PAC University Journal of Arts and Social Sciences

PREVALENCE OF DIFFERENT FORMS OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AMONG WOMEN IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS IN NAIROBI COUNTY, KENYA.

Makena Njuki, Susan K. Muriungi, Sylvia Tuikong — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 08:47:33 +0000

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) has a wide range of negative effects on the women who experience it. These may range from mental health issues to death. There are frequent reports in the media of IPV, while others go unreported. However, for the relevant authorities to be able to enact policies that turn the tide, it is vital that data be presented that illustrates the magnitude of the issue. There are various forms of Intimate Partner Violence that are perpetrated globally. IPV may be psychological, physical, economic, or sexual. This paper reviews the prevalence of different forms of Intimate Partner Violence in informal settlements in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study used Concurrent Triangulation which is a mixed method research design. Participants were women above the age of eighteen years who had been exposed to IPV. They were screened for IPV using the Women Abuse Screening Tool (WAST). This was done at the onset of the study, to obtain the baseline assessment. The therapeutic intervention took place on a weekly basis for a period of 10 weeks. After this, there was a midline and end-line assessment. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27. The results showed that the most prevalent form of abuse among the respondents was verbal abuse (93.9%) followed by physical abuse (92.5%) and then sexual abuse (88.6%). Overall, this study established that there is a high prevalence of different forms of IPV in informal settlements in Nairobi County, Kenya.

University Instructors’ personalities and training and their preferences for Online or face-to face teaching: The case of a Public University in Nairobi, Kenya

Stacy Beth, Lilian Vikiru — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 08:14:27 +0000

This study aimed to explore the relationship between instructors’ preferences for online or face-to-face modes of teaching on one hand and their personalities and training on the other. The study was conducted at a public University in Nairobi, Kenya. Grounded in the Big Five Theory of Personality, the research used a descriptive approach with a survey design, collecting both qualitative and quantitative data through questionnaires and document analysis. The findings suggested that instructors' personalities had limited influence on their choice of teaching modes, with a majority of respondents favoring blended teaching methods over purely face-to-face or online approaches. Additionally, all participants reported receiving training from the institution to facilitate online classes. Based on these results, the study recommended that regulatory bodies in higher education should develop policies considering technology's role in learning environments. These policies should guide the selection of teaching modes. Furthermore, the study proposed the establishment of effective policies for training university lecturers in emerging teaching modes, advocating for benchmarking and in-house training. In essence, the research underscores the need for comprehensive strategies to align teaching practices with evolving technological advancements in higher education.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRECOCIOUS PUBERTY AND SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AMONG PREADOLESCENT GIRLS

Anne Wambugu, Catherine Kawira — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 14:30:04 +0000

This article sought to establish the relationship between precocious puberty and symptoms of depression among preteen-age girls in primary schools in Kiambu County, Kenya. The study employed both correlational and comparative research designs to achieve the study objectives and was guided by the psychosocial theory of human development. A total of 442-, 11- and 12-year-old girls, and 12 female class teachers from 13 schools participated in the study. Primary data was collected using questionnaires, focus group discussions, and structured interviews. The instruments were pilot-tested on 36-, 11- and 12-year-old girls and 3 class teachers from 3 schools within Kiambu County, who were omitted from the actual study. The quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version 26) and NVivo version 12 respectively and the analyzed data was presented using tables and figures. Statistical analyses showed that there was a significant relationship (β=0.00, P=0.00) between precocious puberty and symptoms of depression among preteen-age girls in primary schools in Kiambu County, indicating that early maturity significantly affected the emotional functioning of preadolescent girls. The researchers recommend that teachers, therapists, parents, and other stakeholders work together to find better ways of taking care of early-maturing girls, as a way of preventing depressive symptoms and their adverse effects on the well-being of the developing girls.

People-oriented Servant Leadership and Employee Performance in the Kenyan Lower Eastern County Assemblies

Irene Mwende Mbivya — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 17:27:01 +0000

Servant leadership has increasingly become a defining characteristic of organizations that are attractive to employees. Despite the importance of servant leadership in the modern workplace, this study examined the people-oriented dimension of servant leadership and its effect on employee performance in Lower Eastern County Assemblies, Kenya. The study was underpinned by the servant leadership and the leadership member exchange theories which provided the conceptual link between the people dimension of servant leadership and performance of employees. The study drew from a positivist philosophy and descriptive research design. Data was collected from a sample of 120 respondents - both elected and non-elected: speakers of County assemblies, human resource managers, finance managers, technical staff managers, and leaders of junior staff in three county assemblies of the lower eastern region namely; Machakos, Kitui, and Makueni. A structured questionnaire with closed ended questions was used to collect data. The findings revealed that the leaders in the targeted assemblies were not keen on employee modelling, team building or shared decision-making. The findings have practical implications for leaders in county assemblies, it provides insights on the importance people-oriented servant leadership and its related factors that enhance employee performance. The study concluded that there is significant relationship between people-oriented dimension of servant leadership and employee performance of the Lower Eastern County Assemblies. The validity of the instruments was ascertained by content and face validity while reliability was worked out through test-retest procedure and Cronbach’s alpha test to determine the reliable value. The study recommends that leaders in the targeted county-Machakos, Kitui and Makueni should re-evaluate their servant leadership practice and in particular firm up its people-oriented dimension in order to realize effective employee performance in their counties

INFLUENCE OF INTELLECTUAL STIMULATION ON SUSTAINABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN NAIROBI METROPOLITAN REGION, KENYA

Josephine Njeri Chege, Robert Gitau Muigai — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 17:55:24 +0000

The importance of residential housing as a human basic need cannot be gainsaid. However, the problem of adequate and safe urban settlements continues to be a pressing issue within the Nairobi metropolitan region. This study set out to investigate the influence of intellectual stimulation on sustainable residential housing development in the Nairobi metropolitan region in Kenya. The transformational leadership theory was used to anchor the study. The study which was undertaken using the positivism lens adopted the descriptive survey research design. The target population comprised the residents of the Nairobi Metropolitan region including the homeowners and tenants. A sample of 100 respondents was selected using a stratified random sampling plan. Primary data was collected using a structured questionnaire and the data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical analysis techniques. The study found that intellectual stimulation had a positive and significant influence on sustainable housing development within the area of the study. Effectively, the study concluded that intellectual stimulation in leadership is a critical ingredient for sustainable housing development in Kenya’s Nairobi Metropolitan. The study, therefore, recommended that stakeholders in the housing sector should come up with leadership communities of practice to develop solutions that promote sustainable residential housing development in the Nairobi southern metropolitan region. This mainly calls for collaboration and engagement in intellectually stimulating discourse to optimize the collective resources.