https://ir-library.mmust.ac.ke/xmlui/handle/123456789/1526 Fri, 04 Sep 2026 06:27:31 GMT 2026-09-04T06:27:31Z https://ir-library.mmust.ac.ke/xmlui/handle/123456789/3755 Women Politicians’ Political Communication Strategies in Kenya’s Digital Space: An Afrocentric Perspective Gakahu, Nancy This study explores how Kenyan women politicians articulate and negotiate political representation within the digital public sphere. Grounded in Afrocentricity (Asante, 1980, 2003) as both a philosophical paradigm and theoretical framework, the study examines women’s political communication in online spaces through African epistemologies, socio-cultural values, and community agency. The study addresses two key questions: (1) How do Kenyan women politicians use digital platforms to enact political representation from an Afrocentric perspective? (2) How do ethnic, cultural, and gendered narratives shape women politicians’ perceived political legitimacy and the strategies they employ in online spaces? To address these questions, 20 posts comprising of 11 FB posts and nine tweets by women politicians, published in 2020 and 2022, were purposively selected from a larger dataset of 58. The posts were chosen for their relevance to the research questions and the traction they gained during the two periods. Analysis of data was done using interpretative repertoires, a discourse analytical methodology articulated by Potter and Wetherell (1987), and Wetherell (2015). Findings reveal that in their digital representation and communication practice, Kenyan women politicians strategically employ Afrocentric discursive practices, including invoking ethnic identities, drawing on communal values, and incorporating spiritual symbolism rooted in African socio-political traditions. These culturally grounded political strategies enhance their digital visibility, legitimise political authority, and foster resonance with constituencies. Fri, 19 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://ir-library.mmust.ac.ke/xmlui/handle/123456789/3755 2025-09-19T00:00:00Z https://ir-library.mmust.ac.ke/xmlui/handle/123456789/3754 Populist Tendencies in Kenya’s Political Representation Practice: Digital and Discursive Dimensions Gakahu, Nancy This study investigates how populism is enacted in the practice of online political representation in Kenya, with a focus on the role of social media as a site of political engagement and discourse. Two guiding questions frame the inquiry: How do Kenyan politicians construct and express populist tendencies on social media platforms? How do social media discourses shape the people–elite relationship in Kenyan politics? The study leverages social media data, comprising 58 tweets and posts, retrieved from the Facebook and Twitter (X) pages of 20 women politicians through web-scraping. This data is complemented with semi-structured one-on-one interviews with 12 citizens, as well as three Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) involving 25 citizens from distinct locales: an urban setting, a peri-urban area, and a rural setting. This multi-method design enables a nuanced examination of both elite political performances and popular receptions of populist discourse. To analyse the data, the study employs a combination of discourse analysis and thematic analysis. Discourse analysis is used to examine social media texts, uncovering underlying meanings and identifying populist sentiments. Thematic analysis is applied to explore patterns and overarching themes that emerge from the interviews and FGDs. Findings reveal that nearly half of the Facebook posts and tweets analysed contained manifestations of populist tendencies. Women politicians positioned themselves as advocates for ordinary citizens by challenging political norms, denouncing elite-driven marginalisation, and employing socio-cultural performances such as code-switching and identity-based rhetoric. Additional tendencies included the use of emotionalism, sensationalism, and strategic manoeuvring for political relevance Sat, 20 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://ir-library.mmust.ac.ke/xmlui/handle/123456789/3754 2025-09-20T00:00:00Z https://ir-library.mmust.ac.ke/xmlui/handle/123456789/3753 Digital media and citizen journalism in environmental reporting in Baringo County-Kenya, 2010–2015 Kemei, Josephat Nairutia; Okoth, Pontian Godfrey; Lusambili, Kizito Muchanga This article analyzes the history of digital media and citizen journalism in environmental reporting in Baringo County, Kenya from 2010 to 2015. The study suggests that mobile communication technologies and the advent of social media have revolutionized the way that environmental information is communicated in semi-arid communities that have been historically excluded from the dominant media system. The article argues that, through interpretative analysis, oral interviews and focus group discussions, together with archival research, local communities were able to document ecological crises like drought, deforestation, water scarcity, and geothermal expansion via digital communication. The results show that citizen journalism first became visible as a way of mobilizing a community around information about its environment, advocacy and shaping the local media agenda—essentially as a survivalist strategy. This transformation was, however, not as inclusive as it could be with infrastructural inequalities, weak internet access, digital illiteracy, and misinformation. It is concluded that digital media reconfigured communicative power relations in Baringo in the sense that it allowed marginalized populations to become active in the environmental discourse and politically engaged, thus providing a basis for post-2015 environmental activism in Kenya's semi-arid areas. Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://ir-library.mmust.ac.ke/xmlui/handle/123456789/3753 2026-08-19T00:00:00Z https://ir-library.mmust.ac.ke/xmlui/handle/123456789/3752 Antibiotic dispensing practices and antimicrobial stewardship gaps in community pharmacies in Kakamega County, Kenya Jones, Eleanor Turnbull; Langtree, Susannah; Mogoi, Nicholas; Sifuna, Anthony; Gadaffi, Lindsay; Jewell, Tony Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global health threat, with sub-Saharan Africa bearing a disproportionate burden. Community-level antibiotic dispensing practices remain poorly described in Kenya outside Nairobi. Methods A total of 504 antibiotic dispensing events were recorded across 22 community pharmacies in Kakamega County, western Kenya, between 3rd and 22nd August 2025. Data collected included dispensing source (over-the-counter [OTC] versus prescription), clinical indication, antibiotics dispensed, course completion, and self-reported repeat antibiotic use within the preceding month. Descriptive analyses were performed, and χ² tests were used to examine associations between dispensing source and selected non-antibiotic dispensing characteristics. Results Of the 504 dispensing events, 224 (44.4%) involved OTC dispensing and 278 (55.2%) were prescription-based. The most frequent indications for antibiotic dispensing were upper respiratory tract infections (URTI; n = 156, 31.0%), lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI; n = 95, 18.8%), gastrointestinal infections (n = 65, 12.9%), and skin or soft-tissue infections (n = 55, 10.9%). Across all events, amoxicillin, azithromycin, and metronidazole were the most frequently dispensed antibiotics, with cephalosporins and other broad-spectrum agents used across several indications. Partial antibiotic courses were supplied in 33 (6.5%) dispensing events, most commonly due to financial constraints (15/33, 45.5%). Self-reported antibiotic use within the preceding month occurred in 156 (31.0%) cases. Conclusions OTC antibiotic access remains widespread in Kakamega County, with substantial use of broad-spectrum agents across multiple clinical indications. Financial barriers contribute to incomplete antibiotic courses. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating community pharmacy dispensing data into county-level antimicrobial stewardship programmes and informing national strategies to optimise antibiotic use. Fri, 15 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://ir-library.mmust.ac.ke/xmlui/handle/123456789/3752 2026-05-15T00:00:00Z