Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Morality At The Margins: Youth, Language, And Islam In Coastal Kenya [Table Of Contents], Sarah Hillewaert

Sociology

This book considers the day-to-day lives of young Muslims on Kenya’s island of Lamu, who live simultaneously on the edge and in the center. At the margins of the national and international economy and of Western notions of modernity, Lamu’s inhabitants nevertheless find themselves the focus of campaigns against Islamic radicalization and of Western touristic imaginations of the untouched and secluded.

What does it mean to be young, modern, and Muslim here? How are these denominators imagined and enacted in daily encounters? Documenting the everyday lives of Lamu youth, this ethnography explores how young people negotiate cultural, religious, political, and …

Information Poverty: An Examination Of Policies Related To Achieving Kenya’S 2030 Vision, Alicea Peyton

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This research paper is a literature review conducted on the government of Kenya and their officials who are currently embarking on Vision 2030 --- a plan that “aims to transform Kenya into a newly industrializing, middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all its citizens by 2030 in a clean and secure environment” (Kenya Vision 2030, 2008). This paper focuses on defining the terms of information poverty and knowledge-based society. It speaks to the responsibility and importance of the role of information policy in resolving Kenya’s challenge.

The African Leaders in ICT (ALICT) offers a conceptual framework useful …

Motorbike-Related Injuries & Safety Practices Among Motorbike Riders In Kisumu, Western Kenya In 2019, Rowan Poehler

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Road traffic injuries are a growing public health problem throughout the world. Kenya has is known for having unsafe roads with an estimated 13,463 road traffic fatalities in 2016 and 24% of road traffic fatalities coming from 2-and 3-wheeled vehicles (WHO, 2018). This study sought to analyze road safety measures and road traffic injuries amongst motorbike taxi drivers in Kisumu, Kenya. A qualitative survey was administered to 152 motorbike taxi drivers in Kisumu over a two-week period in April 2019. The results were then analyzed. Results showed that 70% of drivers owned a helmet for themselves and 48.3% of drivers …

How Does Energy Matter? Rural Electrification, Entrepreneurship, And Community Development In Kenya, Antoine Vernet, Jane N. O. Khayesi, Vivian George, Gerard George, Abubakar S. Bahaj

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We examine the impact of rural electrification on individuals and businesses within a community in order to test a resource-based theory of entrepreneurship. We show that access to electricity increases average households’ income and entrepreneurial activities. The impact of electricity on entrepreneurial activity has wide-ranging implications for development policy in countries where access to electricity is sparse. Results show a significant difference in entrepreneurial opportunities with respect to firm formation, with the electrified site reporting more new micro-enterprises than the control site after implementation. Electrification affects both households’ income, individuals’ perceptions of their social position, and opportunities for business development. …

The Impact Of An Electrical Mini-Grid On The Development Of A Rural Community In Kenya, Abubakr Bahaj, Luke Blunden, Christopher Kanani, Patrick James, Issac Kiva, Zoe Matthews, Heather Price, Hildah Essendi, Jane Ealkingham, Gerard George

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Electrical mini-grids can provide electrification to rural communities far from the national network. However the benefits of such schemes are disputed. We observed changes in two matched trading-centres in Makueni County, Kenya, neither of which were initially electrified. During the study a solar photovoltaic mini-grid scheme (13.5 kWp) was constructed in one of the trading-centres. After electrification there were relative increases in the number of businesses and business income. Comparing the households in the areas around the trading centres, perceived wealth increased more around the electrified trading centre. Qualitative interviews indicated improvements in service provision by the local school and …

Witchcraft In The Press, Norman Miller

Dartmouth Scholarship

Between 1960 and 2010, Professor Miller collected about 720 newspaper reports on witchcraft in East Africa from local sources. Reports for Malawi and Zambia were dropped from this analysis to establish a collection of 521 reports for Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. This database has yet to be fully analyzed, and is made available here for further research and publication in the understanding of witchcraft violence. The data may be sorted by date, country, press source, or by major topic using the Excel spreadsheet referenced below. Instructors in such organizations as police academies and NGOs concerned with violence against women may …

Journalists’ Level Of Knowledge On Empirical Research And Opinion Polling: A Study Of Kenyan Journalists, Dane M. Kiambi

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

This study examines the level of knowledge of Kenyan political reporters on a few key concepts of empirical research and opinion polling. Although data from this study are from a nonrepresentative sample, it offers important insights into levels of knowledge on an important topic in journalism. Results indicate that 63. 4 percent of the reporters did not know that survey findings from a nonrandom or nonprobability sample cannot be generalized to the population. Another 63. 4 percent did not know that sampling error cannot be computed from data that were collected using a nonrandom sample, while 49. 3 percent did …

Tracing Change In Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Shifting Norms And Practices Among Communities In Narok And Kisii Counties, Kenya—Brief, Dennis Matanda, Chantalle Okondo, Caroline W. Kabiru, Bettina Shell-Duncan

Reproductive Health

This policy brief summarizes key findings from a study that examined whether there are shifts in norms and practices related to FGM/C among communities in Narok (predominantly inhabited by Maasai) and Kisii (predominantly inhabited by Abagusii) counties in Kenya. Although Kisii and Narok are FGM/C hotspots, practicing communities in these counties are reassessing norms and traditions in light of the current social and legal climate. These changes may provide a useful starting point for intervention programs that seek to create dialogue and critical reflection on the practice of FGM/C in an effort to accelerate its abandonment. Programmatic recommendations include: engaging …

The Medicalisation Of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting In Kenya: Perspectives Of Families And Health Care Providers, Population Council

Reproductive Health

This evidence brief summarizes key findings from a study that sought to understand the shifts in FGM/C including medicalization among several communities Kenya. The study finds that medicalization is increasing because: 1) it is perceived to be safer because the procedure is reportedly performed under sterile conditions by trained health professionals; 2) it is believed to shorten the recovery period; and 3) it is a response to the law prohibiting the practice because it allows FGM/C to be performed in secret. These findings indicate that medicalization is an adaptation to awareness of the health complications associated with FGM/C and the …

Autonomy, Intimate Partner Violence, And Maternal Health-Seeking Behavior: Findings From Mixed-Methods Analysis In Kenya, Charlotte E. Warren, Pooja Sripad, Charity Ndwiga

Reproductive Health

Gendered norms and discriminatory practices often limit women’s decision-making power, which over time can lead to social norms that systematically disadvantage women. Aspects of empowerment were explored in a global evaluation of Demographic and Health Survey data that measured how gendered social norms influenced maternal health-seeking behaviors. Analysis specifically explored associations of women’s autonomy and acceptability of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) on antenatal care use and facility delivery in 63 low- and middle-income countries. Service utilization is positively associated with increased autonomy and negatively associated with increased acceptability of IPVAW, but variability exists across countries and regions. In …

Associations Between Fgm/C And Hiv In Ethiopia, The Gambia, Kenya, And Sierra Leone: A Limited Analysis Of Demographic And Health Survey Data, Yetunde A. Noah Pinheiro, Zhuzhi Moore, David Gathara

Reproductive Health

Studies investigating the association between male circumcision and HIV have demonstrated the protective effect of male circumcision. In some settings, FGM/C and male circumcision are considered “equivalent” procedures. This working paper presents findings of a study that investigates the effect of FGM/C on the likelihood of HIV infection for women in practicing communities in Ethiopia, Gambia, Kenya, and Sierra Leone.

Using Demographic And Health Surveys In The Campaign To End Fgm/C: A Kenyan Example, Dennis Matanda, Caroline W. Kabiru

Reproductive Health

In order to design effective interventions to end female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), we need to map where FGM/C is practiced and what factors influence it. Data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), nationally representative surveys conducted in low- and middle-income countries every five years, give us the opportunity to explore how FGM/C is influenced by both individual and community-level factors. Where FGM/C prevalence is not uniform, various research and analysis techniques can be used to improve estimates and draw further information from DHS data. This brief shares insights from two studies carried out in Kenya using DHS data collected …

Urban Congolese Refugees’ Social Capital And Community Resilience During A Period Of Political Violence In Kenya: A Qualitative Study, Julie A. Tippens

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Community resilience has been used as a conceptual framework to promote urban refugee protection, integration, and well-being. In the context of this focus on “refugee communities,” it is critical to gain a deeper understanding of the ways urban refugee “communities” function. This study explored urban Congolese refugees’ use of social capital to promote resilience during a period of political violence in Nairobi, Kenya. Findings illustrate how refugees used social capital across different contexts to access and distribute resilience-promoting resources. Women primarily relied on informal bonding forms of capital while men exhibited greater degrees of access to formal bridging and linking …