and research strategies to ensure student learning outcomes and standards of educational quality.
Accessibility of Technical And Vocational Training Among Disabled People: Survey Of TVET Institutions In North Rift Region, Kenya
(Journal of Education and Practice, 2024-07-19) Titus Murgor; John Kosgei Changa’ch; Julius Kipkogei Keter
People with disabilities face particular challenges in education and training. Most of them are deprived of access to basic literacy and numeracy skills. They also face barriers that affect access to Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions some of them arising from the surrounding socio-economic environment and from mainstream TVET institutions. The main purpose of this paper was to assess barriers to accessibility of TVET institutions by disabled people in Kenya. The study was carried out in the North Rift Region of Kenya. The target population of the study consisted of the lectures and students with disabilities in 5 public TVET Institutions. Semi Structured Questionnaires were used as the main instruments for data collection. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics with the aid of SPSS IBM version 20. One of the most striking findings was that disabled students in TVET institutions are discriminated and isolated. Findings also indicated that the disabled students cannot access some of the school buildings; they are also barred from enrolling in TVET due to policies that provide cut off point marks or entry behavior to courses they desire to enroll in. It was also found that teachers had positive attitude toward the disabled students, contrary to the fact that students considered teachers to be unfriendly to them. Therefore, the paper recommended that skills training and instructional mechanisms must consider specific needs of youth with different types of disabilities before putting them together in regular class. Better coordination between the government and service providers could anticipate and mitigate this barrier. There is also the need for specialized training institutions to be upgraded and modernized, and mainstream training institutions be adjusted to include training of persons with disabilities.
Accessibility of Technical And Vocational Training Among Disabled People: Survey Of TVET Institutions In North Rift Region, Kenya
(Journal of Education and Practice, 2024-03-09) Titus Kiptoo Murgor; John Kosgei Changa’ch2; Julius Kipkogei Keter3
People with disabilities face particular challenges in education and training. Most of them are deprived of access to basic literacy and numeracy skills. They also face barriers that affect access to Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions some of them arising from the surrounding socio-economic environment and from mainstream TVET institutions. The main purpose of this paper was to assess barriers to accessibility of TVET institutions by disabled people in Kenya. The study was carried out in the North Rift Region of Kenya. The target population of the study consisted of the lectures and students with disabilities in 5 public TVET Institutions. Semi Structured Questionnaires were used as the main instruments for data collection. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics with the aid of SPSS IBM version 20. One of the most striking findings was that disabled students in TVET institutions are discriminated and isolated. Findings also indicated that the disabled students cannot access some of the school buildings; they are also barred from enrolling in TVET due to policies that provide cut off point marks or entry behavior to courses they desire to enroll in. It was also found that teachers had positive attitude toward the disabled students, contrary to the fact that students considered teachers to be unfriendly to them. Therefore, the paper recommended that skills training and instructional mechanisms must consider specific needs of youth with different types of disabilities before putting them together in regular class. Better coordination between the government and service providers could anticipate and mitigate this barrier. There is also the need for specialized training institutions to be upgraded and modernized, and mainstream training institutions be adjusted to include training of persons with disabilities.
Accessibility of Technical And Vocational Training Among Disabled People: Survey Of TVET Institutions In North Rift Region, Kenya
(2024-07-16) Titus Kiptoo Murgo; John Kosgei Changa’ch; Julius Kipkogei Keter
People with disabilities face particular challenges in education and training. Most of them are deprived of access to basic literacy and numeracy skills. They also face barriers that affect access to Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions some of them arising from the surrounding socio-economic environment and from mainstream TVET institutions. The main purpose of this paper was to assess barriers to accessibility of TVET institutions by disabled people in Kenya. The study was carried out in the North Rift Region of Kenya. The target population of the study consisted of the lectures and students with disabilities in 5 public TVET Institutions. Semi Structured Questionnaires were used as the main instruments for data collection. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics with the aid of SPSS IBM version 20. One of the most striking findings was that disabled students in TVET institutions are discriminated and isolated. Findings also indicated that the disabled students cannot access some of the school buildings; they are also barred from enrolling in TVET due to policies that provide cut off point marks or entry behavior to courses they desire to enroll in. It was also found that teachers had positive attitude toward the disabled students, contrary to the fact that students considered teachers to be unfriendly to them. Therefore, the paper recommended that skills training and instructional mechanisms must consider specific needs of youth with different types of disabilities before putting them together in regular class. Better coordination between the government and service providers could anticipate and mitigate this barrier. There is also the need for specialized training institutions to be upgraded and
Adoption of E-Health Records Management Systems as a Strategy to Improve Service Delivery in Public Hospitals in Kenya
(International Journal of Project Management, 2024-12-23) Raphael Nyonje; Lawrence Nduva Munyaka; Ndunge Kyalo; Mulwa Angeline
Purpose: To establish the extent to which the adoption of an electronic records management system influences service delivery in public hospitals in Kenya. Materials and Methods: A descriptive research method, correlational research design, and mixed method of research were employed. The target population was all the 1207 professional staff working in Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and Kenyatta National Hospital as well as 1841 outpatients treated in both hospitals between January and May. To select the 341 respondents of the research, a stratified random sampling technique was used. The researcher used secondary and primary data. Semi-structured questionnaires were distributed to the respondents to allow for the collection of primary data. Qualitative data was analyzed with the help of thematic analysis. Inferential and descriptive statistics were used in the analysis of quantitative data. Descriptive statistics that were used include mean, percentages, frequencies, and standard deviation. Inferential statistics that were used are multiple regression analysis, correlation analysis, and univariate regression analysis. Findings: The correlation analysis results showed that there exists a positive correlation between the utilization of electronic records management and service delivery in public hospitals (r=0.733, p-value=0.000). In addition, regression analysis results showed that the utilization of electronic records management had a positive influence on service delivery in public hospitals in Kenya (β=0.715, p-value=0.000). Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study recommends that public hospitals in Kenya should fully adopt and utilize electronic record management as a way of improving efficiency in service delivery in terms of waiting time and loss of files.
An assessment of the Training Needs of Smallholder Food Crop Farmers for Sustainable Farming in Teso-South Sub-County, Busia County – Kenya: A Gendered Analysis Approach
(2024-07-17) Carolyne Omulando; Morris Mwatu; Caren Jerop; Margaret Njeri Ngugi; Hilary Busolo
This study assessed the training needs of smallholders food crop farmers in Teso-South Sub-County of Busia County, Kenya. A gendered analysis approach was taken and three research questions were adopted, which were; What are the training needs of smallholders food crop farmers? What is the relationship between gender and previous training of smallholders’ food crop farmers? Is there a relationship between gender and training needs of smallholders’ food crop farmers? A survey research design was employed and a structured questionnaire with both closed and open ended question was used to collect data from 124 smallholders’ food crop farmers who were selected proportionately from the wards in Teso South Sub-County. The findings revealed that more male farmers (53.1%) have not received training compared to only 35.0% of female farmers. Most female farmers (65.0%) have received training compared to 46.9% of male farmers. The established farmers training needs included training in; seed selection/ Production, Crop management, Disaster management, Crop Diversification, and Using new methods of farming on the farm. A Chi-square test for independence (with Yates Continuity Correction) indicated no significant association between gender and previous training status of the smallholders farmers, χ2 (1, n = 124) = 3.42, p = .064, phi = – .18. Also, the relationship between gender and farmers total training needs was investigated using Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation (rho)which revealed a weak, negative correlation between the two variables, r = –.12, n = 121, p <.202, with gender association with farmers total training needs being low. The coefficient of determination indicated that gender helps to explains only 1.44% of variance in the training needs. It was concluded that gender should not be used as a basis for determining farmers training needs. The training needs for both gender are relatively the same.
Analysis of Farmers’ Perceptions of the Effects of Climate Change in Kenya
(AgEcon Search, 2024-02-19) Ndambiri H. K; Ritho C; Mbogoh S.G; Nyangweso P.M; Ng’ang’a S. I.; Muiruri E. J; Kipsat M. J; Kubowon; Cherotwo F. H; Omboto P. I
A cross-sectional analysis was carried out to evaluate how farmers in Kyuso District have perceived climate change. Data was collected from 246 farmers from six locations sampled out through a multistage and simple random sampling procedure. The logistic regression analysis was carried out to assess factors influencing farmers’ perceptions of climate change. The analysis revealed that 94% of farmers in Kyuso District had a perception that climate was changing. In this regard, age of the household head, gender, education, farming experience, household size, distance to the nearest input/output market, access to irrigation water, local agro-ecology, access to information on climate change, access to extension services, off farm income and change in temperature and precipitation were found to have significant influence on the probability of farmers to perceive climate change. Since the level of perception to climate change revealed by the study was found to be high (94%), the study suggests that more policy efforts should thus be geared towards helping farmers to adapt to climate change.
Assessing Identity Disclosure Risk in the Absence of Identified Datasets in the Public Domain
(East African Journal of Information Technology, 2024-07-17) Peter N. Muturi; Andrew M. Kahonge; Christopher K. Chepken
Data release is essential in supporting data analytics and secondary data analyses. However, data curators need to ensure the released datasets preserve data subjects’ privacy and retain analytical utility. Data privacy is achieved through the anonymisation of datasets before release.The risk of disclosure posed to the dataset should inform the level of anonymisation to be undertaken. As anonymisation achieves data privacy, it reduces the analytical utility of the dataset by introducing alterations to the original data values. Therefore, data curators require an appropriate estimate of the dataset’s identity disclosure risk to inform the required anonymisation that balances privacy and utility. The disclosure risk varies from one geographical region to another due to varying enabling factors. This paper assesses the disclosure risk and the enabling factors in an environment lacking identified datasets in the public domain. This study used a quasi-experimental design in carrying out an empirical identity disclosure test, where respondents were given an anonymised dataset and were required to disclose the identity of any of the records. The findings were that background knowledge of the released datasets was the primary enabler in the absence of identified datasets. Respondents could only disclose records in the dataset they had familiarity with. However, the disclosure risk was within an acceptable threshold. Therefore, the study concluded that in an environment lacking identified datasets in the public domain, reasonable anonymisation could achieve a balance of privacy and utility in datasets. The findings justify private data release able to support data analytics and secondary data analyses in environments lacking identified datasets in the public domain.
Assessment of Farmers’ Adaptation to the Effects of Climate Change in Kenya: the Case of Kyuso District
(Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development, 2024-01-12) Ndambiri H. K.; Ritho C.; Mbogoh S.G; Ng’ang’a S. I; Muiruri E. J; Nyangweso P.M; Kipsat M. J; Ogada J. O; Omboto P. I; Kefa C; Kubowon, P. C; Cherotwo F. H
The study was carried out to assess how farmers in Kyuso District have adapted to the effects of climate change. Survey data was collected from 246 farmers from six locations that were sampled out through a multistage and simple random sampling procedure. The probit regression model was fitted into the data in order to assess factors influencing farmers’ adaptation to the effects of climate change. The analysis revealed that 85% of the farmers had adapted in various ways to the effects of climate change. In this regard, the age of the farmer, gender, education, farming experience, farm income, access to climate information, household size, local agro-ecology, distance to input/output market, access to credit, access to water for irrigation, precipitation and temperature were found to have significant influence on the probability of farmers to adapt to climate change. The study suggests that more policy efforts should thus be geared towards helping all the farmers in the district to adapt to climate change.
Browder’s Theorem For Conditionally Totally Posinormal Operators
(Researchjournali’s, 2024-01-13) Beth Kiratu; Bernard Nzimbi; Stephen Luketero
In this paper we present results on Browder's theorem for conditionally totally posinormal operators using established results on kato type operators and polaroid operators.
Browder’s Theorem For Totally Posinormal Operators
(Researchjournali’s, 2024-04-08) Beth Kiratu; Bernard Nzimbi; Stephen Luketero
In our study we consider a higher class of Hilbert space operators, Posinormal operators introduced by C.Rhaly(1992).The purpose of this paper is to prove that if A is a Totally Posinormal operator such that σ(A − λI)|M = 0 ⟹ (A − λI) |M = 0 for every M ∈ Lat(A) and satisfies property(ab),then A satisfies Browder's theorem and generalized Browder’s theorem. We shall also prove that, if N is a nilpotent operator such that AN = NA,then Browder’s theorem holds for A + N.
Challenges Facing Adoption of Information Communication Technology in African Universities
(Journal of Education and Practice, 2024-01-12) Titus Kiptoo Murgor
A significant number of the universities and higher educational institutions have adopted the latest technology and implemented it productively, for the development of skilled human resource in respective area of specialization, as part of their responsibility. Information and communication Technology (ICT) has grown tremendously around the globe particularly in the developed nations of the world. This growth however appears to be relatively slower in the developing nations including African nations. The Partnership for Higher Education in Africa in a recent workshop survey indicated that while some governments have produced national policies on ICT, many others are yet to do so. As such, the most asked questions is; what are the challenges that hinder African universities to become efficient and effective in use of ICT as compared to developed nations. Keywords: ICT, universities, adoption, learning
Challenges Facing Adoption of Information Communication Technology in African Universities
(Journal of Education and Practice, 2024-07-19) Titus Murgor
A significant number of the universities and higher educational institutions have adopted the latest technology and implemented it productively, for the development of skilled human resource in respective area of specialization, as part of their responsibility. Information and communication Technology (ICT) has grown tremendously around the globe particularly in the developed nations of the world. This growth however appears to be relatively slower in the developing nations including African nations. The Partnership for Higher Education in Africa in a recent workshop survey indicated that while some governments have produced national policies on ICT, many others are yet to do so. As such, the most asked questions is; what are the challenges that hinder African universities to become efficient and effective in use of ICT as compared to developed nations.
Characteristic functions of some contraction operators
(International Journal of Statistics and Applied Mathematics 2024;, 2024-05-15) BM Nzimbi; BN Kiratu; SW Luketero
In this paper, we characterize some contraction operators in terms of their Sz.-Nagy-Foias model characteristic functions and their associated Toeplitz operators. 2010 Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary 47A05,47A11; Secondary 47B20,47A65.
Communication Channels as Implementation Determinants of Performance Management Framework in Kenya
(Journal of Education and Practice, 2024-02-02) Dr. Jane Sang
The purpose of this study to assess communication channels as implementation determinants of performance management framework In Kenya at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH). The communication theory was used to inform the study. This study adopted an explanatory design. The target sampled 510 respondents through simple random and stratified sampling Data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tools. Specifically Manova analysis, Correlation analysis, Factor analysis and SEMPATH model, with the help of SPSS /Amos model programme, were used to validate and test the hypotheses. Results of hypothesis testing indicate that communication have a significant relationship with implementation of performance management. This was supported by a strong correlation between communication and implementation of performance management. The study established that communication determine employee relationship with the implementation of performance management framework. It was therefore recommended that, to effectively manage the implementation of performance framework, an organization should put in place: the right communication strategies

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