Journal Articles

Employee Involvement and Employee Performance: The Case of Part Time Lecturers in Public Universities in Kenya

Thu, 01 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Employee Involvement and Employee Performance: The Case of Part Time Lecturers in Public Universities in Kenya Odero, Jackline Akoth; Makori, Makori Ezekiel The study sought to examine the relationship between employee involvement and employee performance of part time lecturers in public universities in Kenya. The study adopted descriptive survey research design to collect data from a sample of 60 part time lecturers from four public universities in the western region of Kenya. The study used structured questionnaires to gather information from the respondents. The sampling technique used was stratified sampling and simple random sampling. It was analyzed descriptively using percentages, mean and standard deviation and also inferentially using regression and Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation test. Employee involvement was found to be strongly positively correlated to employee performance (r=0.665; p<0.01). Employee involvement accounted for 44.2 % of the total variance in employee performance of part time lecturers in public universities. Thus the study found that employee involvement had a great influence on employee performance. The study recommends that public universities should adopt employee involvement programs to drive performance, growth and competitiveness on the regional and also the global market.

Household Indigenous Drought Coping and Adaptation Strategies in Baringo County, Kenya

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Household Indigenous Drought Coping and Adaptation Strategies in Baringo County, Kenya Maurice, Manyonge Pepela; Ferdinand, Nabiswa; Edward, Mugalavai Coping and adaptation to the impacts of climate change such as drought is increasingly necessary. Due to the expanding global impacts of climate change coping and adaptation agenda among various agencies, it is of primary importance to understand the coping and adaptation strategies in order to generate the most appropriate and effective interventions. The study established drought coping and adaptation strategies employed by households in Baringo County and this was based on Pressure and Release (PAR) model which grounds the framework for understanding vulnerability to disasters and adaptation. The 224 household heads were selected by simple random sampling out of which 204 completed the questionnaire. The study adopted description research design. Data was analyzed by both descriptive and qualitative statistics where the SPSS package version 22 was used in the analysis where the chi – square and percentages were obtained. The study established that households had various drought coping and adaptation strategies where 77 (37.7%) informed the study that during drought season they normally shift to other ways or sources of livelihoods, herd splitting were 58 (28.4%) while 44 (21.6%) do herd and crop diversification. A calculated chi – square (χ2 =79.186, p–value=0.000 df=4) of the main coping mechanisms indicated that the variation was statistically significant. The study provided baseline information for further research. However, there is need for outside intervention or strategies for effectiveness since the community does not have well laid down strategies for climate change coping and adaptation.

Evaluation of land use change pattern of Kajulu-Riat hill peri-urban area near Kisumu City, Kenya

Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Evaluation of land use change pattern of Kajulu-Riat hill peri-urban area near Kisumu City, Kenya Rakama, Silas O.; Obiri, John F.; Mugalavai, Edward M. Land-use and land-cover changes are so pervasive that, when aggregated globally, they significantly affect key aspects of the Earth’s ecological integrity and ecosystem functioning. Such changes determine the vulnerability of places and people to climatic, economic or socio-political perturbations. This paper seeks to examine the pattern of land use change in a peri-urban set-up of Kajulu-Riat hill in Kisumu City, Kenya. The geographic information system technique of remote sensing was employed to evaluate land use land cover changes. Analysis of driving factors on land use change was done through survey and review of secondary data. The results showed a continous increase in Built-up land cover with a continous decrease in bush land. Other land uses affected by increase in built up are crop land and bare land covers. The results indicate the need for appropriate land use planning decisions at various spatial levels to minimize future unsustainable land use changes.

Impact of Rainfall Variability on Food production under Rainfed Agriculture in Homa Bay County, Kenya

Wed, 01 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Impact of Rainfall Variability on Food production under Rainfed Agriculture in Homa Bay County, Kenya Ogenga, Japheth O.; Mugalavai, Edward M.; Nyandiko, Nicodemus O. Rainfall variability exacerbated by frequent dry spell occurrences within the growing seasons is a common phenomenon in many regions of the world.. Homa Bay County located in the western part of Kenya in the Lake Victoria Basin is a sub humid region characterized by frequent dry spells resulting to poor yield in crops and livestock production in the County. This paper examines the impact of dry spells occurrence on food production under rainfed agriculture in Homa Bay County. The study used a sample size of 384 households. Primary data was gathered through use of questionnaires, interview guides, Focus Group Discussions and observation while secondary data including content analysis obtained from publications, journals, newspapers and internet sources. Data for evaluating dry spells and rainfall variability was obtained from Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD). Descriptive and inferential analyses were done for household data using statistical package for social scientists (SPSS) version 20. Results indicated that during dry spells, annual crop yield production for maize and beans fall below average of 1.44 tons/ha and 0.78 tons/ha while sorghum and millet were above average of 0.94 tons/ha and 1.61 tons/ha respectively. Livestock production (48%) was impacted upon greatly through weight loss and reduced milk output (23.8%). The findings revealed that rainfall variability and dry spells have serious impacts on food security in the Homa Bay County causing massive crop failure and reduced livestock production and death. It is therefore recommended that both national and county governments and other stakeholders put in place effective risk transfer strategies to ensure sustainability in rainfed agriculture in the area.