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Influence of Pressure on Occurrence of Occupational Fraud Loss in Public Secondary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya
Get PDFPurpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of pressure on occurrence of occupational fraud loss in public secondary schools in Nairobi County, Kenya.
Methodology: The study adopted a positive paradigm with a descriptive design which targeted a sample of 101 public secondary schools in Nairobi County. An audit team leader from the government was the respondent for each school. Fishers sampling formulae was used to get a sample of 96 respondents. Stratified random sampling was used to ensure that all sub-counties were fairly represented in the sample. Primary data was used in this study through the administration of a semi-structured questionnaire. data collected was analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences software (SPSS) version 21, using the linear regression analysis. The results collected were presented in form of descriptive statistics, that is, mean and standard deviation in tables, charts and figures.
Findings: The study found that occupational fraud loss in public secondary schools is significantly influenced by pressure (β = 0.324; p<0.05).
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study was guided by Donald Cressey’s theory of the fraud triangle. In terms of practice, school administrations should focus on fostering an ethical work environment that minimizes financial pressure on employees while limiting opportunities for fraudulent behavior
The Effectiveness of a Health Provider Led Education Intervention on Improving Patient Rights Awareness among Pregnant Women attending Antenatal Care Clinics in Kenya
Get PDFPurpose: According to WHO, a third of women experience mistreatment during childbirth and this affect their health outcomes. Patient rights are essential for promoting quality healthcare. However, awareness of these rights, particularly vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, remains low in many healthcare settings especially the rural and peri-urban settings, where 98% of maternal morbidity and mortality could be prevented by timely and appropriate healthcare. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a health provider led education intervention on improving knowledge on patient rights awareness among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Kenya.
Methodology: A quasi-experimental design where convergent parallel design was adopted. A Pre and post intervention studies were conducted in selected antenatal clinics in Kenya. A total of 168 pregnant women participated, with 96 in the intervention group and 72 in the control group. The intervention was delivered by healthcare providers through educational forums held within the health facility. Data were collected using an interviewer administered questionnaire, and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v25 to evaluate the changes in awareness levels.
Findings: The results showed a significant improvement in awareness of patient rights among the intervention group, with knowledge of the patients\u27 rights charter increasing from 19.8% pre-intervention to 67.8% post-intervention (p < 0.001). The proportion of pregnant women who acknowledged receiving information regarding patient rights increased from 3.1% to 71.1% (p < 0.001). Majority of the respondents cited healthcare providers (68.4%), health facilities (31.6%), media (47.4%), and others (15.8%) as the sources of information. Additionally, the quality of services rated by mothers improved significantly from 35.5% to 53% at end line, with a decline of those who reported being dissatisfied with the services received from 17% to 13.3%.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Raising awareness and ensuring respect for patients\u27 rights are essential for improving the quality of maternal care. These findings highlight the significance of educating women about their healthcare rights, as increased awareness is directly liked to utilization of maternal health services and better health outcomes. Educational sessions delivered by healthcare providers offer significant benefits, emphasizing the importance of continuing these valuable sessions and other services provided at healthcare facilities. These findings also highlight the need for policy makers to incorporate continuous training and the development of educational content for healthcare providers to ensure long-term sustainability
Risk Management and Patient Safety; The National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards
Get PDFPurpose: The research aims at modifying two Standards of the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) framework for UAE healthcare institutions which include both Clinical Governance and Medication Safety standards. This adaptation process is crucial for linking these standards to UAE regulations and healthcare infrastructure because of substantial cultural as well as legal technological and organizational differences between Australia and the UAE. Healthcare facilities in UAE will receive upgraded patient safety and quality of care through standards adaptations which reflect their specific operational needs.
Methodology: The analysis methodically evaluates healthcare systems in Australia and UAE by involving their governance structures along with their combination of diverse cultures and system capabilities. A structured framework development method guides standard alignment with the UAE’s regulatory framework and adds suitable leadership strategies for diverse patient populations. The study delves into technology adoption mainly through artificial intelligence (AI) and digital health tools which enhance clinical decision-making ability and patient information retrieval. This analysis determines the implementation feasibility of electronic prescribing and medication tracking frameworks which will support the Medication Safety Standard within the UAE context due to its advanced technology infrastructure.
Findings: A comprehensive governance framework requires development in order to achieve compatibility between the Clinical Governance Standard and UAE healthcare framework standards and employee population diversity. A combination of healthcare analytics with AI capabilities leads to substantial improvements in governance decision processes and patient care programs and quality assessment activities. The standard needs effective solutions to address regulatory matching requirements and cultural adaptation needs in order to function properly. Tests show that implementing electronic prescribing systems with nation-wide medication reconciliation programs will improve provider accountability and healthcare professional communication while decreasing medication errors. Adequate technology infrastructure within the UAE promotes these initiatives though the healthcare systems experiences impedance because of technical inconsistencies and regulatory barriers across regions.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The UAE requires the development of a specific Clinical Governance Framework to fulfill legal requirements and address multicultural patient needs in the nation. Healthcare institutions must use AI and digital health technology to create data-driven decisions and enhance governance operation and quality assessment systems. It is crucial to establish nation-wide medication reconciliation standards across all healthcare facilities so care management remains consistent while minimizing medication errors in the UAE. The adoption of electronic prescribing systems and medication tracking platforms will boost healthcare provider communication by advancing patient protection measures. More research needs to be performed about AI and machine learning integration to expand the range of NSQHS standards and their application in UAE healthcare facilities
Social-Economic and Social-Demographic Determinants of Alcohol Abuse among Residents of Kajiado County, Kenya
Get PDFPurpose: The purpose of the study is to determine social-economic and social-demographic factors associated with alcohol abuse among residents of Gataka settlements in Ongata Rongai ward, Kajiado County, Kenya.
Methodology: A Cross sectional study design was conducted in Ongata Rongai ward at Kajiado County. Data was collected using a structured interviewer administered questionnaire from the participants. The study population consisted of residents who were above the age of 18 years. The inclusion criteria were residents aged 18 years and above living in Gataka settlements at Kajiado County who gave informed consent to participate in the study. Stratified sampling technique was used to sample the residents based on estates. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse data with the aid of SPSS version 22. The results were presented using frequency tables, charts. The study protocol was reviewed and cleared by the University of East Africa Baraton Ethics Review committee with approval no UEAB/08/042019.
Findings: The total response rate was 390 (98.9%), majority were males 205(52.6%), married 101(26%), and separated 102(26%). Most of the participants had attained post-secondary education, were not employed (28%), and most 150(38%) earned monthly income of less than USD 50 (Ksh 5,000).The study findings indicated that some socio-demographic and socio-economic factors are predictors of alcohol abuse. Being single or separated was significantly associated with alcohol abuse. Participants with post-secondary education and an income above Kshs.5, 000 were found to be associated with alcohol abuse.
Unique Contribution to Theory Practice and Policy: This study has contribute to body of knowledge that individual being single or separated proved to be significantly associated with alcohol abuse. Based on the findings of this study, there is need to assess the root causes of alcohol abuse especially among the young people, address unemployment and put policies in place that enable healthcare systems better detect and address the vulnerabilities of individuals to alcohol abuse
Effectiveness of Bystander Knowledge through Community-Based Training on Responsiveness of Prehospital Emergency Care in Nairobi County, Kenya
Get PDFPurpose: Most of the emergencies occur outside heath care setting and prehospital emergency care is vital in reducing preventable deaths and disabilities. In Nairobi, emergency response remains fragmented, and bystander involvement is limited due to low knowledge and training. To assess the effect of bystander Knowledge through community-based training on responsiveness of pre-hospital emergency care.
Methodology: This quasi-experimental pre-post intervention in Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital\u27s catchment area trained 128 Community Health Promoters (CHPs) to educate 64,000 households on emergency notification and response. Baseline and end-line data collected via questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS v26.0.
Findings: Training bystanders dramatically improved their emergency response knowledge and efficiency. Knowledge scores significantly increased (p=0.001), with notable gains in knowing the emergency number (55% to 83%), saving the toll-free number (16% to 73%), and recognizing 1508 (4% to 48%)—all p<0.0001. The percentage of individuals knowing what to do in an emergency rose from 85% to 94% (p<0.001), and the mean knowledge score increased from 6.39 to 7.30 (p<0.001). Improvements were observed across all demographic groups. Post-secondary educated respondents showed the strongest gains (+13.7 percentage points to 96.5%, p<0.001). Males experienced greater improvement (+14.4 points to 93.7%) than females (+9 points to 82.2%). The training was most effective for interior residents (achieving 100% knowledge) and those near major roads (+21.3 points to 78.9%, p<0.001). Casual labourers demonstrated the largest gains (+40.9 points to 90.9%). Working-age participants, specifically those aged ≤30 and 31-40 years, also showed significant knowledge increases (+11.4 and +10.9 points, respectively). These knowledge gains led to faster emergency responses, with 87% of reports occurring within 0-5 minutes post-intervention, compared to 0% at baseline. Delays exceeding 15 minutes plummeted from 80.4% to 4.1% (p<0.001). The strongest predictors of knowledge were post-secondary education (OR=5.64, p<0.001) and interior residence (OR=7.32, p<0.001). Casual labourers showed reduced odds of knowledge (OR=0.24, p=0.017), while respondents aged 31-40 years had 74% higher odds (OR=1.74, p=0.039). Gender, most employment statuses, and age >50 years did not significantly affect knowledge
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Community-based training significantly improves bystander knowledge and emergency response times, offering a vital solution for strengthening pre-hospital emergency systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). This highlights the critical need for diverse bystander training strategies. The study recommends; developing a specialized pre-hospital emergency care training model for the elderly. Conducting further research on how marital status influences knowledge acquisition from training. Revising the WHO Emergency Care System Framework (ECSF) to explicitly incorporate bystander training
Factors Associated With Male Partner Attendance in Antenatal Care Services in Gakenke District
Get PDFPurpose: Comprehensive maternal health is hampered by the extremely low rates of male antenatal care (ANC) participation in rural Rwanda. Factors related to male participation in ANC services in Gakenke District were examined in this study.
Methodology: Structured questionnaires were used to survey 235 women who were attending antenatal care. Descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and chi-square tests were used to analyze the data.
Findings: Limited male engagement was indicated by the fact that only 35.3% (95% CI [0.29 - 0.42]) of respondents said they were accompanied by their male partners. Age and marital status did not significantly correlate with ANC attendance. However, education turned out to be a significant predictor: men with primary or secondary education were less likely to attend, whereas those with higher education were significantly more likely to do so (AOR = 2.80, p =0.025). Strong sociocultural influences were also present: male involvement was significantly increased by peer encouragement (AOR = 4.74, p <0.001) and supportive community norms (AOR = 4.56, p <0.001), while family and friend influence were not statistically significant. Self-employment increased participation among socioeconomic variables (AOR = 3.59, p <0.001), whereas full-time and part-time employment had a negative correlation. Institutional support was important; men who were exposed to community programs that promoted male involvement (AOR = 4.10, p <0.001) and those who were encouraged by healthcare providers (AOR = 2.20, p =0.011) were significantly more likely to attend.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Male partner attendance in antenatal care services in Gakenke District is low but influenced positively by higher education, supportive community norms, peer encouragement, self-employment, and institutional outreach. Addressing educational gaps, transforming sociocultural norms, and strengthening health system efforts through targeted interventions are essential to increase male involvement. Enhancing male participation in ANC is critical to improving maternal and child health outcomes in rural Rwanda
University Gamblers: The Power of Persuasive Messaging in Television Advertising
Get PDFPurpose: To find out the influence of Television’s persuasive messages on sports betting among university students in Kenya.
Methodology: The study employed a mixed method design. Both qualitative and qualitative data were used. Descriptive survey strategy was also used to gather and analyze data with the aim of understand the patterns, behaviors, and attitudes related to television’s message appeals and sports betting among university students in Kenya. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. A regression model was employed to identify the relationship between the variables.
Findings: The study established a strong relationship between message appeals and sports betting among university students in Kenya. The initial results, without moderating variables, yielded an R-squared value of 0.152. This indicates that 15.2% of sports betting could be explained by message appeals alone. However, when the moderating variable (media literacy) the R-squared value increased substantially to 0.431. This meant that, in the presence of the moderator, 43.0% of sports gambling was accounted for by message appeals. Furthermore, the p-values in both models were less than 0.05, ascertaining that the relationships were statistically significant. The study arrived at the conclusion that message appeal had a strong impact on betting patterns among university students in Kenya.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study was guided by Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM). The core assumption for this model is that there are two routes in communication process namely central route and the peripheral route (Petty and Cacioppo, 1986). As of the central route the consumer of the relayed message actively processes it then makes judgement based on rational evaluation of the message content, such as the quality of arguments and supporting evidence. In peripheral route the receiver does not expend the cognitive energy to evaluate the arguments but is rather guided by peripheral cues (Akpan, Nda & Nketa, 2015). Advertisers will only meet their expectations when the consumers engage through the peripheral route
Influence of Regional Security Organizations on Peacebuilding Efforts in Liberia
Get PDFPurpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the influence of regional security organizations on peacebuilding efforts in Liberia.
Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries.
Findings: Regional security organizations, particularly ECOWAS, played a critical role in stabilizing Liberia and laying groundwork for sustained peace. Their military interventions helped quell violence, and their political mediation efforts paved the way for peace agreements and transitional governance frameworks. By coordinating disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration programs, these organizations fostered post-conflict recovery, while ongoing diplomatic and monitoring activities ensured accountability and supported institution-building.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Neorealism, Liberal Institutionalism & Constructivism theory may be used to anchor future studies on influence of regional security organizations on peacebuilding efforts in Liberia. RSOs should prioritize enhancing their resource base, institutional capacities, and logistical frameworks to improve their effectiveness in peacebuilding. RSOs should advocate for policy frameworks that facilitate the inclusion of marginalized groups in peacebuilding processes, ensuring that their voices are heard and their needs addressed
Humanitarian Intervention and Sovereignty: A Normative Conflict in Canada
Get PDFPurpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the humanitarian intervention and sovereignty: a normative conflict in Canada.
Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries.
Findings: Canada’s approach to humanitarian intervention and sovereignty is shaped by the tension between traditional non-intervention norms and the imperative to prevent mass atrocities. This normative conflict came to the fore when Canada played a pivotal role in framing the “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P) concept through the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, essentially recasting sovereignty as a duty to protect citizens rather than a shield against external scrutiny. While many Canadians support humanitarian intervention on moral grounds demonstrated through involvement express concern about the selectivity and potential abuse of humanitarian justifications, echoing broader global fears over infringing on state sovereignty.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Realism, Liberalism & Constructivism theory may be used to anchor future studies on humanitarian intervention and sovereignty: a normative conflict in Canada. Regional organizations should be empowered to take the lead in addressing humanitarian crises within their respective territories, with the support of the international community, to foster legitimacy and respect for sovereignty. Policymakers should work to revise and strengthen international legal frameworks to reflect the evolving dynamics of sovereignty and humanitarian intervention
The Impact of U.S.–China Strategic Competition in the Mekong Sub-region on Vietnam’s National Interests
Get PDFPurpose: This article aims to examine the strategic competition between the United States and China in the Mekong subregion from 2009 to 2024, focusing specifically on its implications for Vietnam.
Methodology: As the largest downstream nation in the Mekong River basin, Vietnam is uniquely positioned as both highly vulnerable to upstream actions and influential within regional diplomacy. The analysis employs a multi-dimensional analytical framework to assess contrasting strategies by the U.S. and China. It examines institutional engagement, infrastructure investment, and environmental diplomacy, focusing specifically on mechanisms such as the Mekong–U.S. Partnership and Lancang–Mekong Cooperation.
Findings: The study finds that the United States has emphasized transparency, multilateralism, and sustainable development through initiatives like the Mekong–U.S. Partnership. In contrast, China has strategically projected influence through the Lancang–Mekong Cooperation, primarily by using dam construction, concessional loans, and strategic political communication. Vietnam, navigating this competition, has effectively leveraged both frameworks to advance its national interests but continues to confront critical challenges regarding water security, institutional coordination, and maintaining geopolitical equilibrium.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The article recommends that Vietnam pursue strategic policies aimed at enhancing its autonomy, bolstering environmental resilience, and strengthening its regional leadership role. These include proactive diplomatic engagement, improved institutional coherence, and careful balancing of relationships with both major powers