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Business Model Innovation Strategies and Performance of Manufacturing Firms Listed on Nairobi Securities Exchange in Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2025-11) Maina, James Rugami
Globally, manufacturing firms form a vital part of national economic infrastructure, contributing to employment, revenue generation and overall economic development. Despite their significance to the economy, most manufacturing firms in Kenya have recently experienced decline in performance, marked by low profit margins and stagnating market share due to increased competition from imports. This study investigated the effect of business model innovation strategies on performance of manufacturing firms listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange in Kenya. Specifically, it examined the effects of customer value proposition innovation, distribution channel innovation, blue ocean strategy and strategic partnership innovation on firm performance. Additionally, the study explored the mediating role of competitive advantage and the moderating effect of the regulatory framework on the relationship between business model innovation strategies and performance of listed manufacturing firms. The study is anchored on Porter’s value chain model, resource-based view theory, dynamic capabilities theory, diffusion of innovation theory and the balanced scorecard model. A positivist research paradigm and an explanatory research design that was cross sectional in nature adopted. The target population consisted of 95 functional heads of departments drawn from 19 listed manufacturing firms. The data collection instrument was a semi-structured questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions. A pilot study was conducted to test the validity and reliability of the instrument, achieving above Cronbach alpha index of 0.7. The instrument was also subjected to face, construct, and content validity. The response rate was 88%. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive analysis involved the use of mean and standard deviation. Results of data analysis are presented in tables and figures. Qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis. The study found that customer value proposition innovation, distribution channel innovation, blue ocean and strategic partnership innovation strategies significantly and positively affected firm performance. Competitive advantage was found to partially mediate the relationship between business model innovation strategies and firm performance. Furthermore, the regulatory framework significantly moderates the relationship between business model innovation strategies and firm performance highlighting the importance of a supportive regulatory environment in enhancing the effectiveness of innovation strategies. The study findings conclude that managers of the manufacturing firms should prioritize business model innovation strategies to improve performance. The study recommends that through strategic collaborations, managers can work with universities and other educational institutions to include business model innovation studies in their syllabus. The policymakers should foster a conducive regulatory framework to support innovative efforts and facilitate ease of doing business to encourage more investments in manufacturing. The study recommends that top management of manufacturing firms invest in enhancing customer value propositions, optimizing distribution channels, adopting blue ocean strategies, and forming strategic partnerships. More emphases and resources should be devoted to distribution channel innovation strategy to ensure availability of quality products when, where and how customers need them. Future research should explore the effect of other business model innovation strategies and consider the role of additional mediating and moderating factors in different contexts, for example the informal manufacturing sector.
Fiscal Decentralization and Healthcare Service Delivery in Turkana County, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2025-10) Sirite, James Kinjanzi
Turkana County continues to face significant challenges in healthcare service delivery
resulting in high rates of preventable diseases, maternal and infant mortality and limited
access to essential healthcare facilities and practitioners. Despite evidence showing
improvements in recent years, the healthcare indicators in Turkana County portrayed high
disparities compared to national average. This study investigated how fiscal
decentralization affected healthcare service delivery in Turkana County, Kenya. The
specific objectives were to establish the effects of revenue decentralization, expenditure
decentralization and technical support structures on healthcare service delivery in Turkana
County. In addition, the study examined the effect of policy framework on the relationship
between fiscal decentralization and healthcare service delivery in Turkana County. The
study was guided by fiscal decentralization, community empowerment and resource-based
view theories. The study adopted interpretivism as its research philosophy. It employed a
descriptive survey design and adopted census sampling technique. The population of the
study comprised of 271 individuals drawn from County department of finance and
economic planning, County department of health and sanitation services, heads of
departments in the Sub-County hospitals, Turkana County referral hospital board-lodwar,
chairpersons of Sub-Counties (Turkana North, Kibish, Turkana West, Loima, Turkana
Central, Turkana South and Turkana East) hospital committees, co-ordinators for
community health volunteers (CHVs) and chairpersons of the health centres and
dispensaries committees. The study used semi-structured questionnaires and interview
guide in data collection. Qualitative data was analysed using content analysis, while
quantitative data was analysed using descriptive, inferential and multiple regression
modelling. Results indicated that revenue decentralization, expenditure decentralization,
technical support structures had significant effects on healthcare service delivery in
Turkana County. Additionally, Policy framework moderated the positive relationship
between fiscal decentralization and healthcare service delivery. However, health
communication system under technical support structures, depicted a negative effect on
healthcare accessibility and affordability. As such the study recommends a targeted support
on policy framework as it had the potential to accelerate the positive effect of fiscal
decentralization on healthcare service delivery in Turkana County.
Electoral Process and National Security in the Informal Settlements of Nairobi City County, Kenya from 2007-2022
(Kenyatta University, 2025-12) Kilatya, Jairus Mutinda
One tool that governments utilize to affect income distribution and enhance household wellbeing is public
expenditure. The United Nations emphasized in 2005 that governments would need to increase
public spending in the areas of agriculture, health, infrastructure, and education if the Millennium
Development Goal targets were to be realized. This was stressed even more in 2015 under the
United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Between 2006 and 2022, public spending
on health, infrastructure, agriculture, and education grew by almost 25 per cent of total national spending
in Kenya. The Constitutional mandate that allocates 15 per cent of national revenue to county governments
and one-half percent to marginalized areas has reinforced agenda. Income inequality has remained high at
an average Gini coefficient of 0.386 since 2015/16. In 2021, the Gini coefficient was 0.389. Compared to
the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating poverty, the projected number of impoverished
individuals in 2021 was 38.6 per cent, in the field of education, the enrollment rates for primary and
secondary schools were 47.8 per cent and 88.4 per cent, respectively, in 2015, falling short of the
Sustainable Development Goal objective of 100 per cent target. In the health sector despite the Sustainable
Development Goals' aim of fewer than 25 deaths per 1,000 live births by 2030, the maternal mortality rate
remained high in 2022, with 41 deaths per 1,000 live births. Kenya will not be able to meet the
Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, which include poverty eradication, healthy living and
equitable distribution of income within the nation, if these trends continue. An increase in public
expenditure on health and education without corresponding effects on household welfare and income
inequalities has raised concerns among policymakers. Thus, the goal of the study was to ascertain how
public spending affects household welfare in Kenya, as well as how it varies depending on the region's
economic bloc. It also aimed to assess the effect of public spending on income distribution in Kenya. The
study used a non-experimental research approach using data from the Basic Report on Well-Being, which
is an extract from the Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey for the 2015–16 year. Public expenditure
data at the county levels covering all the 47 counties for the period 2014 to 2016 were used in the analysis,
taking the county as the unit of study. The study used Ordinary Least Squares method in analyzing
objectives one and three while Seemingly Unrelated Regression technique was used to estimate
consumption expenditure share equations. The study estimated Ordinary Least Squares and found empirical
support that a 1 per cent increase in government spending on agriculture would enhance household welfare
by 0.1 per cent and 0.3 per cent, respectively, with regard to food and non-food household consumption. In
addition, the study found that household welfare would improve by 0.18 per cent in terms of aggregate
household consumption when the government increases public expenditure on agriculture by one percent.
However, the study established that public spending on education had a positive impact on household
welfare in terms of food and total household spending, whereas public spending on health per capita only
had a positive impact on household spending on nonfood items. A 1 per cent rise in government expenditure
on agriculture per capita lowers income inequality in the first and second quintiles by 0.7 and 0.5 percentage
points, respectively, according to the study's estimation of the Seemingly Unrelated Regression model. This
implies that governmental expenditure on agriculture per capita has a favorable effect on income
distribution by aiding the impoverished. The study further found that income distribution in the lowest
quintiles would improve by 0.2 percentage points with a 1 per cent increase in public spending on
infrastructure per capita. On the other hand, the study did not find any empirical evidence that public
expenditure on health per capita have an effect on income distribution in all the income groups. Regionally,
according to the study, increased public funding for infrastructure, health care, and agriculture is necessary
for the Coast, South Eastern Kenya, Frontier Counties Development Council, Mount Kenya, and Aberdare
economic blocs to achieve better welfare status for their population. The study concluded that both the
national and county governments should increase funding for infrastructure, education, and agriculture in
order for the government to improve household welfare status and income distribution among Kenyan
citizens, as these specific expenditures are necessary.
Public Expenditure, Household Welfare and Income Distribution in Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2025-11) Mala, Hanningtone Okendo
One tool that governments utilize to affect income distribution and enhance household wellbeing is public
expenditure. The United Nations emphasized in 2005 that governments would need to increase
public spending in the areas of agriculture, health, infrastructure, and education if the Millennium
Development Goal targets were to be realized. This was stressed even more in 2015 under the
United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Between 2006 and 2022, public spending
on health, infrastructure, agriculture, and education grew by almost 25 per cent of total national spending
in Kenya. The Constitutional mandate that allocates 15 per cent of national revenue to county governments
and one-half percent to marginalized areas has reinforced agenda. Income inequality has remained high at
an average Gini coefficient of 0.386 since 2015/16. In 2021, the Gini coefficient was 0.389. Compared to
the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating poverty, the projected number of impoverished
individuals in 2021 was 38.6 per cent, in the field of education, the enrollment rates for primary and
secondary schools were 47.8 per cent and 88.4 per cent, respectively, in 2015, falling short of the
Sustainable Development Goal objective of 100 per cent target. In the health sector despite the Sustainable
Development Goals' aim of fewer than 25 deaths per 1,000 live births by 2030, the maternal mortality rate
remained high in 2022, with 41 deaths per 1,000 live births. Kenya will not be able to meet the
Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, which include poverty eradication, healthy living and
equitable distribution of income within the nation, if these trends continue. An increase in public
expenditure on health and education without corresponding effects on household welfare and income
inequalities has raised concerns among policymakers. Thus, the goal of the study was to ascertain how
public spending affects household welfare in Kenya, as well as how it varies depending on the region's
economic bloc. It also aimed to assess the effect of public spending on income distribution in Kenya. The
study used a non-experimental research approach using data from the Basic Report on Well-Being, which
is an extract from the Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey for the 2015–16 year. Public expenditure
data at the county levels covering all the 47 counties for the period 2014 to 2016 were used in the analysis,
taking the county as the unit of study. The study used Ordinary Least Squares method in analyzing
objectives one and three while Seemingly Unrelated Regression technique was used to estimate
consumption expenditure share equations. The study estimated Ordinary Least Squares and found empirical
support that a 1 per cent increase in government spending on agriculture would enhance household welfare
by 0.1 per cent and 0.3 per cent, respectively, with regard to food and non-food household consumption. In
addition, the study found that household welfare would improve by 0.18 per cent in terms of aggregate
household consumption when the government increases public expenditure on agriculture by one percent.
However, the study established that public spending on education had a positive impact on household
welfare in terms of food and total household spending, whereas public spending on health per capita only
had a positive impact on household spending on nonfood items. A 1 per cent rise in government expenditure
on agriculture per capita lowers income inequality in the first and second quintiles by 0.7 and 0.5 percentage
points, respectively, according to the study's estimation of the Seemingly Unrelated Regression model. This
implies that governmental expenditure on agriculture per capita has a favorable effect on income
distribution by aiding the impoverished. The study further found that income distribution in the lowest
quintiles would improve by 0.2 percentage points with a 1 per cent increase in public spending on
infrastructure per capita. On the other hand, the study did not find any empirical evidence that public
expenditure on health per capita have an effect on income distribution in all the income groups. Regionally,
according to the study, increased public funding for infrastructure, health care, and agriculture is necessary
for the Coast, South Eastern Kenya, Frontier Counties Development Council, Mount Kenya, and Aberdare
economic blocs to achieve better welfare status for their population. The study concluded that both the
national and county governments should increase funding for infrastructure, education, and agriculture in
order for the government to improve household welfare status and income distribution among Kenyan
citizens, as these specific expenditures are necessary.
Systematics, Ethnobotany and Conservation of the Genus Kalanchoe Adans. (Crassulaceae) in Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2025-12) Evusa, Gertrude Vwononi
Kalanchoe Adans. (Crassulaceae) comprises about 175 succulent species, native to tropical Africa
and Madagascar with 19 occurring in Kenya. Most (68.4%) remain unassessed for conservation
status and their taxonomy and phylogeny are unclear due to morphological variation,
hybridisation, polyploidy and overlapping distribution. Although used as ornamentals and
medicinal plants in many parts of Africa, the uses of Kalanchoe species in East Africa have not
been systematically documented. The objectives of this study were to clarify species boundaries
within the K. lateritia and K. nyikae complexes, determine their phylogenetic relationships using
molecular and morphometric analyses, document the traditional uses and assess conservation
status. Morphological data obtained from herbarium specimens was analysed using PAST
programs while molecular studies utilized DNA extraction from leaf samples using EZNA kits,
sequencing of the data through the Angiosperm 353 probe kit, and analysing it under the
maximum likelihood criterion. Ethnobotanical data was collected using interviews and semi structured questionnaires in six flora regions. Conservation status was evaluated based on field
observations of threats, Area of Occupancy (AOO), and Extent of Occurrence (EOO) through
Geospatial Conservation Assessment Tool (GeoCAT). Taxonomic findings indicated K. nyikae as
monophyletic supporting its subspecies, K. nyikae subsp. auriculata as valid rather than a hybrid.
Conversely, K. lateritia varieties revision was highlighted, combination of K. lateritia var.
lateritia and K. lateritia var. prostrata into one variety/subspecies and retention of K. lateritia var.
pseudolateritia as a separate variety/subspecies. Phylogenetic analyses resolved two main clades,
confirming Kalanchoe as broadly monophyletic, and K. subg. Kitchingia and K. subg.
Bryophyllum polyphyletic. Kalanchoe exhibited uncertain relationships among six subclades. The
study revealed that Kalanchoe species in Kenya are mainly used as ornamentals and in traditional
medicine for treating injuries, wounds, gastrointestinal problems and infections in humans and
poultry. Kalanchoe prittwitzii, K. densiflora and K. lateritia were most cited. Conservation
assessments categorised three species as critically endangered (CR), 12 as Endangered (EN) and
four as Vulnerable (VU), under IUCN (2022) criteria. A comprehensive evaluation upgraded K.
lateritia and K. nyikae sensu stricto to EN from LC due to their low AOO resulting from severely
fragmented or few localities and ongoing decline–criterion 2ab (iii) and significant habitat threats.
The threats include habitat loss, anthropogenic activities and prolonged drought and floods.
Findings from this study emphasize the need for clear species delimitation to support
identification, management, and sustainable utilisation. Conservation efforts should focus on
raising awareness, sustainable use, and inclusion in in-situ and ex-situ conservation initiatives.
Taxonomic revision, further research using other molecular tools and broader sampling to refine
phylogenetic and taxonomic relationships, phytochemical studies of the medicinal species and
IUCN red list update are recommended