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A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey in Kenya (NTDS)-A Baseline Study of Transgender Persons in Kenya: Life experiences and Access to Health Services
The study contained the underpinnings on protection issues against violence and discrimination. The theme of this report deconstructs how discriminatory laws and sociocultural norms continue to marginalize and exclude intersex and gender-diverse persons. The report established that they are excluded from education, healthcare, housing, employment and occupation and other sectors giving rise to a host of other problems in a context where access to economic, social and cultural rights is hampered resulting in poverty and exclusion. They have a lower social-economic status due to the limiting access to assets that are essential to enjoy the full range of human rights. A glance at these issues quickly affirms the intersectionality of all human rights grounded in the firm commitment of leaving no one behind under the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development Goals. This report offers a window opportunity through which to gauge the character and scale of anti- discrimination data and the linkage with root causes, dialogue, consultation and cooperation with state and non-state actors, including implementation of international instruments, with identification of good practices and gaps. National and county governments have a fundamental responsibility to respect, protect and promote the human rights of transgender people in Kenya by taking action to ensure timely access to appropriate primary health care in public-funded health programs. There is need of development of guidelines on achieving universal access to acceptable, competent, appropriate, and affordable care. Moreover, there is the need of taking action to ensure laws, policies, programmes and procedures do not discriminate against transgender people through an effective and accessible legal and services framework. In addition, there is the need of taking action to allow individuals change their legal name and gender, including the gender markers on official documents, put in place quick, accessible and transparent procedures aimed at providing transgender people with official national documents. There is the need of taking action to ensure equal protection under the law, adopting positive legislative, judicial, administrative, educative, and other appropriate measures to protect these rights. Also, it is recommended there is the need to ensure freedom from cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment of transgender people.
Keywords: Transgender Persons, Life experiences, Access to Health Services, Keny
Influence of Historical Stereotype on Women Access to Leadership in Murang’a County Government
Gender equality in leadership is a practice and notion that is contested and obligatory requisite. The term gender parity has been acknowledged by mutually globally and by government Institutions. Appreciation of the impact of gender fairness is a pleasing objective required across many avenues in internationally progression practice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of historical stereotype on women access to leadership in Murang’a County Government. The study was anchored on The Liberalism Theory. The study adopted descriptive research design, and the population under study comprised 159 senior government officers and political elite in Murang’a County Government and the legislative assemble of Murang’a. The study used purposive sampling in identifying persons with requisite knowledge of the concept of the study. The primary data was collected using the questionnaire and the secondary data was obtained from the government policy documents, gender policies annual reports, strategic plans as well as periodic reports both published and unpublished. The study findings were analyzed with the aid of SPSS software and Microsoft Excel Software and presented by use of tables and percentage for ease of data interpretation and consumption by the readers. The study established that historical stereotype was able to explain 60.4% of the variation in women leadership in Murang’a County Government as indicated by R-squared on 0.604. The study moreover established that there was a positive relationship between historical stereotype and women leadership. The study concluded that stereotyped point of view regarding women comprises key hindrances which include societal insight in relation to leadership aptitude of women’s lack of assertiveness in participation in political sphere and leadership positions. Owing to the findings, Women should be exposed to work in sections with higher amount of progressive advancement or in areas that transform to executive progression since they are not inferior provided they have the same qualifications with the male counter parts.
Keywords: Historical stereotype, Women leadership Structured women empowerment, Murang’a County Governmen
Advancing Sustainable Tourism Development and Its Contribution to Poverty Reduction and Development: Perspective from Malaysia
The role of the Malaysian government in promoting sustainable tourism is evident in the existing legal and institutional framework. There is evidence that indicate that Agenda 21 have been adopted in the national master plan. Sustainable Tourism aids in making a minimum impact on the local environment and culture as its essential tourism vision is narrower. Not only that, it helps in generating incomes and bring employment in the local communities while conserving the local ecosystems. The national ecotourism plan in Malaysia was intended to provide a general framework to assist the government in developing the country’s ecotourism potential. Under the plan, the definition of ecotourism follows that of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Ecotourism is defined as responsible travel and visitation to relatively undisturbed natural areas in order to enjoy and appreciate nature that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people. As a result, quite a number of the tourism destinations in Malaysia have been gazetted as terrestrial or marine protected areas in various categories such as forest reserves, wildlife reserves, sanctuaries, wetlands and marine parks. In order to ensure the success of the eco-tourism plans, joint efforts between the various levels of government, the private sector and the local communities were planned and carried out to maximize the economic, socio-cultural and environmental benefits it has to bring. Although Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism of Malaysia acts as a single coordinating body to spearhead the overall implementation of the National Eco tourism plan, the Ministry recognizes the imperative role of the private sector and specifies roles for all sectors of Federal, State and Local Authority, private business, NGOs and other players. The tourism industry contributed to economic development through among others, providing employment and business opportunities, infrastructure improvement and increased in foreign exchange and tax revenues. Even though Malaysia is a relatively new entrant into tourism activities as compared to its ASEAN neighbors, the industry has grown tremendously over the years. By 2020, tourism industry is a key foreign exchange earner for Malaysia, contributing to over 42% of the country’s balance of payment. The industry has provides an important source of income, employment and wealth to the country.
Keywords: Sustainable tourism, Tourism development, Contribution to poverty reduction, Malaysia
Influence of Internship Exposure on Entrepreneurial Engagement between Food and Beverage Diploma Graduates from Tertiary Institutions
Entrepreneurship is recognized as a beacon of business start-ups. It drives individuals to realize their synergy, visualize and strategize / focus towards entrepreneurial path. It is a vibrant process aimed at creating economic returns through innovations. This study sought to determine the influence of internship exposure on entrepreneurial engagement between food and beverage diploma graduates from tertiary institutions. The study was informed by Human Capital Theory. An explanatory research design was adopted. Apart from graduates, lecturers from tertiary institutions that offer food and beverage courses also formed part of the respondents. Specifically, 14 institutions from Nairobi County were targeted for the study, which included two public universities, four private universities, three government technical institutions and five private training colleges. Fishers formula was used to derive the sample size from the population. Using purposive sampling technique and self-administered questionnaires, qualitative and quantitative data was collected. Descriptive and inferential procedures were used in data analysis. For quantitative data, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used, while for qualitative data, thematic analysis was used. From the inferential analysis, the findings indicated that internship exposure do not have significant effects on entrepreneurial engagements. The study concluded that internship exposure nurtures the graduates towards starting their own entrepreneurial engagement. Internship enables the graduate to build confidence, it is an eye opener for viable ventures and it’s a network through interaction with diverse personalities. The study recommends that it should be essential that industry representatives work closely with hospitality programs and educators to ensure that students are developing realistic advancement expectations and positive perceptions of their future in the hospitality industry.
Keywords: Internship Exposure, Entrepreneurial Engagement, Tertiary Institution
Effect Social Media on Social Behavior of Youth in California, USA
Social media means websites and applications that enable users to develop and share content or participate in social networking. Social media is an online platform that people use to build social networks or social connections with other individuals with similar personal or career interests, activities, backgrounds, or real-life relations. Thus, the study sought to examine the effect of social media on social behavior among the youth in California, USA. The study was literature-based. The study's findings were based on the results from the prior studies. The study results showed that social media influences the social behavior of youth. Social media platforms enable individuals to have conversations, share information and develop internet content. The speed of the internet has changed the way people receive information. The research concluded that as modern technology increased, online social networking had become the routine for every individual. Online networking has broadened the quality and rate of coordinated initiatives for various people. Social media plays an essential duty in influencing culture, economy, and overall view of the world, so users should be mindful of its positive impact. Youth are connected with social media daily. The benefits of social media are more highlighted regularly instead of its negative elements, which are very hardly ever discussed. The study suggested that social media may increase or widen our knowledge and enhance the professional connection between the youth. The study recommended that people be educated on exactly how to handle their privacy settings, warning them concerning what details they include in social media posts, including what is in their photos, urging that they do not connect with anyone online unless they understand them in real life already. The community/people are advised to take on the good aspects of social media and disregard the negative effects.
Keywords: Social media, behavior change, youth, California, US
Value System dissemination as a Remedy against corruption in Kenya; A Reading of Jeremiah 35:6-10
Corruption is a great social problem in Kenya today. Many efforts have been put into place in order to fight and mitigate it. They include the Kenyan constitution review, putting up of laws, anti-corruptions commissions and joining anti-corruption conventions. After all this input, corruption still remains a runaway problem. As a remedy against corruption, the word of God which is the supreme rule of life and doctrine, is presented by this paper. The book of Jeremiah 35:6-10 forms part of the narrative that clearly spells the obedience of father’s command from one generation to another of the house of Jonadab son of Rechab. This narrative comes from a context of Judah’s disobedience of the word of God spoken by the prophets. The Rechabites on the other hand obeyed their father in all the prohibitions he had given them. They were never to drink wine, never to build houses, not sow seeds or crops or to plant vineyards and to always live in tents. This paper brings out the reality of corruption in Kenya which as a social problem, its effects and impact, and how the exegeted word of God in Jeremiah 35:6-10 is used to address this great vice. The interventions come about by the inculcation of value system proposed by the example of the Rechabites, who stood strong against taking wine, even when persuaded. They followed the instruction of their father, Jonadab son of Rechab and would not go against it. This formed a value system for the Rechabites. The connection of this text with the corruption in Kenya is because corruption is a social evil that is passed on from one generation to another. This paper presents the reality to mitigate corruption through instilling a value system to the future generations. The word of God in this text therefore presents a community that followed their ancestors in whatever they were instructed to do and not to do, as a way of instilling values from a father to their posterity. It will therefore mitigate against the vice of corruption both to individuals and corporately in Kenya.
Keywords: Values, Rechabites, Corruption, Deuteronomist, Jeremia
The Impact of Christianity by Friend’s Missionaries among the Tiriki People
This article aimed to describe the impact of Christianity on the culture and traditions of the Tiriki people in Hamisi Constituency, Vihiga County. Tiriki community refers to the Bantu people who came to the western part of Kenya and intermarried with the Kalenjin community staying there by then. The investigating will be based on the keywords in the title of this article and shortly discussing the important the growth of Christianity in Hamisi Constituency, Vihiga County. The article further looks into the growth of the church and describes the impact of Christianity on Tiriki people in terms of Christianity, education, socio-politics, and health. Here I shall consider my discussions on the history of Friends Missions in the area since the earlier nineteenth century. As far as Friends missionaries are concerned, it recognizes the activities done by the Friends Missionaries in terms of positive and negative development force introduced by Christianity while noting several things that improved the lives of the people, such as health facilities and education. On the other hand, Christianity led to the downgrade of the African customs and culture, which it saw as pagan and evil; the religion also led to social problems. Some of the social problems caused by Christianity was a complete change to the lifestyles and introduction of new ways of living that caused cultural clash among the community. The missionary work was to evangelize and spread the gospel of God among the Tiriki people in the western part of Kenya.
Keywords: Friends Mission Church, Tiriki, Western Kenya, Impac
Effect of Terrorism on the Growth of the Tourism in New York, USA
Tourism is among the biggest sectors in the world. Tourism leads to foreign exchange incomes, increased national revenue and emergency job opportunities. The effect of terrorism on the tourism sector is immense. However, it is affected by terror attacks in some instances. Terrorism usually brings about fear and economic uncertainties and lowers confidence. Hence, the study sought to examine the effect of terrorism on the growth of tourism in the USA. The study adopted the descriptive research design. The design was preferred since the researcher was interested in getting detailed information for the analysis. The target population was 368, including national travel and tourism office employees. The collection of the data was done using questionnaires. The study employed a stratified sampling technique to collect the data. The analysis of the information was done using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study used tables to present the data. The study findings indicated that terrorism is negatively and significantly related to growth (β=-0.975, p=0.011). The study concluded that when terrorism increases by one unit, the growth in the tourism sector will decrease by 0.975 units while other factors are held constant. Businesses are affected negatively by terrorism, leading to a decrease in tourists. Terrorism is likely to affect tourist arrivals in countries with persistent terrorist incidents. The study recommended that government should increase security in the country. Preventive measures should be implemented to ensure the chances of a terrorist attack are managed at all costs. Proper protection and preventive measures should be implemented to ensure that tourists recognize New York as safe from terrorism. There should be adequate political will to combat any terrorist activity. The government should do more to deal with terrorism and protect the tourism sector.
Keywords: Terrorism, growth, tourism, USA
Effect of Bootstrapping Dimensions on Sales Growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in South West Nigeria
Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) have been recognized to be the economic drivers in both developed and developing nation. Despite their economic importance, SMEs have been experiencing poor performance and do not survive beyond five years of inception. SMEs in Nigeria encounter challenges in developing creative ways of acquiring resources in non-traditional ways through owner’s financing, subsidy financing, delayed payment, joint utilisation, and social capital result into persistent decline in sales growth, market share growth, productivity growth, profitability and increase in employee turnover. This study investigated the effect of Bootstrapping dimension on sales growth of Small and Medium Enterprises in South-West, Nigeria. The study adopted survey research design. The population of the study comprised 14, 527 owner/managers of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) enterprises in Lagos and Oyo States. The study utilized stratified simple random sampling technique. A sample size of 750 owner/managers of SMEs were enumerated using Cochran’s (1977) formula. Adapted questionnaire was used and 86.4% response rate was achieved. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential (regression) analyses. The findings revealed that bootstrapping dimensions had significant effect on sales growth (Adj. R2 = 0.055; F(5, 642) = 8.542, p < 0.05). The study concluded that bootstrapping improved sales growth of SMEs in South-West, Nigeria. It was recommended that management of small and medium scale enterprises in South-West, Nigeria should pay more attention on subsidy financing, delayed payment, social capital with less attention on joint utilization in order to improve their sales growth.
Keywords: Bootstrapping, Delayed Payment, Sales Growth, Small & Medium Scale Enterprises, Social Capital, Subsidy Financin
Competitive Strategies and Performance of Pharmaceutical Wholesaler Companies in Kigali, Rwanda
This research dealt with competitive strategies and pharmaceutical wholesaler companies’ performance in Kigali Rwanda. The three specific objectives of this research were to examine effect of cost leadership, focus and differentiation on pharmaceutical wholesaler companies’ performance in Kigali, Rwanda. This research study adopted a descriptive research design with one hundred and thirty six pharmaceutical wholesalers in Kigali city licensed and registered by Rwanda Food and Drug Authority as population. The research used size of the sample which were 101 wholesaler companies, selected using stratified probability sampling method. This study used a quantitative data analysis technique to the collected data by use of questionnaire as research instrument and data were coded and analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. Questionnaires pre-test was used through pilot study with teen respondents where the reliability was tested by use of Cronbach’s Alpha. Descriptive statistics results demonstrated that an overall mean of 1.963 calculated during the analysis of the statements regarding cost leadership implied that a big number of respondents strongly agreed that leadership of cost strategies affected pharmaceutical companies’ performance while the calculated overall mean of 2.019 implied that a big number of respondents agreed that focus strategies affect performance of pharmaceutical companies and the overall mean of 2.029 implied that the big number of respondents agreed that strategies of differentiation affected pharmaceutical companies performance in Rwanda. Inferential statistics results revealed that cost leadership, focus and differentiation strategies effected performance of pharmaceutical companies because the calculated correlation results indicated positive and significant relationship between cost leadership strategies and sales revenue (r=0.296 and sig=0.000), focus strategies and profitability (r=0.391 and sig=0.000), and differentiation strategies and market leadership (r=0.964 and sig=0.000) at 0.01 level of significance; while the regression results revealed that there is a positive and significant effect between cost leadership sales revenue (b=0.065 and sig=.004), between focus strategies and sale revenue (b=0.744 and sig=.000) and differentiation strategies (b=0.086 and sig=.030) at 0.05 level of significance. Thus, these correlation and regression results justified why all null hypotheses were rejected because all predictors of competitive strategies showed a significantly positive effect on pharmaceutical companies’ performance or their indicators. In conclusion, the results indicated that competitive strategies demonstrated a positively significant effect on pharmaceutical companies’ performance in Rwanda. The researcher recommended the pharmaceutical companies to enhance their performance by always updating and creating innovation in their competitive strategies in order to ensure that the company is always on top in regard to performance.
Keywords: Competitive Strategies, Pharmaceutical Wholesaler Companies, Performance, Rwand