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Can doctors lie to their patients? a constitutional inquiry into therapeutic privilege in Kenya
No full textFull - text undergraduate research projectThis study focuses on the constitutional validity and the ethical justification of therapeutic privilege within Kenya’s healthcare system, focusing on section 8(a) of the Health Act. Therapeutic privilege allows healthcare providers to withhold medical information from patients if disclosure is believed to cause harm. While it is intended to protect vulnerable patients, the study argues that this provision is vague and lacks adequate safeguards, leading to potential violations of patients’ constitutional rights, including the right to life (Article 26), health (Article 43), dignity (Article 28), and access to information (Article 35) under the Constitution of Kenya. The study examines the conflict between medical paternalism and patient autonomy, highlighting the moral necessity of informed consent and based on the principles of justice, autonomy, nonmaleficence, and beneficence. Through a comparative analysis of legal practices in the United States and South Africa, the study highlights how other jurisdictions have narrowly defined and strictly regulated the application of therapeutic privilege. The insights are used to critique Kenya’s legal position and advocate for legal reform. The dissertation concludes that the current legal framework inadequately balances patients’ rights with clinical discretion and calls for a legislative amendment to section 8 of the Health Act. The proposed reform would introduce procedural safeguards, require justification, and oversight for withholding information, and prioritize transparency and shared decision-making in clinical practice
The Influence of sustainable packaging practices on the operational efficiency of global fast-food outlets in Nairobi, Kenya
No full textFull - text thesisSustainable packaging aims to minimize environmental impact throughout a product's lifecycle by utilizing renewable or recycled materials, ensuring energy-efficient production, and designing for reuse or recyclability. Fast-food outlets, which have a heavy reliance on single-use plastics, are currently facing pressure to adopt sustainable packaging. This study’s general objective was to examine the effect of adopting sustainable packaging on the operational efficiency of international fast-food outlets in Nairobi. The specific objectives of the study were to investigate the effect of efficient packaging design on the operational efficiency of international fast-food outlets in Nairobi; to investigate the relationship between recyclability and operational efficiency of international fast-food outlets in Nairobi and to assess the effect of consumer responsibility awareness on operational efficiency of international fast-food outlets in Nairobi. Two theories anchored the study and they were triple bottom line (TBL) framework and lean management theory. This study was underpinned by a quantitative methodology and anchored in positivism research philosophy. The target population was 31 international fast-food outlets. The researcher undertook a convenience sampling of one branch per the global fast-food chain where the employees from the three cadres in the fast-food outlets were selected. For this purpose, a questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale was used to gather information. In order to analyse the data, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27 was used. Prior to analysis, the data was cleansed and prepared. The survey was filled out by 93 people in total. We used both descriptive and inferential statistics to examine the data. The impact of the independent factors on the dependent variable was determined by a regression analysis. Tables and charts displayed the results of the analysis. Sustainable packaging techniques were shown to have a favourable and statistically significant relationship with operational efficiency at Nairobi's international fast-food outlets. The regression model showed that material sustainability, packaging design, recyclability, consumer responsibility collectively explains 32.8 percent of the variability. The study also revealed that the most significant variable was recyclability. The study concludes that a sustainable packaging practices, significantly contributes to the operational efficiency of international fast-food outlets operating in Nairobi
Financing methods and the acquirer’s stock performance of Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed firms
No full textFull - text thesisThe method of financing mergers and acquisitions is an important part of capital structure decisions. Mergers and acquisitions can either be cash-funded, equity-funded, or both. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of financing methods on the stock performance of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) among firms listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE). Specifically, the study aimed to assess how cash, equity, and mixed financing methods influence cumulative abnormal returns (CAR) following M&A announcements. Grounded in theories such as Agency Theory, Efficient market Hypothesis and Synergy Theory, the research explored the dynamics of capital structure decisions and their implications for shareholder value. The methodology employed included an event study approach, analyzing a sample of nine companies involved in M&A transactions between 2013 and 2020. Data was collected from the NSE and other public sources, and statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS and Excel. The findings revealed that firms utilizing equity and mixed financing methods generally produce statistically significant positive abnormal returns compared to those relying solely on cash financing. This suggests that market participants may perceive equity and mixed financing as more favorable due to potential synergies. The study concluded that the choice of financing method significantly affects stock performance in M&A contexts, emphasizing the importance of strategic decision-making for corporate financial managers and investors. The implications of these findings highlight the need for firms to carefully evaluate their financing options in M&A transactions to enhance shareholder value and optimize financial outcomes. The study is of significance to practitioners as pertains better evaluation of the impact of alternative financing options on valuation. The study revealed valuable insights into the impact of financing methods on the stock performance of NSE-listed companies but was limited by its reliance on secondary data’s potential reporting biases, and a restricted time frame that may have excluded long-term trends and unaccounted external variables
Addressing wrongful rape convictions in Kenya: a case for criminalization of false rape accusation
No full textFull - text undergraduate research projectKenya has witnessed cases involving persons wrongfully convicted of rape as a result of false accusations. Such cases not only undermine the integrity of Kenya’s legal system but also the accused person’s rights outlined in the Constitution of Kenya 2010. The consequences range from criminal sanction to stigma, damaged reputation, strained relationships, isolation, and lack of faith in the legal system. As a consequence, this study explores the need to criminalize the act of giving false rape accusations in court. It also seeks to explore possible elements that the prosecution ought to prove to convict an individual that makes a false rape accusation. Furthermore, it discusses the suitable punishment that should be given for such an offence. In doing so, the paper analyses the current legislations in Kenya and Kenyan case laws while juxtaposing the same with the other jurisdictions such as South Africa on the question of false rape accusations. Through this, the study proposes legal reforms, such as the adoption of laws that severely penalize persons who intentionally and falsely accuse someone of rape. By criminalizing false rape accusations, the reforms will strengthen the general fairness of Kenya's legal system, safeguard accused parties' rights, and discourage false allegations by making such acts illegal
Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) factors influencing graduate employability in South Sudan
No full textFull - text thesisThe Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system has the potential to significantly contribute to human resource development and economic growth in developing countries. South Sudan, a young nation that gained independence, has a predominantly youth population. Unfortunately, the youth in South Sudan face low educational attainment, with many school-aged children currently out of school. This educational gap has resulted in a shortage of skilled workers, leading to high youth unemployment rates, with a substantial proportion of young people lacking formal employment. This study aims to investigate how factors such as Performance Dimension, Stakeholder Engagement, and Solid Foundation affect the employability of TVET graduates. The research was grounded in the Education–Employment Linkage Theory, UNESCO framework, and Human Capital Theory, employing a descriptive research design and evaluative approach. The study focused on several operational TVET institutes in South Sudan, utilizing purposive, snowball, and stratified sampling to gather data. Primary data was collected and analyzed through thematic, descriptive, correlation, and regression analyses. The target population comprised numerous individuals from various TVET institutes, construction companies, TVET Consultants and officials from the Ministry of Education. A sample size of participants was drawn using various sampling methods, including simple random sampling, stratified sampling, purposive sampling, and snowball sampling. The participants included project managers, engineers, technicians, current learners, recent graduates, and government officials. The study achieved a significant response rate, with most questionnaires returned. Regression analyses were employed to examine the relationship between TVET factors and graduate employability. The findings revealed that the Performance Dimension had the greatest impact on the employability of graduates from TVET institutes, demonstrating a notable beta coefficient, which accounted for a substantial portion of the variability in graduate employability. Additionally, the multiple regression analysis established that TVET factors significantly contribute to the employment prospects of graduates in the construction sector. However, challenges such as a lack of vision and strategic frameworks, insufficient governance structures, and inadequate funding mechanisms could impede progress, as indicated by the negative beta coefficient associated with the solid foundation. Considering these findings, the study recommends several actions: enhancing the relevance of the curriculum, strengthening stakeholder engagement, promoting awareness of the benefits of TVET, improving governance and strategic frameworks, increasing funding and resource allocation, and implementing career services and support programs.
Keywords: Access, Equity, Quality, Relevance, Stakeholder, Vision and Strategic Framework, Governance’s arrangements, Funding and Expenditures
Analysis of factors influencing financial inclusion of coffee farmers in the littoral region of Cameroon
No full textFull - text thesisThe study delves into the determinants of financial inclusion among coffee farmers in the Littoral region of Cameroon, aiming to uncover factors influencing their engagement with the financial system. By analyzing individual farmer characteristics, farm farm business characteristics, and Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), the research seeks to elucidate their roles in fostering financial inclusion, including aspects like savings accounts and loan accessibility. Data collected from 300 respondents across rural areas will address knowledge gaps and provide insights into the relationship between financial inclusion and coffee farming. Utilizing Principal Component Analysis (PCA), an FI Index will be constructed to measure financial inclusion comprehensively. Correlation results reveal a significant and negative correlation between MFIs and Farm business characteristics (-0.391, p < 0.01), and no significant correlation between MFIs and Farmer Characteristics (0.083, p = 0.493), while Farm business characteristics demonstrate a moderate and significant positive correlation with Farmer Characteristics (0.319, p < 0.01). The findings suggest that Farm business characteristics and Farmer Characteristics positively influence financial inclusion, emphasizing the importance of fostering entrepreneurial skills among coffee farmers. The study proposes recommendations for policy and practice, including strengthening financial literacy programs, supporting entrepreneurship, improving access to financial services, enhancing collaboration, promoting policy reforms, and monitoring interventions. Further research avenues include longitudinal studies, comparative analyses, qualitative research, impact evaluations, policy analysis, and advocacy to deepen understanding and address limitations, ultimately contributing to inclusive development in the region
Factors influencing E-learning readiness in public primary schools of Nairobi County, Kenya
Get PDFFull - text thesisAfrica is rising in the use of information communication technology (ICT) to accelerate social economic growth and benefit from technological advancements. To harness this digital dividend, many nations have developed policies particularly in the education sector as an enabler of E-learning. Kenya has recognized this potential and through the Digital Literacy Program (DLP), the country aims to integrate technology into the teaching and learning processes. However, public primary schools continue to grapple with low levels of E-learning readiness stemming from insufficient ICT infrastructure and a limited skill base that hinders the effective utilization of technology. This study sought to examine factors influencing E-learning readiness in public primary schools of Nairobi County, Kenya. The research was directed by the following specific objectives: to assess the impact of ICT infrastructure on the readiness for E-learning; to investigate the influence of ICT skills on the readiness for E-learning; to analyze the effect of teaching content on the readiness for E-learning; and to evaluate the influence of administrative support on the readiness for E-learning in public primary schools within Nairobi County. A descriptive research design was adopted with a total of 161 public primary schools in Nairobi County having 6,150 teaching staff formed the target population. Since the study area was within a school setup, the target population focused on the following categories: head of the school, head of departments, and ICT teachers identified through stratified and simple random sampling. To collect primary data, a structured questionnaire was employed, successfully engaging 153 respondents. Analysis of the gathered data indicated that ICT infrastructure plays a crucial role in determining E-learning readiness, significantly enhancing the adoption of E-learning in schools. Additionally, the findings demonstrated that ICT skills, teaching content, and administrative support positively influence E-learning readiness, with statistically significant correlations observed. The study concludes that the level of E-learning readiness among primary schools in Nairobi County remains low. The schools do not have sufficient infrastructure and lack adequate equipment and labs, as well as reliable internet connectivity and power. The low E-learning readiness was also attributable to a lack of adequate training for teachers on ICT skills such as data security and privacy. E-learning content was also a factor. The content was not easily accessible, not easy to use, not relevant and interactive, and was not up to date with the curriculum. Additionally, the study concluded that there was a lack of administrative support and that the schools lacked policies to guide the teachers and staff on the use of ICT for enlightenment and learning. These findings underscore the critical significance of the Technology adoption theory and Engholm’s readiness model, which encompass essential factors for evaluating an organization's E-learning readiness. These factors include organizational culture, individual learner characteristics, technological infrastructure, content quality, and broader organizational and industry-specific elements. The study recommends that sustainable availability and access to E-learning equipment are needed in public primary schools, including reliable internet connectivity, electricity, and ICT labs. The study recommends that teachers be equipped with necessary ICT skills and the government should prioritize updating the teaching and learning curriculum. Regarding administration support, the study recommends that teachers be offered adequate technical support, capacity building, be encouraged to adopt E-learning and the administration should ensure that there are policies that offer teachers guidance and processes on how to use ICT for teaching and learning.
Keywords: E-learning readiness, ICT infrastructure, ICT skills, teaching content, administration support
Patients’ perspective of shared decision making at childbirth and association with outcomes in maternity units in Kisumu County, Kenya
Get PDFFull - text thesisHealthcare systems are geared towards allowing for accessible, quality healthcare while allowing for financial risk protection. Clinician decision making process is one of the determinants of quality of healthcare services offered. Shared decision making process has been associated with improved clinical outcomes. Shared decision making process has three components; clinician expertise, biological and psychological, and patient’s goals and preferences. Whereas the factors affecting the clinician’s decision making process around childbirth are well studied, few studies have been conducted to assess patient perceptions of the decision making process and any associations that may exist with patient characteristics and outcomes of the patient’s care at childbirth. The few studies addressing these aspects are invariably limited to high income countries. Although there are a number of tools used to assess the shared decision making process, the SDMQ-9 tool has been associated with high validity and high reliability. The study design was a cross-sectional descriptive study using a self- administered validated tool, SDM-Q-9 tool. The study population consisted of patients discharged after seeking childbirth services from public level 4 hospitals in Kisumu county. A total of 381 patients were sampled. The data collected was analysed using SPSS version 29.0. The mean patient age of the study population was 25.39 years, most respondents had completed their secondary education and the overall level of satisfaction with shared decision making was 91.3%. There was statistically significant correlation between the perception of information sharing, deliberation and decision making with perception of shared decision making. Patients between the ages of 31-35 had the lowest positive response rates across all three aspects of shared decision making, while patients who did not complete their primary education also reported the lowest positive response rates. Patients who had positive responses on overall perception of shared decision making reported lower self-reported rates of complications during childbirth. Our study recommends increased awareness among healthcare workers on shared decision making, with deliberate effort to improve information sharing, deliberation and patient involvement during childbirth, more so with patients between the ages of 31-35 and patients with lower levels of education
The Effect of risk factors on pricing of general business insurance products before and after COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from Kenya
Get PDFFull - text thesisPricing is one of the critical practices of the insurance industry. In Kenya, very little research has investigated effect of risk factors on pricing of general business insurance products which is the gap that this paper aims to bridge. The study’s main objective was to determine the effect of risk factors on premium pricing of Kenya’s general business insurance products before and after Covid-19 pandemic, particularly with a focus on the motor insurance product line. The study was anchored on the Game theory. The research method used was quantitative, which informed the adoption of a cross-sectional study design and the target population comprised of all the registered general business insurers which were sampled out of a population of 61 insurers in Kenya. A census method was applied to select all the general insurers. This study utilized both secondary and primary data collection techniques. For secondary data, panel data on premium pricing and documented aspects of risk factors was sourced from published annual reports for the period 2018 to 2021 while primary data was obtained through questionnaires filled by risk officers, actuaries and insurance managers in four different departments of the selected insurance firms. The extracted research data was analyzed using Stata 16 and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28. Descriptive analysis described the data in terms of charts, frequencies, percentages, mean scores and standard deviations. The research also adopted a multiple linear regression analysis and multiple binary logistic regression to estimate the influence and effect of the independent variables on premium pricing for general business insurance products in Kenya and the results of the study were presented using tables. The study found that insurance sector regulation, prior insurance coverage, underwriting risk and market value had a significant effect on premium price. The study recommends that insurance companies adopt risk-based pricing in their pricing methodologies used for insurance products and that policies are put in place to ensure that the key risk factors identified as having an effect in the pricing of general business products such as motor insurance products are factored in their pricing methodologies. This would in turn assist in the overall enhancement of the profitability of Kenya’s sector
Influence of workforce diversity on employee retention among manufacturing based industries in Multinational Corporations (MNCs) in Kenya
Get PDFFull - text thesisThe global workplace is rapidly evolving due to technological advancements, economic expansion, and unprecedented events, leading to increased concerns about employee turnover in multinational corporations (MNCs).
This study examined the impact of age, gender, and ethnic diversity on employee retention intention within manufacturing-based MNCs in Kenya, aiming to address gaps in existing research and provide insights for enhancing retention strategies. The primary objectives included examining the age diversity's effects on staff retention intention within multinational corporations in Kenya, examining the impact of ethnic diversity on employee retention intention among multinational firms in Kenya, as well as the role of gender diversity on employee retention intention in these corporations. Sample survey research design was the type of research design used.
The study's population consisted of 38 manufacturing-based MNCs in Kenya. The research distributed questionnaires and the analysis used descriptive and multiple regression This study was guided by the Reasoned Action Theory and the Social Identity Theory. One hundred and seventy workers were given questionnaires for the survey, and SPSS version 22 was used to do multiple regression analysis. The overall significance of the regression model was determined, as anticipated.
Findings revealed positive perceptions of age diversity, with significant correlations between age diversity and retention intention, emphasizing the importance of inclusive practices for retaining employees. Similarly, positive perceptions of gender diversity and its strong correlation with retention intention highlight the need for gender-inclusive policies and decision-making processes. Ethnic diversity also positively influences retention intention, despite challenges related to cultural conflicts and disparities in career opportunities based on ethnicity.
Effective diversity management is crucial for enhancing employee retention within multinational corporations in Kenya. Strategies such as ensuring balanced age distribution, promoting gender equality, and addressing cultural conflicts can strengthen retention efforts and contribute to organizational success. The study underscores the importance of fostering inclusive environments that value age, gender, and ethnic diversity for long-term growth and sustainability.
Policymakers should develop comprehensive diversity and inclusion programs addressing age and ethnicity disparities, while management should foster gender equality and communication to create inclusive cultures. Continued research on workplace diversity and employee retention is recommended to explore additional insights and strategies for enhancing organizational performance and employee satisfaction