Indexing

Abstract: The memories of the events of the 2007 post-election violence that ravaged the country, still brings a lot of pain to many Kenyans. Despite the use of diverse peace building strategies in the region over the years, sustainable peace is yet to be achieved. This situation generated questions as to whether the peace building strategies used were truly effective. This study examined the types and nature of peace building strategies used in Uasin Gishu County after the 2007 post-election violence. Four humanitarian organizations that were active in peace building efforts in the county were involved in the study. The humanitarian organizations studied were the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (CJPC), Rural Women Peace Link (RWPL), Wareng Youth Initiative for Peace and Development (WYIPD) and Africa Sports and Talents Empowerment Program (ASTEP-Kenya). The conceptual framework of the study was drawn from the Conflict Transformation and Human Needs theories. Descriptive and exploratory designs were used in the study, as well as the quantitative and qualitative approaches. The study population was 894,406. A sample size of 400 respondents was used. This study adopted stratified sampling procedure. The target population was split into three stratums and from each stratum, simple random sampling procedure was applied to arrive at the final sample.  The research information was collected using questionnaires, interviews, observation and secondary data. The study used Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to analyze quantitative data while the qualitative data was thematically analyzed. The findings of the study indicated that various peace building strategies were used. The findings point to the need for organizations to use diverse peace building strategies that endear to all population groups.

Abstract: Groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.) is a major annual oilseed crop and its economic makes the crop a beneficial enterprise for rural farmers in Ndhiwa Sub-County.  With the constraints on land due to increased population and emergence of other enterprises such as sugarcane farming, groundnut remains a dominant crop in the area and continues to play a critical role as a source of income to the rural farmers. The study focused on profitability of groundnut production in Ndhiwa Sub-County, Kenya. Purposive, multistage and simple random sampling was used in the study.  Data on production characteristics of farmers, groundnut yield levels, total input costs (variable) and revenues earned were obtained from 323 farmers and analyzed. Document analysis was used to collate and analyze secondary data. The operational cost and returns of groundnuts production were determined through Gross Margin (GM) and return on investment analysis. Secondary and primary data collected was collated, cleaned and coded for electronic entry and analysis. Groundnut was mainly grown in small scale with the average area under groundnut being 0.32 ha under.  The average gross income from groundnut production was KES 34,268 per hectare from a mean output of 659 kilograms. Groundnut was found to be profitable in the area since it had a positive gross margin.

Abstract:Poor productivity of the workforce creates a greater impact on organizational performance in the Public sector. Although, there is no commonly agreed criterion to measure both workforce productivity and organizational productivity in the public sector, this study intends to examine the workforce productivity of the public sector in Sri Lanka. Many public sector enterprises in Sri Lanka make losses due to lower productivity. The main objective of this study is to identify the factors affecting the workforce productivity of the public sector with special reference to Public Management Assistant Service of the Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs in Sri Lanka.  The Public management Assistant service has been selected in this study as they are the facilitators to the tasks of officers in executive levels of the public institutions. A convenient sample of hundred management assistants among 400  officials was selected in the Ministry which is the  Centre of Civil Administration facilitates and coordinates services related to the Public Administration, District Administration, Divisional Administration, Village Administration, Civil Registration and Employees’ Welfare. A structured questionnaire was distributed during January and February 2015. The reliability of the data was ensured by undertaking a pilot study and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Spearman’s correlation with simple multiple regression analysis was used to examine the factors affecting the workforce productivity.  The test results indicate that the individual characteristics (p0.05), Job characteristics (p0.05), Supervision (p 0.01), Communication, (p  0.05), Training (p  0.05) and Work environment (p  0.05) were significantly associated with the public servants’ productivity.  These six factors explain 80.5% of variance of the productivity of the public sector. Based on the findings, policy measures are suggested for improving the employee productivity of the public sector in Sri Lanka.

Abstract: Conflicts necessitate peace building more than ever before in the history of humanity. The main purpose of this study was to interrogate the contribution of the Catholic Church in peace building challenges in Kenya, with reference to Kakamega County. Specific objectives of the study were to: examine the involvement of the Catholic Church in peace building in Kakamega of Kenya before 2007; assess the Catholic Church’s peace building strategies in Kakamega County since PEV of 2007; and evaluate the challenges facing the Catholic Church in her contribution towards peace building in Kakamega County. The justification for this study is that there are various studies done on Kakamega County but hardly have they dwelt on the management of conflicts and particularly the contribution of the Catholic Church. This is a major gap that this study seeks to fill. The research was guided by two theories: Functionalism theory by Emile Durkheim which stresses social solidarity and structural peace theory by [1]. These two theories guided the development of the conceptual model for this study. This research systematically handled the research problem by embracing descriptive/survey design. The descriptive design utilizes the strength of both qualitative and quantitative research. Questionnaires, interviews and observation methods were used to collect primary data while secondary data was obtained through document analysis and internet sources. The research targeted 400 respondents who included 12 clergies, 384 laities, two NGOs and two government officials. Both probability and non-probability sampling techniques were used. A pilot study was carried out to establish the reliability and validity of the instruments. The data collected was coded and arranged in themes in relation to the objectives and the findings were then analysed using SPSS. The findings were then presented using tables, pie charts, maps, figures and thematic narrative technique based on the objectives of the study. Notwithstanding the challenge of ethnicity and corruption, the church has done a commendable contribution in peace building. The main finding from the study is that, peace building in the Catholic Church in Kakamega County is more than addressing direct violence. Instead, the church takes a holistic approach and multi-pronged strategies to peace building. Apart from adding unto the existing knowledge, on the contribution of the Catholic Church on peace building, this study would also be of benefit to policy makers, academicians and the Catholic Church in Kakamega as well as in Kenya at large.  It is hoped that the findings will help the church to re-evaluate and improve on her peace-building strategies. The key recommendations of the study is that; the church has to intensify its strategies of peace building, to intervene in the conflicts in the sugar industry within the region and reach out to a myriad of groups which are more vulnerable to manipulation by the political class. The church has to also incorporate traditional peace building strategies which may have eroded during the colonial era.

Abstract: In a world marred by conflicts, peace building has become more urgent than ever before in the history of humanity. The Catholic Church has not been left behind in working for peace in collaboration with other stakeholders. The main purpose of this study was to interrogate the contribution of the Catholic Church in peace building in Kenya, with reference to Kakamega County. Specific objectives of the study were to: examine the involvement of the Catholic Church in peace building in Kakamega of Kenya before 2007; assess the Catholic Church’s peace building strategies in Kakamega County since PEV of 2007; and evaluate the challenges facing the Catholic Church in her contribution towards peace building in Kakamega County. The justification for this study is that there are various studies done on Kakamega County but hardly have they dwelt on the management of conflicts and particularly the contribution of the Catholic Church. This is a major gap that this study seeks to fill. The research was guided by two theories: Functionalism theory by Emile Durkheim which stresses social solidarity and structural peace theory by [1]. These two theories guided the development of the conceptual model for this study. This research systematically handled the research problem by embracing descriptive/survey design. The descriptive design utilizes the strength of both qualitative and quantitative research. Questionnaires, interviews and observation methods were used to collect primary data while secondary data was obtained through document analysis and internet sources. The research targeted 400 respondents who included 12 clergy, 384 laity, two NGOs and two government officials. Both probability and non-probability sampling techniques were used. A pilot study was carried out to establish the reliability and validity of the instruments. The data collected was coded and arranged in themes in relation to the objectives and the findings were then analyzed using SPSS. The findings were then presented using tables, pie charts, maps, figures and thematic narrative technique based on the objectives of the study. Notwithstanding the challenge of ethnicity and corruption, the church has done a commendable contribution in peace building. The main finding from the study is that, peace building in the Catholic Church in Kakamega County is more than addressing direct violence. Instead, the church takes a holistic approach and multi-pronged strategies to peace building. Apart from adding unto the existing knowledge, on the contribution of the Catholic Church on peace building, this study would also be of benefit to policy makers, academicians and the Catholic Church in Kakamega as well as in Kenya at large.  It is hoped that the findings will help the church to re-evaluate and improve on her peace-building strategies. The key recommendations of the study is that; the church has to intensify its strategies of peace building, to intervene in the conflicts in the sugar industry in the region and reach out to boda boda groups which are more vulnerable to manipulation by the political class. The church has to also incorporate traditional peace building strategies which may have eroded during the colonial era.

Abstract:  This paper has attempted to investigate the political participation of the rural women and their actual condition in the panchayati raj institutions in the Ujjain district of Madhya Pradesh. The study is based on primary data which has been collected from the Elected Women Representatives of various blocks of Ujjain district(as per 2009-10 panchayat elections) and also to explore, whether the women have been empowered after getting a 50% reservation at the grassroots level. This study has also revealed that after connecting with the panchayat whether the level of women’s social status have increased or not and also analyse the impediments factors faced by the women in the working of panchayat.

Abstract: The crucial role of education in the overall development of a nation cannot be overemphasized. It is not only seen as a key to poverty reduction and vehicle for promoting equity, fairness and social justice but also helps to supply the essential human capital which is a paramount condition for sustained economic development. The basic objective of this paper investigates the authenticity of education being the pathway to sustainable economic development in Nigeria, using annual time series data from 1981 to 2014. The paper employs OLS methodology using Cobb Douglas production with white heteroskedasticity testing, wald test analysis and breusch pagan godfrey autocorrelation test. The results shows that  considering the magnitude 1% increase in RGDP (proxy Economic growth) is brought about by 118% increase in (GFCF) gross fixed capital formation, 114% increase in (TEXPEDU) total expenditure on education, 22% increase in total recurrent expenditure on education (TREXPEDU) and 0.00095% increase in (TLBF), total labour force.  R2 shows that 98% systematic variation in Real GDP is caused by variation in the explanatory variables. This indicates that there is, indeed a short and long-run relationship between education, and economic development. The findings have a strong implication on educational policy in Nigeria. The study seems to suggest that a concerted effort should be made by policymakers to enhance educational investment with a focus on human capital development in order to ensure and accelerate inclusive growth that would engender economic development.

Abstract: External actor involvement in peace building processes has historically been global. In contemporary times, this has happened in Europe namely in Kosovo, Bosnia and Yugoslavia. It has also happened in Asia, Latin America and Africa. In Africa, such cases were witnessed in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Somalia. Somalia has experienced one of the longest civil wars attributed to the collapse of the state in 1991 which resulted into the destruction of social fabrics and institutions necessary for governance making Somalia the most insecure and chaotic country in the world. In spite of its homogeneity of using the same language and adhering to the same religion, Somalia has remained an area with widespread lawlessness, insurgency, terrorism and human rights abuses topping the list of failed states index in the world. The study investigated the external actor involvement influencing peace building processes in Somalia. It explored to find out whether external actor involvement in peace building have been successful or not and the challenges facing it. The general objective was to evaluate the external actor involvement including state and non-state actors influencing peace building processes in Somalia. The study specifically undertook to explore the nature, assess the role and examine the challenges facing external actor involvement in Somalia peace building processes. This study was anchored within the power relations theoretical framework which brought out the different perspectives in state behaviour and interactions in the international system. It utilized a conceptual framework in analyzing power relations in external actor involvement in Somalia with emphasis on AMISOM, IGAD, Kenya and Ethiopia. The study was mainly conducted in Gedo area in the Southern parts of Somalia that borders with Kenya and Ethiopia and employed the questionnaire, Focus Group Discussion and semi-structured interview methods of data collection. The study was justified due to the fact that Somalia conflict has had major implications to global terrorism and regional insecurity affecting Kenya and Ethiopia directly as frontline states. In the conceptual framework, the study borrowed key tenets from the theory of realism and the neo functionalism theory. The study utilized the explanatory research design to obtain information concerning the current status of external actor involvement in peace building processes in Somalia. It used the purposive, stratified and snowball sampling techniques. A total of 392 people out of targeted 425 population participated in different ways in the information gathering processes for the study. The findings were presented descriptively. Ethically, the questions were framed in consideration of the willingness of respondents with regard to sensitivities associated with the conflicts and terrorist groups that have exploited the Somalia peace buildings. The study found out that the external actor involvement influencing peace building processes in Somalia are either military or civilian with uncoordinated and shared mandates. Their activities are ineffective because they are reconstruction oriented rather than recovery. This study has identified and addressed these gaps by way of recommendations to policy makers and scholars. The study recommends adoption of a lead agency in an integrated peace mission and multidimensional mission planning approach that would incorporate all the different actors characterizing the Somalia peace building context. This would ensure effective planning, coordination and execution processes by different external actors interested in a addressing the interdependence.

Abstract: The study examines the impact of telecommunication business on youth unemployment and poverty reduction in Zamfara State. The study intends to find out how telecommunication business activities have positively influenced the wellbeing of the young people. Data were collected using multistage sampling and purposive sampling techniques from 200 respondents in the study area. Data generated were analyzed using descriptive statistics, multiple least-squares regression model and logit regression analysis model. The result of the multiple least- square regression analyses showed that telecommunication business has significant influenced on youth employment in the study area. Similarly the result of the logit regression analysis also revealed that telecommunication business has significant influence on youth poverty reduction in the study. The study recommended for government interventions at all levels to encourage these youth in term of easy access to venture capital, telecommunications service provider quality service delivery and provision of appropriate youth telecommunication employed database.

Abstract: This paper endeavours to study award-winning writer Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s first full-length novel, The Mistress of Spices, that adopts a rather complex strategy for portraying diasporic identity, and elaborates on the success or failure (as analysed in the course of the paper) of the cinematic adaptation of the same. Named one of the best books of the 20th Century by the San Francisco Chronicle, the heroine Tilo provides spices, not only for cooking, but also for the homesickness and alienation that the Indian immigrants in her shop experience. The multi-dimensional themes of the novel primarily focus on the inner conflict between duty and love in Tilo’s life and the issues relating to the survival of the immigrant Indians in America. However, the cinematic rendition of the novel by director Mayeda and the scriptwriter Chadha bears a different look altogether, leaving the audience with a clear understanding that the adaptation is the film makers’ personal and political opinion not only about the novel but also about immigrant identity. Granted that in adaptation, a literal transposition of the novel is impossible, as diverse mediums of expressions are employed. However, in a successful cinematic adaptation of a literary text the resemblances have to be clearly distinguished. Unfortunately, The Mistress of Spices - the film - at times appears to be completely divorced from its original text. While the novel is beautifully reflects myriad shades of magical realist elements, the film prefers to ignore most of them, while also considerably minimising the ignoble reality of immigrant life that has been depicted in the novel. The film makers, rather, focus on a passionate love story, which brings together and blends together the East-West cultural dichotomies. At the end, the film leaves behind an aftertaste of a cosmetic display of Indian culture to impress the first world viewers. Yet, honestly enough, although Chadha and Berges’ film omits issues of cultural conflicts and imbues the film with shallow exoticism, it successfully reflects a visually appealing amalgamation of the East and the West.