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Women Initiatives in Informal Post-Conflict Peace Building in Nairobi City County, Kenya, 1990 – 2014
(Kenyatta University, 2025-09) Mutiso-Kyany’a, Bernadette Wavinya
Globally, the roles played by women in peace building initiatives cannot be underestimated. Subsequently, women have contributed significantly in informal peace building initiatives in Kenya. In spite of the immense contributions of women initiatives in peace building in Kenya, their efforts in formal peace processes have been peripheral. This study investigates women initiatives in informal post-conflict peace building initiatives in selected informal settlements in Nairobi County between 1990 and 2014. This study looked at peace building in a broader sense and was not confined to post political violence only. Four objectives were set for this study. To begin with, this study sought to examine the drivers of conflict in Nairobi County between 1990 and 2014. Second the gendered dimensions of conflict in informal post-conflict peace building initiatives were explored. Third, the study assessed the initiatives taken by women in informal post-conflict peace building in Nairobi County. Finally, the study analyzed the influence of ethnicity on women participation in informal post-conflict peace building initiatives in Nairobi County. The study was anchored on two complementary theories namely; gender socialization and conflict transformation theories to understand gendered dimensions of peace-building and whether violent conflict transformed age old gender practices. This study took the form of a descriptive research design and employed both primary and secondary sources of data collection. The main tools of data collection were interview schedules and questionnaires. Purposive sampling was used to identify 100 respondents who included women and men, County Peace Committee members, women representatives, Members of the Nairobi County Assembly, peace initiative staff and members of the National Peace Committee. Data from this study was analyzed and interpreted qualitatively and quantitatively. The study findings noted that negative ethnicity was one of the key drivers of post-election violence in the informal settlements in Nairobi County. Other drivers included land, tenancy versus landlord and domestic violence which heightened tensions in the communities. In conclusion therefore, this study noted that although women are pivotal in ensuring the sustenance of peace in Nairobi City County, they faced challenges which included patriarchal culture, domestic violence and confinement to household chores especially in the informal settlements under the study. It was further noted that women are instrumental in the enhancement and restoration of peace amongst conflicting communities. The study has demonstrated that women in Nairobi City County have the potential to improve their contribution in conflict transformation if the challenges they face for example, funding for their initiatives, patriarchy, inadequate skills in peace building are mitigated. The study thus recommends that stakeholders including the Nairobi City County should develop a clear strategy and develop a policy framework on how to include the women undertaking informal peace building initiatives and fund them. The study further recommended that research to find out policy gaps that inhibits women visibility and recognition in peace building fifty years after the first UN conference on women issues and twenty-five years after the UNSCR 1325 of Oct 2000
Establishment of Hematological and Biochemical Reference Intervals for Pregnant and No pregnant Women in Nairobi, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2025-08) Mutua David Nzioka
Clinical laboratory parameters from healthy persons differ significantly between populations, mainly driven by environmental, nutritional, demographic and genetic factors. Despite this, reference intervals derived from Caucasian populations are used in Nairobi County, Kenya to interpret laboratory test results due to the absence of locally derived reference values. This can lead to misclassification of patients. This study aimed to establish age-and trimester-specific hematological and biochemical reference intervals for pregnant and non-pregnant women in Nairobi County, Kenya. Reference intervals were determined using Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute C28-A3 guidelines in a sample of 1,458 women. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Median values and nonparametric 95% reference values for the parameters were determined. Test of normality using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and Shapiro-Wilk test was significant (p < 0.05). Significant differences in medians were determined using Kruskal-Wallis H test followed by Mann-Whitney U test with adjusted significant ρ-value of less than 0.0083. Independent of the age group, the reference intervals for red blood cells, hemoglobin, packed cell volume, platelets, total protein, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, gamma glutamyl transferase, total bilirubin, urea, creatinine, calcium, and phosphorus for non-pregnant women were significantly higher than that of the pregnant women in their first, second and third trimester with minimal differences within and between the trimesters. However, the reference intervals for mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular volume, red cell distribution width, white blood cells, lymphocytes, granulocytes, mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width, sodium, potassium, chloride, total cholesterol, low density lipoproteins, high density lipoproteins, and triglycerides for non-pregnant women were significantly lower than that of the pregnant women in their first, second and third trimester with minimal differences within and between the trimesters. In age-set comparison, the reference intervals for red blood cell, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, plateletcrit, mean platelet volume, total protein, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, chloride, calcium, phosphorus, and triglycerides for non-pregnant women, and pregnant women in their first, second, and third trimester are similar. However, significant differences were found in the reference intervals for hemoglobin, packed cell volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular volume, red cell distribution width, white blood cells, lymphocytes, monocytes, granulocytes, platelets, platelet distribution width, albumin, alkaline phosphatase, gamma glutamyl transferase, urea, creatinine, sodium, potassium, total cholesterol, low density lipoproteins, and high density lipoproteins for non-pregnant women, and pregnant women in their first, second, and third trimester. D-BIL had the minimum out of range percentage (0%) in non-pregnant and in first trimester, while CAL and HDL-CHOL had the maximum out of range percentage (100%) across the trimesters and age groups. Differences in reference intervals for between our study population and other populations highlight the importance of developing local reference intervals for proper clinical care. The developed reference intervals can be adapted for use in Clinical laboratories within the County and other Counties with similar geographical and environmental factors.
Women’s Indigenous Brewing Enterprise in Nairobi City: Production and Consumption Dynamics in an Urban Space, 1890–2010
(Kenyatta University, 2025-11) Murathi Antony Kimani
This study examines women’s participation in the brewing enterprise from 1890 to
2010, situating it within the urban context of Nairobi. Its specific objectives were:
to evaluate how socio-cultural norms shaped the brewing and consumption of
alcoholic beverages among precolonial Kenyan societies; to assess how indigenous
brewing transitioned from rural to urban contexts and became commodified in
Nairobi between 1900 and 1928; to analyze the factors that enabled African women
brewers in Nairobi to sustain and adapt their brewing enterprises amid intensified
colonial repression between 1929 and 1963; and to explore how local and global
political-economic dynamics influenced the transformation and resilience of
women’s brewing in Nairobi from 1964 to 2010. The study investigates the
gendered socio-economic factors that underpinned the emergence of women’s
brewing enterprise in Nairobi and examines how women brewers exercised agency
within the constraints of the city’s shifting political economies. An integrated
theoretical framework drawing on the articulation of modes of production and the
concept of women’s agency was employed. Methodologically, the study adopted a
historical research design grounded in qualitative analysis. Data was obtained from
primary and secondary sources and verified for authenticity, consistency, and
reliability. It was then presented thematically and chronologically in line with the
research objectives. Findings reveal that both colonial and post-independence
policies criminalized and stigmatized indigenous brewing, but women transformed
it into a vital livelihood strategy, generating income amid persistent structural
constraints. Women brewers thus emerged not as passive participants but as active
agents who negotiated repression, commodification, and urban transformation to
assert autonomy and sustain livelihoods, which significantly shaped Nairobi’s social
and economic landscape. The study recommends further research on the intersection
of men’s and women’s roles in brewing, on women’s strategies for reinvesting
income within the indigenous alcohol economy, and on the evolving linkages
between small-scale and industrial beer production. Comparative studies between
Nairobi and other African cities could also illuminate broader regional dynamics in
women’s brewing practices and how these relate to wider urban informal
economies. Such inquiries would also help preserve and valorize women’s brewing
knowledge as a crucial resource for reclaiming cultural dignity and advancing the
broader project of economic and intellectual decolonization. This study contributes
both to scholarship and practice by advancing the historiography of gender and
urban Africa and informing contemporary policy debates on alcohol regulation,
informal enterprise, and women’s entrepreneurship in African citie
Kiswahili Teacher Characteristics and Students’ Academic Achievement in Secondary Schools in Murang’a and Kiambu Counties, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2025-09) Munyaka, Lucy Wanjiru
Teachers contribute a pivotal role in shaping students’ academic outcomes,
particularly through effective curriculum implementation. In Kenya, concerns persist
about the declining performance in Kiswahili among secondary school students,
despite the efforts made to improve teacher professional development. This issue
was evidenced in Kiswahili results in 2020 KCSE, in Murang’a and Kiambu
counties, which recorded lower mean scores i.e. 4.3 and 4.4 respectively, than Nyeri
(4.62) and Kirinyaga (4.64). This study examined the influence of Kiswahili teacher
characteristics on students’ academic achievement in Kiswahili in secondary schools
in Murang’a and Kiambu counties. The focus was on three dimensions: (1) teacher
demographics (age, gender, personality), (2) academic and professional
qualifications and teaching experience, and (3) pedagogical content knowledge
(PCK). Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (1979), which gives a holistic
lens for examining the multiple environmental layers that influence a learner’s
development and academic outcomes was used. The study employed a descriptive
survey design and focused on a population of 29,134 individuals, comprising 512
principals, 1,172 Kiswahili teachers, and 27,450 Form Four students. A stratified
proportionate sample of 103 schools yielded 299 Kiswahili teachers and 395
students, while 103 principals were purposively selected. Data was collected through
structured questionnaires, and instrument reliability was confirmed via the split-half
technique, achieving Cronbach’s alpha values above 0.90. Descriptive statistics
(frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations) and inferential tests
(ANOVA, independent samples t-tests) were employed in analysis. Results
indicated that teachers’ PCK, professional skills, and academic qualifications
significantly influenced student achievement in Kiswahili, with mean scores of 4.0
(SD = 1.1), 3.9 (SD = 0.8), and 3.8 (SD = 1.1), respectively. ANOVA further
revealed statistically significant differences in perceptions of gender’s influence
across principals, teachers, and students (p = .000). The study concludes that teacher
characteristics are critical in improving Kiswahili performance. It recommends that
the Teachers Service Commission should enhance teacher development programs
with emphasis on strengthening PCK. Further research is suggested to explore the
influence of gender, personality traits, and instructional methods, across different
types of secondary schools including rural and urban setting.
Relationship among Students’ Achievement Motivation, Teachers’ Self-Efficacy and English Language Performance among Form Three Students in Embu County, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2025-12) Mugane Calmen Mary
English language is an essential subject in the Kenya school syllabus as it is the standard language of instruction in most subjects in the school curriculum. Despite its importance, students’ performance in English has remained consistently below expectations in many Kenyan schools, prompting concern among educators and policymakers. This study therefore sought to investigate students' achievement motivation and teachers' English self-efficacy as correlates of English language performance among Form Three students in Embu County, Kenya. The following objectives grounded the study: To find out the relationship between students’ achievement motivation and English language performance, to establish the relationship between teachers of English self-efficacy in teaching English and English performance, to establish the inter-relationship among students’ achievement motivation, teachers of English self-efficacy, and English performance, and finally to ascertain if students’ achievement motivation varied significantly by gender. This research was anchored in the achievement motivation theory by McClelland and Atkinson (1958) and the Self-Efficacy theory by Bandura (1997). A correlational research design aimed at contributing to the limited research on the variables was used. The study targeted Form Three students who were to sit for their KCSE examination in 2024, from a total of 50,675 students in 189 public schools in the county. In the first stage, the study employed simple random and stratified sampling to select 17 schools out of the 189 public secondary schools in Embu County. Adapted instruments: Sadven’s SP Profile (1975) and Teachers Self-efficacy scale developed by Ralf Schwarzer (1999) were used in data collection. A preliminary pilot study was conducted on 26 students, a sample similar to the study's sample to determine the validity and reliability of the study instruments. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results revealed a significant positive relationship between achievement motivation and English language performance, r (312) = .33, p < 0.05. There was a positive significant relationship between teachers' self-efficacy and English language performance, r(312) = .47 , p < .05. The study found significant mean differences in students’ achievement motivation in favor of females, t (312) = -4.68, p < .05. Regarding prediction, the two independent variables significantly predict English language performance and explained 24% of the total variance in performance. Based on the results, the study makes the following recommendations: The Ministry of Education may enhance policies and monitoring frameworks which can influence motivational levels and self-efficacy among teachers in English language. The Teachers Service Commission may implement these policies by incorporating motivational and self-efficacy elements in in-service programs for English teachers, especially in underperforming schools to enhance performance in the subject.