Faculty of Education and Social Science(FESS)
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://erepository.kibu.ac.ke/handle/123456789/99
Browse
Browsing Faculty of Education and Social Science(FESS) by Title
Now showing 1 - 20 of 66
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item Access to basic education in Kenya: inherent concerns(Academic Journals, 2007-10-30) Odebero, Stephen O.; Maiyo, Julius K.; Mualuko, Ndiku J.Basic education being the minimum education that every Kenyan must have for progressive existence in society is a crucial factor. That is why Kenya subscribes to the international protocol that established Education for All (EFA) in Jomtien, Thailand 1990 and the world education forum in Dakar, Senegal, 2000. Since then, the Kenya Government in her Education Sector Strategic Plan and Sessional paper No. 1 of 2005 has articulated how to attain goals for education. For instance early childhood education which tries to ensure development of the whole personality of the child’s physical, mental, and socioemotional attributes faces challenges such as lack of access to early childhood education mostly caused by poverty, regional and gender disparities, policy framework, and HIV/AIDS among others. At primary school level where children stay longest in the schooling years and they develop more motor skill, further cognitive skills along with higher socialization than the early childhood education level, has children failing to access education due to poverty, gender imbalances, regional imbalances among other concerns. Secondary education which creates a human resource base higher than the primary education along with training youth for further education and the world of work registers restriction to many children due to concerns of poverty, gender imbalances, insecurity regional disparity among others. This article articulates in detail the above concerns discussing their manifestations in Kenya. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations made on how to improve access to basic education in Kenya. Among the recommendations are: To make basic education free and compulsory, improve provision of health services, intensify fight against demeaning cultures, give special attention to children with disabilities, avail employment opportunities to the youth, assure security to all in conflict prone zones and tighten bursary disbursement procedures.Item The adequacy of instructional materials and physical facilities and their effects on quality of teacher preparation in emerging private primary teacher training colleges in Bungoma county, Kenya(2013-01) Likoko, Sarah; Mutsotso, Stanley; Nasongo, JosephThe research was carried out in eight private teacher training colleges in Western Province in Kenya. The study sample was selected through simple random and purposive sampling techniques. The sample comprised of eight college principals, 43 tutors and 416 second year teacher trainees. Pilot testing of the research instruments to establish how the sampled population would respond to the question items contained in the research instrument was very useful. Data was collected through questionnaires and observation checklists. The SPSS computer package was utilized in the analysis of descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages. The research findings were presented the results in form of frequency tables and pie-charts. The research established that the rapid emergence of private primary teacher training colleges had a negative impact on quality of teacher preparation. These institutions were faced with challenges such as; lack of adequate facilities like libraries and inadequate instructional materials. These factors continue to have negative effect on the quality of graduates producedItem Adult education learners’ recruitment: Challenges and prospects for re-engineered access to adult education in Kenya(Academic Journals, 2009-07) Mualuko, Ndiku J.; Muthamia, Hellen; Ipara, Isaac O.; Obaki, SamuelA research survey was designed to investigate the factor affecting participation of illiterate adults in adult education in Kenya and suggests ways to improve on the literacy levels. From the findings it was established that lack of conducive learning environments for adult learners, unavailability of enough instructional materials, negative attitude towards learning and shortage of professionally trained trainers for adult learners were some of the factors hindering many illiterate adults from participating in adult education programmes. It was recommended that the government and other agencies should take more responsibility in supporting adult education to make it more attractive to adult learners to attend the programmes by providing adequate funding and facilitating teacher training. The need for effective involvement of the learners in curriculum developed was emphasized.Item Ambiguity in translation of metaphors: A case of Dholuo and Kiswahili(African Journal of Education, Science and Technology, 2014) Oluoch, Stephen J.; Ipara, Isaac O.; Kobia, J. M.This study investigates ambiguity in the translation of Christian religious metaphors from Dholuo into Kiswahili through a pragmatic approach. Data is drawn from the sermons delivered in Dholuo and translated into Kiswahili. Sampled texts are analyzed and classified in a category referred to as ambiguity. The findings show various causes of ambiguity, mainly, socio-cultural differences and wrong inferences. This can be generalized to apply to translation problems associated with similar contexts. The article gives insight and suggestions in the application of pragmatic theories of communication in translation.Item An analysis of non-formal curricular activities in Mumias sub-county, Kenya(Human resource management academic research society, 2013-09-01) Oloo, Abisaki; Mutsotso, SN.; Poipoi, MosesThe presence of non-formal curricular activities in schools and the availability of resources that promote the same are indicators of possible implementation of NFCAS. Hence the focus of this study was to analyze the NFCAS offered in secondary schools in Mumias Sub-County, Kakamega County. In order to achieve the set objectives the researcher sought to establish the NFCAS that are available in secondary schools and the NFCAS that were popular, the adequacy of the facilities that promote NFCAS and the frequency of participation of students in NFCAS. Descriptive survey design was employed. Random sampling was undertaken to identify the school types while purposive sampling was used to select the respondents that were information rich. 16 schools, 22 heads of schools, 154 teachers, 1154 students and 1 District Quality Assurance and Standards Officer were derived from the total population. The NFCAs available included a variety of games and sports, clubs and societies and performing arts; Football, Netball and Volleyball were most popular games whereas basketball was the least popular The study concluded that student’s access to and participation in non- formal curriculum activities is limited due to lack of adequate facilities and unavailability of time. Recommendations of the study were that the scope of the activities be broadened to involve whole school populations and that schools strengthen their support of the activities. In conclusion the Ministry should ensure that guidelines on registration of schools based on availability of space be adhered to.Item Assessing argumentative normativity in the english medium Kenyan newspaper editorials from a linguistic-pragmatic approach(2012) Ben, Nyongesa; WekesaThe paper explores argumentative Normativity in the English medium newspaper editorials in Kenya. The paper aimed at establishing whether the editorials meet the logical, dialectal and rhetorical demands as aspects of Normativity. Four editorial texts were analysed from a Linguistic-Pragmatic approach. The Rhetorical Structure Theory and Text-Type Theory were used as descriptive tools. The findings show that editorials in the Kenyan newspaper discourse adhere to the classical structure of argumentation and that different clause relations signal the editorial structural components, opinion and arguments though implicitly. Interpersonal relations are preferred to ideational-textual relations. Pragmatically, editorials are written to shoulder the burden of proof; however, this is determined by the acceptability or unacceptability of the claim depending on the context and external constraints playing a role within the particular argumentative framework in which this claim is supposed to play its argumentative role.Item Assessment of lecturers perceptions on students-lecturers evaluations in universities in Kenya: a case study of Kibabii university(2018-11) Maiyo, Julius K.The common approach method of evaluating instruction in higher education classes is to have students provide feedback on "effectiveness" of learning in a given period. Evaluations generally request specific feedback on measures of teaching effectiveness and on particular aspects of a course, as well as global rating questions. Countless myths and misperceptions regarding course evaluations exist and inevitably influence faculty, university administrators and student perceptions. In spite of solid research to counter these assumptions, such beliefs persist and continue to spread. The study was envisaged to focus on assessing lecturers perceptions on students’ lecturer evaluations in universities. Its specific objectives were; to examine lecturers’ perception on students’ competence in evaluating their teaching effectiveness, to determine the influence of gender, experience, professionalism, departmental discussions and designation on lecturer’s perception of student’s competency in evaluating lecturers teaching effectiveness and to examine lecturer’s perceptions on the formative and summative purpose of students in the evaluations. The study was conducted in Kibabii University and targeted all the teaching staff of the University. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The data was collected using a questionnaire that was validated and reliability of 0.917 was attained. Data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results indicate that there was no significant difference between male and female lecturers about their perception on students’ evaluation. The study revealed that feedback on students’ evaluation helps lecturers to improve their teaching and interaction. The respondents disagreed that reports from the students’ evaluation be used for promotion and increment of their salary. The study concludes that inadequate instructional materials is among the key factors that affect the quality of teaching and learning. The study recommended that the University should provide adequate instructional materials and enhance conducive environment for learning.Item Cartoons can talk? visual analysis of cartoons on the 2007/2008 post-election violence in Kenya: a visual argumentation approach(Sage Publications, 2012-05) Wekesa, Ben; NyongesaThe growing influence of the visual media in contemporary society is quite alarming; hence, learning to explicate them is inevitable. This is a paradigm shift from verbal argumentation to visual argumentation. The aim of this article is to contribute to the understanding of visual analysis and visual literacy, a part of discourse analysis. Visuals employ a number of rhetorical devices; however, understanding the effectiveness of these devices is still a challenge. Adopting Visual Argumentation Theory, the article analyzes argumentation in cartoons on the post-election violence that rocked Kenya in 2007/2008. From the analyses, it is concluded that visuals can argue as simply and forcefully as their verbal counterparts. The blending of caricature and portraiture makes them even more explicit as portraiture denotes the characters so that we can recognize who they are; caricature ridicules them, analogy attributes actions to them in a satirical or sarcastic way, and cultural memory is needed to access the reference to the analogies. Visuals are designed to make the reader think not only about the event or the people being portrayed but also about the message being communicated. This means visuals have the ability to stretch the truth beyond caricature or mere amusement.Item Challenges faced by small and medium enterprises in accessing public contracts in Bondo, Kenya(International Journals of Multidisciplinary Research Academy, 2014-05-01) Olang'o, Abuya Joshua; Gerald, OndiekKenya Government has been in the forefront in advocating for the youth access to Government Contracts. This has been evidenced by the Presidential Directive on Youth Access to Govermnent contracts by allocating 10% of all public contracts to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Despite this preferential treatment of SMEs, comparative tallies of public contracts secured by SMEs in Bondo against those secured by large enterprises are still very small. The study objectives are to determine the main challenges faced by SMEs in accessing public sector contracts in Bondo District and determining the types of public contracts often secured by SMEs in Bondo District. The research design adopted was stratified random sampling of SMEs in which self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data. A sample size of 136 SMEs out of a population of 210 SMEs were selected. The collected data was analysed using descriptive statistics. From the study perceived corruption, large documentation level, inavailability of public contracts, lack of information access, lack of feedback, large lot sizes, existing framework arrangements, lack of capital, long procurement time-scales, bureaucratic procurement procedures, stringent selection criteria, inaccurate contract information, cost of tendering, poor business infrastructure unfavorable taxation regime and pre-qualification were the major challenges SMEs face in accessing public sector contracts in Bondo. Again the study found that SMEs in Bondo which to some extent secured public sector contracts were found to have mostly drawn their public contracts from the Office of the President, Local Authority, Roads & Public Works and Agriculture & Regional Development. In conclusion, there are still a number of challenges that SMEs in Bondo are facing in accessing public sector contracts. These challenges need to be addressed by both the government and SMEs management. To accomplish this, the study recommends that further research be carried on how these challenges could be reduced both by government contracting authorities and/or SMEs themselves. Further research could also be carried on the initiatives the government has put to facilitate SMEs access to public contracts. Research could also be done on contribution of the level of education of procurement officers in achieving value for money during public procurement.Item Challenges facing provision of integrated education for the disabled child in Webuye division, Bungoma east district Kenya(2009-01-01) Maiyo, Julius K.; Owiye, Joan A.The foundation of present day special education in Kenya dates as far back as 1968 when the government published sessional paper NO. 5 on special education. The paper laid out a public policy framework for children with disabilities such as hearing and visual impairment, mentally and physically handicapped and multiple handicaps (GoK, 2003). Among the key policies was the integration of disabled children into regular formal schools in order to enhance their participation in formal learning. Regrettably however, 40 years down the line, the government is yet to realize reasonable access of elementary education that can help liberate and make the disabled child self-reliance. The sector still faces challenges related to access, equity and quality. The study carried out in Webuye division, Bungoma East District, adopted a descriptive survey design specifi cally to analyze challenges facing provision of inclusive formal education to the disabled child. The relationship between the variables was explained using Rawlasian theory of justice. A total of 6 schools out of 104 were purposively sampled. Questionnaires and interview schedules and document analysis were used to collect data from education offi cers, heads and teachers of sampled schools. Analysis of data was done using statistical tools such as percentages and frequencies. Findings were presented using tables. It was concluded that, as much as the policy on special education is clearly laid out, for it has not been fully implemented. People’s attitude towards inclusive education remains wanting, and therefore, only a small fraction (3.4%) of public schools is offering inclusive education. The regular school curriculum is too academic oriented and the teachers are yet to embrace inclusive education. The study recommends that, the MoE adapts inclusive curriculum, examination and grading system. Comprehensive special schools should be established to cater for pre-school, primary school, high school and technical schooling to provide meaningful education to meet their needs.Item Challenges of open and distance learning in Kenya: the Case of public universities(2017) Opondo, Paul A.; Boit, John K.Kenyan education policy is based on a number of legislations including the constitution of Kenya (1961), Education Act (1968), Children Act (2001) and sessional paper no. 11 of 2005 on policy framework for education and training, among others, all of which commit the government to the provisions of at least 12 years of compulsory, free and continuous schooling to the Kenyan children (Government of Kenya, 2008). So far, however, no specific act or directive deals with Distance learning per se. Our policy on DE are far behind South Africa and even post-conflict Rwanda who have prepared very proactive policy documents to increase access via open and distance learning. This is due to various structural challenges that this paper attempts to discussItem Characterization of Kenyan ceramics for production of medium duty alumina firebrick incinerator linings(2018) Makokha, John W.; Kariuki, DK.; Mwitari, PG.The aim of this study was to evaluate locally available ceramic raw materials for the manufacture of Medium Duty Alumina Refractory Firebrick for incinerator lining.The clays were collected from two sites, Eburru in Nakuru County and Mukurwe-ini in Nyeri County in Kenya. Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer and X-Ray Diffraction analytical methods were used to determine the chemical composition of the respective clays before and after firing at 1000OC for two hours.Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer results revealed that Eburru Kaolin contained the highest amount of silica at72.64% SiO2but had the lowest of all other oxides. All the three raw materials were found to increase their oxide percentages after firing due to the loss in moisture and organic matter and reflected on their aluminasilica ratio. The X-Ray Diffraction results showed that the refractory formulated using the clays at a ratio of 2:2:1 Eburru Kaolin : Eburru Fireclay: Mukuruweini Ballclay attained good structural properties after firing at 1000OC for two hours and was comparable to commercial products in the market in addition to meeting the standards of a Medium Duty Refractory Firebrick.This is suitable for manufacture of incinerator linings.Item Communication constraints faced by staff in Kenyan public universities(2013-03) Mamuli, L.C.; Mutsotso, SN.; Butali, D.N; Odhiambo, O.This study sought to investigate effective communication constraints faced by staff in public universities. The study location wasin Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST), Kenya. The study sample involved 152 academic and administrative staff. Stratified random sampling techniques based on the respondents’ job descriptions were employed. Data collection involved use of questionnaires and secondary data for example, the University Act of 2007 and the employee survey findings of 2006. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and findings revealed that MMUST staff had experienced constraints in effectively communicating to other members of staff. The study identified the constraints in conveying messages citing lack of adequate working equipment and office spaceItem Contribution of continuing professional development for school managers on teacher management competencies of secondary school managers in Kenya(International Journal of Education and Research, 2016) Bulimo, Winnie A.; Ndiku, Judah M.; Maiyo, Julius K.Guided by the Learning Organizations’ theory of Peter Senge (1990) this paper sought to determine the difference between the contribution of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) on the teacher management competencies of the Heads of Department and the senior managers of secondary schools in Kenya. The study’s sample comprised of 443 respondents determined using the Cochran’s sample size formula, stratified random sampling and purposive sampling techniques. Data was analyzed using means and t-tests. The study found out that there was a significant difference in contribution of CPD to the HoDs and senior managers’ teacher management competencies. It concluded that there was a significant difference in contribution of CPD on teacher management competencies of the HoDs and the senior managers of secondary schools in Kenya.Item Contribution of microfinance in enhancing food access and coping strategy in aids-affected households in Kakamega county, Kenya(African Scholarly Science Communications Trust (ASSCAT), 2017) Ngala, CO.; Nguka, G.; Ong’anyi, PO.Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) pandemic increases a family’s food insecurity by reducing the family’s ability to produce food, which compromises their output and income. This reduces their food availability, accessibility and acquisition, and interferes with regular nutritional intake. In response, households develop various coping strategies, especially in the context of food shortages. Arguably, microfinance (MF) has been advocated by many as an antidote to disasters affecting the households in different disaster contexts, such as famine, poverty, and tsunami occurrences. This study, therefore, sought to find out the contribution of MF to AIDS-affected households in terms of food access and coping strategies in Kakamega County, Kenya. Specifically, the study determined the effect of MF on the proportion of income spent on food, and number of meals consumed in a day. It also sought to illuminate the coping strategies adopted by AIDS-affected households with and without MF in the context of food shortages. This study adopted both qualitative and quantitative approaches with an experimental framework. A sample of 404 AIDS-affected household heads was included in the study. Findings from descriptive and inferential analyses revealed that over 50% of AIDS-affected households before MF were spending their income on food irrespective of loan status, and there was a highly statistically significant difference in the proportion of income spent on food by affected households with and without MF. Those households with MF spent almost twice of their income on food compared to those without MF. There was also a highly statistically significant difference in the number of meals consumed between those households with and without MF, in favour of those with MF. Households with MF took relatively more meals. Lastly, households without MF adopted more severe coping strategies when faced with food shortages. The study concluded that affected households with MF had easy access to food, ate the required number of meals and adopted less severe coping strategies. This was because MF services came as a package of money, training and advisory on business and health-related issues, which did not only improve household income but also enhanced food access and enabled adoption of less severe coping strategies in AIDS-affected households in Kakamega County.Item Devolved governance in Kenya; is it a false start in democratic decentralization for development?(2015-01) Khaunya, Mukabi Frederick; Wawire, Barasa Peter; Chepng’eno, ViolaMany democracies world over, including Kenya have in recent years adopted devolution as a system of decentralization for development. In Kenya, this was after years of the post independence approach of Local Governments which still embraced a strong centralized governance structure and which had been meant to resolve the regional development challenges but apparently failed. This is evidenced by the challenges in Kenya have mainly associated with bureaucratic inefficiencies, lack of accountability and transparency, unequal distribution of national resources and minimal community participation in local development, amongst others. The Constitution of Kenya 2010 upon promulgation and enactment changed the Governance structure from a centralized unit to devolved sub-units known as the County Governments. It was expected that the onset of these devolved governments after the 2013 Elections and enactment of subsidiary laws would address these development challenges of the centralized governance that Kenya has faced since independence. Indeed currently, there is a deliberate effort by the National Government to equitably distribute resources through County Government quota disbursements, there is evidence of increased accountability arising from efforts of relevant ‘watchdog’ institutions and also community participation in development matters through appropriate institutional frameworks can be noted. However, despite these apparent positive realizations through County Governments’ establishments in Kenya, they to a larger extent seem to have been overshadowed and threatened by a number of challenges, four years after the enactment of the Constitution and a year into their decentralized functionality. Currently, most media houses in Kenya have so much of the negative reports about the County Governments that the impression given is that this form of decentralization in Kenya could be a false start if not a total failure. For example, it is currently being reported that a Governor in Embu County, Eastern Kenya has been impeached due to impropriety, the Auditor General’s report screams of massive impropriety in many Counties, a section of Governors have been summoned by the Senate to account for some specified allegations, striking citizens in some Counties over one issue or another, boycotts due to ‘irregular’ appointments by respective County Public Service Boards, the list is endless! It is in light of the aforementioned reports and the initial apparent development challenges of centralized governance that the paper seeks to measure the extent to which these challenges have been addressed after the decentralized devolved system of governance was introduced. The paper adopts a diagnostic approach based on desk research to investigate these Kenyan challenges, draws from expert opinion and does comparative analysis based on lessons from other devolved political systems in Africa and the world. The paper explores and discusses these challenges with a view of informing other world democracies that have or are on the verge of adopting this strategy of decentralization for development to be conscious of these pitfalls and design appropriate structures and a roll out framework for circumventing them. It also informs Constitutional development of devolved government structures. The paper establishes that the County Governments in Kenya have indeed made significant progress in involvement of stakeholders on development at County level, a realization of devolvement of funds, creation of employment opportunities, a more accountable political system and devolvement of certain key functions to the local level.This is commendable. However, the study establishes that the Counties have been faced with a myriad of challenges that indeed stand in the way of the realized achievements, namely lack of political goodwill, inadequate funding, ‘devolved’ corruption, nepotism, inability to absorb some devolved functions, mistrust among stakeholders, different implementers of devolution with varied cultures and approaches, devolved bureaucracy, a bloated workforce with duplication of duties and internal political supremacy wars. These County Governments are also threatened by an over bearing National Assembly and Executive, an overzealous County Assembly, deteriorating public goodwill and a weak legislature and institutional framework. It therefore concludes that the malaise of a centralized system of governance still lingers within this devolved system and until these challenges are addressed, no real benefits of devolution will be realized or even if so, sustained. The author recommends legislation to allow for a phased approach to devolution preferably on pilot basis starting with the fairly large County Governments and those with varied economic, social and demographic characteristics, more stringent anti corruption laws and an effective mechanism for community participation. The retention of the public service functions with the National Government to maintain a smooth transition in public service delivery and a stringent and coherent legislative framework to guide all aspects of the devolution process are other recommendations suggested by the author.Item Devolved governance in Kenya; is it a false start in democratic decentralization for development?(2015) Khaunya, Mukabi Frederick; Wawire, Barasa PeterMany democracies world over, including Kenya have in recent years adopted devolution as a system of decentralization for development. In Kenya, this was after years of the post independence approach of Local Governments which still embraced a strong centralized governance structure and which had been meant to resolve the regional development challenges but apparently failed. This is evidenced by the challenges in Kenya have mainly associated with bureaucratic inefficiencies, lack of accountability and transparency, unequal distribution of national resources and minimal community participation in local development, amongst others. The Constitution of Kenya 2010 upon promulgation and enactment changed the Governance structure from a centralized unit to devolved sub-units known as the County Governments. It was expected that the onset of these devolved governments after the 2013 Elections and enactment of subsidiary laws would address these development challenges of the centralized governance that Kenya has faced since independence. Indeed currently, there is a deliberate effort by the National Government to equitably distribute resources through County Government quota disbursements, there is evidence of increased accountability arising from efforts of relevant ‘watchdog’ institutions and also community participation in development matters through appropriate institutional frameworks can be noted. However, despite these apparent positive realizations through County Governments’ establishments in Kenya, they to a larger extent seem to have been overshadowed and threatened by a number of challenges, four years after the enactment of the Constitution and a year into their decentralized functionality. Currently, most media houses in Kenya have so much of the negative reports about the County Governments that the impression given is that this form of decentralization in Kenya could be a false start if not a total failure. For example, it is currently being reported that a Governor in Embu County, Eastern Kenya has been impeached due to impropriety, the Auditor General’s report screams of massive impropriety in many Counties, a section of Governors have been summoned by the Senate to account for some specified allegations, striking citizens in some Counties over one issue or another, boycotts due to ‘irregular’ appointments by respective County Public Service Boards, the list is endless! It is in light of the aforementioned reports and the initial apparent development challenges of centralized governance that the paper seeks to measure the extent to which these challenges have been addressed after the decentralized devolved system of governance was introduced. The paper adopts a diagnostic approach based on desk research to investigate these Kenyan challenges, draws from expert opinion and does comparative analysis based on lessons from other devolved political systems in Africa and the world. The paper explores and discusses these challenges with a view of informing other world democracies that have or are on the verge of adopting this strategy of decentralization for development to be conscious of these pitfalls and design appropriate structures and a roll out framework for circumventing them. It also informs Constitutional development of devolved government structures. The paper establishes that the County Governments in Kenya have indeed made significant progress in involvement of stakeholders on development at County level, a realization of devolvement of funds, creation of employment opportunities, a more accountable political system and devolvement of certain key functions to the local level.This is commendable. However, the study establishes that the Counties have been faced with a myriad of challenges that indeed stand in the way of the realized achievements, namely lack of political goodwill, inadequate funding, ‘devolved’ corruption, nepotism, inability to absorb some devolved functions, mistrust among stakeholders, different implementers of devolution with varied cultures and approaches, devolved bureaucracy, a bloated workforce with duplication of duties and internal political supremacy wars. These County Governments are also threatened by an over bearing National Assembly and Executive, an overzealous County Assembly, deteriorating public goodwill and a weak legislature and institutional framework. It therefore concludes that the malaise of a centralized system of governance still lingers within this devolved system and until these challenges are addressed, no real benefits of devolution will be realized or even if so, sustained. The author recommends legislation to allow for a phased approach to devolution preferably on pilot basis starting with the fairly large County Governments and those with varied economic, social and demographic characteristics, more stringent anti corruption laws and an effective mechanism for community participation. The retention of the public service functions with the National Government to maintain a smooth transition in public service delivery and a stringent and coherent legislative framework to guide all aspects of the devolution process are other recommendations suggested by the author.Item Does student loan amount affect choice of program of study? evidence from privately sponsored undergraduate helb loan recipients in public universities in western kenya(International Journal of Education and Research, 2017) Ogenga, Paul Akumu; Kasandi, Achoka Judith Serah; Maiyo, Julius K.This study sought to establish the effect of HELB loan amount on the choice of program of study by privately sponsored undergraduate students in public universities in Kenya. The study was conducted with the aid of a representative sample of 517 respondents proportionately drawn from the 2012/2013 cohort of privately sponsored HELB loan recipients in three public universities in Kenya. Using multinomial logistic regression, the study established no significant relationship between HELB loan amount and choice of programme of study by privately sponsored undergraduate students in public universities. This was attributed to the very low amounts of loan awarded to students relative to tuition fees charged. The study therefore recommends that HELB should increase loan amount and review the loan award criteria so as to factor in the cost of tuition for each program of study while awarding loans to individual privately sponsored students in public universities.Item Education and poverty, relationship and concerns. a case for Kenya(2011-12-01)Poverty has many dimensions and does not merely entail low levels of income or expenditure. According to Sen (1992), poverty is the lack of capability to function effectively in society. Inadequate education can thus be considered a form of poverty. Education is widely accepted as the main exit route from poverty. It is the backbone of growth and development of individuals and the nation. However, its achievement continues to elude many who are poverty stricken. This paper articulates the issues of education and poverty which is related to that of chicken-egg relationships. The study used secondary data from eight provinces in Kenya. The study correlated the poverty headcount with the educational indicators. It emerged from the data that provinces which had less poverty levels (Central-30.4% and Nairobi 29.5%) experienced high literacy rate, high enrolment and low dropout rate, while regions which had higher levels of poverty headcount (North Eastern-73.9% and Coast-69.7%) experienced low literacy rates, and poor academic performance. The study Concluded that extreme poor are denied access to education, poverty hampers learning in developing countries through poor nutrition, health, home circumstances, quality, costs and inadequate resources for education. The study recommends the government to introduce/re-introduce/ strengthen school feeding programme, subsidize school uniform and address the issues of opportunity cost for the extreme poor among othersItem Effect of peer teaching among students on their performance(2016) Oloo, Elizabeth Akinyi; Mutsotso, Stanley N.; Masibo, Edwin N.Mathematics is a key subject in the school curriculum and is considered as critical filter for learners’ career choices. However, over the years mathematics has been one of the poorly performed subjects in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). In an attempt to improve performance, great effort has been put into use of appropriate teaching and learning methods that stimulate learners’ interest in the subject. This study was done in 12 randomly selected schools in Bungoma South Sub County. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of peer teaching among students on their performance in mathematics in the teaching and learning process. The study was guided by Vygotsky’s social interaction theory of learning. This theory opines that social interaction plays a fundamental role in cognitive development and that all learning occurs in a cultural context and involves social interactions where peers assist learners in developing new ideas and skills. The target population was heads of departments, teachers of mathematics and form three students. Twelve heads of department, twenty four mathematics teachers and one hundred and seventy six form three students were drawn from the sampled schools to participate in the study. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Data was collected using a teachers’ questionnaire, students’ questionnaire, interview schedule for heads of department and students’ achievement test. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0 and Statistical t-test. The Students’ Achievement test showed that peer teaching increases students’ achievement in mathematics and 100% of the heads of department interviewed believe that peer teaching strategy improves performance. The conclusions made from the study were that peer teaching encourages students’ motivation to learn mathematics, enhances understanding of mathematics concepts and builds confidence in the students. Students should be allowed to form discussion groups where peer teaching can be done especially at the end of every topic as it offers a great opportunity in overcoming the challenge of a demanding mathematics curriculum.