International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Innovation

Artistic Representation in Petina Gappah’s the Book Of Memory

Nicodemus Ngeno — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Prison narratives are amongst the growing genres of global literature. Imprisonment has been in existence for a length of time now. The experiences of jailing authors is not something new, very many authors have been jailed as a result of dissimilar political, religious and social reasons. To the the system, the detention of these writers is geared towards 'killing' their Spirit thus making them give up their quest for liberation. Their sentencing though, has only physically encouraged them, making their intellect and thoughts to perforate the high prison walls. They air out their grievance through writing. The earliest forms of Prison narratives were, oral accounts shared among the inmates, and later on, the accounts were written for remembrance. The narratives put forth are autobiographies, poems, Letters and memoirs. Most of the writers narrated their experiences in custody. The written works form a link between the outer world and jail. This study open our eyes on the literariness of prison narratives in; Petina Gappah's The Book of Memory (2015). It endeavours to talk about the artistic expressions of prison life in the selected texts. The study will be a modest contribution to existing criticism of Prison Narratives.

Barriers to Shared Decision Making Between Healthcare Providers and Patients on Management of Chronic Diseases: A Study of One Referral Hospital in Kisumu County, Kenya

Claris Kavulani Kasamba, Abraham Kiprop Mulwo, Gloria Ooko — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Chronic diseases have become prevalent and are affecting the social-economic fibre of society. Communication is key in ensuring that patients have adequate information to manage their conditions. Shared decision-making would also enable patients to play an active role in their treatment. This study investigated communication between patients and doctors on management of chronic diseases at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH). This paper specifically focuses on the aspect of shared decision making. The study adopted the relativist-interpretivist paradigm and qualitative approach. The researchers used the case study method and interviewed 15 patients and 10 health providers. In addition, purposive and snowball sampling were used to identify respondents who were mainly drawn from willing participants of the support groups and patients. The data was generated by means of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Data analysis was done thematically. Findings of the study indicate that although health providers are aware of the importance of shared decision making in the management of chronic diseases most of them are not willing to engage the patients and their caregivers. Patients on the other hand feared having their voices heard since they fear taking responsibility if something went wrong. They also believe they lack the knowledge to make informed choices. This study will inform policy makers in health particularly regarding the management of chronic diseases and will contribute towards the promotion of quality healthcare.

The Role of Health Education in Covid 19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Outpatients in Kericho County, Kenya. An Institution Based Cross Sectional Survey

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Vaccine hesitancy is a global health issue. It is known to undermine the efforts of relief agencies and humanitarian institutions to control the spread of Covid 19 pandemic and attain herd immunity, hence leading to prolonged public health, social, and economic consequences. The aim of the study was to assess Covid-19 vaccination hesitancy rate among individuals residing in Kericho County, and the role of mass education in vaccine hesitancy. Health facility based cross sectional study was carried out among participants who had access to mass health education on Covid 19 disease. The 5Cs psychological antecedents of vaccination model was used to construct variables based on the five dimensions of confidence, convenience, complacency, risk calculations and collective responsibilities. Simple random sampling and proportionate probability to size were used to select 1200 participants. Structured questionnaires were used during the study period. Data was analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 26. Binary regression model was used to establish the nature of association between the study variables. The study found that those having confidence in the safety of the vaccine had lower likelihood of accepting it (AoR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.37 – 0.86, p = 0.008), while a higher likelihood of accepting Covid 19 vaccine was observed among those who were well informed about it (AoR = 2.78, 95% CI: 1.78-4.31, p < 0.001) and those who thought that getting the vaccine was important (AoR = 7.78, 95% CI: 2.74 – 22.12, P < 0.001). Therefore, health education can potentially improve the confidence about Covid 19 vaccine but not complacency about the vaccine.

Bridging the Gap: Can Mass Health Education Reduce Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy?

Calvince Otieno Anino — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction: Vaccine hesitancy is one of the top ten threats to global health. In Kenya, recent data suggests high levels of vaccine hesitancy. The study focused on assessing Covid-19 vaccination among individuals residing in Kericho County, Kenya while considering the potential role of mass education in vaccine hesitancy.

Methods: The study adopted the psychological antecedents of vaccination model to carry out a descriptive cross sectional survey of 1200 persons who attended outpatient services in sub-County hospitals. Simple random sampling was adopted and probability proportionate to size was ensured during sampling. Data was analyzed using proportion and chi-square tests.

Results: Participants who received health education had lower vaccine hesitancy. The study observed association between health education and socio-demographic and economic factors (P = < 0.001). A positive correlation between health education and confidence in vaccine safety, efficacy, trust in healthcare professionals, and trust in religious/cultural beliefs regarding vaccines was observed. The study further observed association between health education and reduced hesitancy across all complacency-related variables, convenience and constraint, collective responsibility and risk calculations.

Conclusion: While health education likely played a role in promoting vaccine acceptance, its effectiveness may be influenced by individual characteristics.

Metaphysical Postulates in Kenyan Education System: Are Learners Imbued with What Is Desirable?

Justine Mukhungulu Maira, Eliud Ominde — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Metaphysical postulates of education are those attributes of education that render the process of education universally valid. The three metaphysical postulates the paper focuses on are: truth, goodness and unity which anchor knowledge, values and skills, in education. The Kenyan education system faces political, social and economic problems because of how metaphysical postulates are addressed. The paper analyses the metaphysical postulates and concludes that philosophy of education should be interspersed in the education system with a view to changing the attitude of learners to be better and responsible citizens who shun corruption. It is recommended that evaluation of the metaphysical postulates should form that basis of any curriculum and further studies in this area are vital.

How Illocutionary Acts Reflect the Cultural Practices of the Participant at The County Assembly of Bomet

Hellen Rotich — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This paper examined the debates at the County Assembly of Bomet in order to establish the ways in which the performance of illocutionary acts help in revealing the cultural practices of the Kipsigis community. The use of speech acts varies across different contexts and this variability has been noted to cause communication breakdown in some speech situations. Effective communication is possible when interlocutors share the same cultural background which enables them to interpret speech utterances appropriately. The objective of the study was to examine the ways in which the use of speech acts by the debaters reflected the cultural practices of the Kipsigis community where the debaters were socialized. The study used Austin’s (1962) Speech Act Theory and the Five Categories of Speech Acts identified by Searle (2005), which include directives, expressives, commissives, declaratives, and assertives. The study also incorporated insights in the study of speech acts from Sotillo (2017). The study purposefully sampled three motions from the Hansards recorded between the year 2013 and 2017. The data was downloaded from Bomet County Assembly’s website. The data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that every utterance produced by the debaters in the County Assembly could be categorized under one of the major categories of speech acts proposed by Searle (1969). The results further showed that the Kipsigis cultural practices are brought to the fore by the arguers as they try to justify their claims

New Don Assimilation into Organizational Culture: A Case Study of Nursing Faculty from Two Institutions of Higher Learning in Kenya

Simon Macharia Kamau, Rose Jelangat Rotich — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Whereas expert clinical nurses were needed to fill nurse educator vacancies, academia had fairly different requirements, expectations and responsibilities as compared to clinical practice. The transition from the industry to academia could come as a shock to some. Theassimilation ofnew faculty into organizational culture often left long lasting impressions.

Aim:The study explores the nuanced dynamics the new faculty goes through before settling

Objectives:(a) To examine the respondent’s lived experiences within their nursing programs as novice nursing faculty. (b) To capture the respondent’s lived experiences as new nursing faculty in relation the ‘Assimilation Theory and Organizational Culture’.

Methods: This is a cross sectional descriptive qualitative study that utilizes theory as a guide while looking at how the new nursing faculties got assimilated into their workplace in two institutions of higher learning in Kenya.

Results:Shown that it was challenging for those transitioning from nursing practice to nursing academia. New nursing faculties were expected to understand and adapt to the work environment in the university as soon as possible. Anyhowly, they were expected to ‘hit the ground running’. Experiences varied from: ‘disillusionment’, ‘culture shock’ through to ‘loss of identity’ to ‘what did I get myself into?’ among others.

Conclusion & recommendation: New faculty needed help in order to make positive social change, but the reality from this study was that a good number of faculties had a less than smooth transition.

Philosophy for Children as a Mediator of Internal Locus Control

Eliud Ominde, Janet Surum — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The objective of this paper is to explore the application of Philosophy for Children (P4C) as a distinguishable curriculum design and pedagogy in enhancing creative and critical thinking among learners. This can be achieved by capitalizing on children curiosity to engage them in philosophical discussions of conflicting points of view to nurture clearer reasons and justifications for their opinions through critical inquiry. The study found out that Philosophy for Children pedagogy is essential in enhancing internal locus of control, which refers to an individual’s belief about control over issues that they face in life. Locus of control largely influences the lives of school going children, principally because their decisions in relation to academic achievement, career choices, interpersonal relationships, and health are affected by their awareness of control. The methodological approach of this paper is philosophical analysis. This study is of great significance in enhancing critical thinking and creativity among the children through the various discussions in the Community of Inquiry. Additionally, the study is essential in promoting the internal locus of control that is salient in cultivating an attitude of self-belief among the learners that they have the control and can influence the outcome of their experiences at the school thus boosting their self-confidence, self-efficacy and academic achievement.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices on Nutrition Status Among Pregnant Mothers Attending Maternal Child Health Clinic in Kakuma Sub-County Hospital

Joseph Nangero, Calvince Otieno Anino, Phanice Kerubo Omari — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

ABSTRACT

Maternal undernutrition is a public health problem that requires more attention. Being aware of a diversified and nutritious diet is paramount to the overall health of a pregnant woman. This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude, and practices on nutrition status among pregnant women attending maternal and child health clinics at Kakuma Sub-County Hospital, Turkana West. A facility-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among 186 participants who were selected using a systematic random sampling which consisted of questions on socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics, knowledge, attitude, and practices on nutrition. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23. Binary logistic regression analysis was done to identify the associated factors. The findings were reported as crude odds ratio (COR). Statistical significance was considered using a p- value < 0.05 at a 95% confidence interval. The results from binary regression analysis indicated that the factors that were positively associated with maternal nutrition were minimum meal frequency (COR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.23 - 0.97, p = 0.042), gestation (COR = 3.02, 95% CI: 1.38 - 6.62, p = 0.006), occupation (COR = 2.62, 95% CI: 1.30 - 5.28, p = 0.007), use of fruits and vegetables (COR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.16 - 0.72, p = 0.005) and nutritional education (COR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.286 - 0.93, p = 0.028). In addition to the maternal knowledge of nutrition, the study revealed that demographic traits such as occupation and gestation period were important predictors of the nutrition status of a mother during pregnancy. Therefore, targeted health education intervention should be considered for better nutritional outcomes among pregnant mothers.

Content Validity Assessment and Outcomes of Kenya Clinical Officers Pre-Internship Licensure Examinations

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

As part of quality assurance, Clinical Officers Council (COC) conducted the content validity assessment of Kenyan Clinical Officers to determine the association between the program type and the dimensions of professional competence questions, the dimensions of professional competence, assessment of the cognitive level of the test items, evaluate how practitioners rate the relevance of the test items and the subsequent performance by candidates. The cross-sectional study adopted both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Purposive sampling of test items from five examination series conducted between 2018 and 2021 were used. Appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Results showed a highly significant association between the program type and the dimension of professional competency of the test item question (X²(3, N = 600) = 24.567, p < .0005). Overall, majority (78%& 82%) of test items were found to be relevant both Degree and Diploma examinations (I-CVI, 0.78). Most of the Degree and Diploma test items reached a good reliability with Cronbach’s Alpha (0.873 and 0.835), while the test items on cognitive level reached an excellent Cronbach’s Alpha reliability (0.972 and 0.988), respectively. Since the Cronbach’s Alpha reliability coefficient values for the test items were above the acceptable minimum of 0.70 for most social research situations, all the test items were therefore worthy of retention. Practitioners found 96% of health sytems management and 76% of the community health test items to be relevant, unlike relatively lower percentages reported by post-interns. There was subsequent notable improvement (from 55% to 58%) in the mean scores in most Universities. Revision of COC examination policy to improve examination standards and performance, professional competence, validity, cognitive level, capacity building, best timing and collaborative development of a guiding examination blue print is recommended

Determinants Of Behavioural Intention to Adopt Food Safety Principles Among Vegetable Growers in Punjab India and Nakuru, Kenya: The Case of Good Agricultural Practices (Gaps)

Carolyne Cherotich, Manmeet Kaur — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) is a well-structured framework embraced voluntarily to ensure food safety along the entire vegetable value chain. Limited research has explored the perspective of vegetable growers’ perspectives across distinct countries and continents regarding GAP. To address this gap, our study sought to understand the factors influencing the vegetable growers’ inclination to adopt GAP in Punjab State, India and Nakuru County, Kenya. The target population for the study was 1000 vegetable growers. A sample size of 200 vegetable growers was arrived at by use of Cochran Formula. Employing an ex-post facto study design, we collected primary data through surveys conducted with 200 randomly selected vegetable growers evenly split between Punjab and Nakuru. Utilizing an interview schedule, we assessed the determinants influencing growers’ intention to adopt GAP, ranking them using the Relative Importance Index (RII). Correlation of behavioural intention on determinants and behavioural intention multiple regression on determinants were also analysed. Predominantly, growers highlighted production costs, market exclusivity, training, government support, and labour accessibility as pivotal factors influencing their GAP adoption. There was a statistically significant linear relationship between adoption determinants and behavioural intention in Punjab (r=-.225*, p < .024) and in Nakuru (r=.275**, p < .006). The overall adequacy of the multiple regression model within Punjab state did not reach statistical significance, as evidenced by an F-statistic of 1.699, yielding a p-value of 0.661 (F (15, 84) = 1.699, p = 0.066), whereas the overall model fitness within Nakuru County exhibited statistical significance, evident from an F-statistic of 8.042 with a p-value less than 0.0005 (F (15, 84) = 8.042, p < 0.0005). Consequently, the study offers essential policy implications concerning GAP utilization within the agricultural sectors of India and Kenya.

Estimation of Food Demand in Tobacco and Sugarcane Production Zones in Migori County, Kenya

Erick Anino, Vincent Ngeno, Alfred Serem — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study estimated food demand in tobacco and sugarcane production zones in Migori county on 8 aggregated foods using an online data kit with a pre-loaded structured questionnaire and Stata was used in data analysis. Results revealed all eight food categories analyzed were elastic in nature and livestock products had the highest elasticity while cereals had the least elasticity amongst all the food groups with each one of them classified as normal goods. Marshallian elasticities of all aggregated foods were negative and equally price elasticities on all food groups was unit elastic with livestock products lowest at -0.834 and cereals highest -0.856. The county government should prevent monopolistic actions to ensure competitive prices by promoting transparency in quality and pricing across food groups through Migori county food committee to avoid distortion on consumer choices.

Strategic Language Classroom Pedagogies for Addressing Diverselearner’s Linguistic Needs

Solomon Kaptingei — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This paper targets to assess the instructional strategies adopted by English language teachers confront the many challenges encountered during teaching experiences especially where linguistic diversity is a reality. The paper was guided by ascertain individual instructors belief actions that dictates inside the language classrooms instructional activities. Rationally, the study cognized that language teaching is a complex process especially in classrooms is characterised by linguistic diversity. In addition, learners have varied linguistic abilities and therefore require special attention of every language teacher. The investigation was carried out amongst one hundred and twenty teachers of grade four drawn from Wareng Sub-County which is largely cosmopolitan in UasinGishu County. In order to obtain results selection was done amongst the respondents randomly and schools were stratified accordingly for purpose of authentic selection. Teachers selected responded to questionnaire administered to them. Detailed interviews were carried out with the selected language teachers who gave data that were analyses qualitatively. The study found that teachers in Wareng Sub-county of Uasin Gishu County employ various linguistic instructional strategies to deal with the issue of students having diverse linguistic needs in language classrooms. Majority of the teachers in the sub-county explore active sense-based environment among the pupils in the teaching of listening or speaking while others separate learners based on their ability to read.

The Case of Legal Literacy for Teacher Education in Kenya

Eliud Ominde — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Legal literacy refers to an indispensable knowledge on legal matters that have a direct bearing on an individual’s responsibilities which enable them to function well in circumstances where relevant laws apply. In a true sense, legal issues that teachers encounter are the same ones bedeviling the society at large. The need to include legal literacy in teacher education is informed by the fact that cases involving school laws seldom address simple school related disagreements or right against wrong, but somewhat intricate issues surrounding the differing interests of students, parents, teachers the state and administrators within the school set up. Teachers are placed at a precarious position since they are entrusted with tremendous responsibilities of making resolutions that affect the civil liberties of students, parents and colleagues for those in administrative positions. For that reason, educators cannot afford to be ignorant of the edict since lack of legal understanding can lead to a superfluous risk exposure. The study employed cross-sectional survey design that made it possible for the researchers to collect data at a given point in time and allow for an investigation of the present level of legal literacy among Kenyan educators. The design also allowed for a comparison of the level of legal literacy between new and experienced teachers

The Grave World of Trevor Noah’s Serio-Comedy: Intersection between Apartheid Nuances and the Autobiographical

Robert Wesonga — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In the past several years – two decades at the very least – the appetite for laughter in Africa has inspired the emergence of a fascinating artistic and business opportunity: the comedy industry. Consequently, standup comedy as a performed art has gained currency in Africa. Initially, the dominant designs of comedy on the continent’s performing arts landscape included mainly slapstick TV comedy, caricature and art by street jesters. Like any other form of performed art, standup comedy has invariably been appropriated to reflect (on) the triumphs, aspirations, dilemmas and struggles of the African people. This background has made scholarly inquiry into this genre of comedy necessary. As such, this paper seeks to investigate the work of a South African standup comedian, Trevor Noah, as serious (and beyond comedy art) that discourses over grave issues affecting his life and the lives of those within the immediate society in which he lived in apartheid South Africa and by extension, post-apartheid South Africa. The paper shall also examine how this comedian uses his art to find space in America as an emigrant. Noah’s work falls in the category of cultural productions that are referred to as the art of “the serio-comic” (Ruganda, 1996). The paper shall interrogate Noah’s presentation of, and commentary on the serious in a humourous way through the theoretical framework of the classical theories of humour, namely: superiority theory, incongruity theory and relief theory. The superiority theory shall be appropriated to read laughter as an expression of power and/or aggression over the other; the incongruity paradigm to read laughter as an act resulting out of discordance between two words, two sets of statements or ideas; and the relief theory to interpret laughter as a form of release of tension that builds up in the course of a humourous construction. This paper shall strive to examine how the foregoing functions of humour are used by the artist to make commentary on grave issues in his comedy. Finally, it will interrogate the various tropes of time and space that Trevor Noah uses to articulate his comedic truths.

Trends in the Framing of Climate Change Issues in Selected Print Media in Kenya

Edith Jelagat Biwott, Abraham K. Mulwo, Erneo N. Nyamboga — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Presenting messages in the newspapers entails a deliberate process of careful selection of language and words to ensure specific messages or meanings are conveyed to the public. This choice of words represents the structures that the media uses to paint or project certain images. These projections can impact how people interpret issues as well as how policy makers conceptualize ideas. This paper sought to explore the current trends in the framing of climate change issues in the selected print media. Specifically it sought to find out the triggers of climate change stories, the authorship of climate change articles, the temporal distance of climate change issues, sources cited, attribution of blame, as well as the geographical focus. A qualitative content analysis was carried out on selected newspapers in Kenya for a period of five years(2013 to 2017). The study findings showed that there were no consistent authors of climate change stories. Most of the articles in both newspapers were opinion pieces. The findings indicated that the climate change issue is framed as an immediate challenge, caused by them (developed countries) versus us (developing countries), whose solutions are found at the corporate level (international bodies/governments) rather than individual level, and the responsibility and blame for climate change and its effects is placed on the developed countries whereas the developing countries are depicted as victims.Given the power of the media to shape public perception through framing, the dominance of certain frames and sources in the media can have a significant impact on climate change policy making. The authors therefore need to be keen on the frames they use and the ultimate agenda they sell through these frames.