Kenyatta University Repository
Kenyatta University Institutional Repository is a digital archive that collects, preserves and disseminates scholarly outputs of the Institution
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Does Size Shield? Examining the Moderating Role of Firm Size on Market Risk–Profitability Nexus among Kenyan Insurers
(INTERNATIONAL JOURNALS OF ACADEMICS & RESEARCH, 2025) Gitau, Kimacia; Wamugo, Lucy; Omagwa, Job
The insurance industry constitutes a critical pillar of the non-bank financial sector and remains integral to sustaining economic development in both emerging and advanced markets. In Kenya, persistent pressures on profitability have been evident, with at least nine insurers experiencing severe financial distress leading to collapse over the past ten years. This study examined whether firm size moderates the relationship between liquidity risk and credit risk in shaping the profitability of insurance companies in Kenya. The inquiry was anchored on key theoretical frameworks, namely Modern Portfolio Theory, Agency Theory and Institutional Theory. A positivist philosophical orientation and an explanatory research design informed the methodological choices. The target population comprised all 55 insurers licensed by the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) as at 31 December 2022. The study utilized secondary data derived from audited financial statements accessed through IRA and the Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI) repositories for the period 2014–2022, complemented by data from the Central Bank of Kenya and the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Analytical procedures included descriptive statistics, panel regression modelling, and Pearson’s correlation analysis to evaluate the associations among the study variables. The findings revealed that firm size did not exert a statistically significant moderating effect, as it did not materially alter the model’s decision rule. This suggests that the influence of interest rate, inflation and foreign exchange risks on return on equity (ROE) and return on assets (ROA) remained relatively uniform across insurers irrespective of their asset base. The study recommends that insurance companies in Kenya should implement comprehensive and standardized risk management practices irrespective of organisational size.
Effects of Drug and Substance Abuse Management Practices on Economic Empowerment in Kiambu County
(Kenyatta University, 2025) Omukoko, Daniel Musiko
World over, where drugs and substances are known, patterns for their use and abstinence are
prescribed. In Kiambu County, various nationally and internationally recognized drug and
substance abuse management practices have been put in place. The study aimed to investigate
the effects of drug and substance use management practices on economic empowerment in
Kiambu County. The following objectives guided the study: to evaluate the effect of drug and
substance abuse prevention practices on the economic empowerment of Kiambu County, to
establish the effect of drug and substance abuse law enforcement practices on the economic
empowerment of Kiambu, and to assess the effect of drug and substance abuse Therapeutic
management practices on the economic empowerment of Kiambu. The study was anchored on
the self-efficacy Theory, Cohen's Status Frustration Theory, and Rational Emotive Behavior
Therapy. A descriptive research design was adopted. The target population for the study was
ward administrators, caregivers, police officers, Officer commanding station (OCS) crime,
Deputy County Commissioner, and National government administrative officers (NGAO) were
sampled using stratified simple random sampling. The Deputy County Commissioner and
Officer Commanding Station were deliberately included in the sample. The pilot size was 10%
(20) of the population was tested to adjust the instrument's validity and reliability. Cronbach’s
Alpha coefficient analyzed the internal uniformity reliability of the questionnaire. Validity was
tested and had coefficients of above 0.70, hence reliability was confirmed. A total of 200
respondents were targeted, and a sample size of 62 was used to collect data using a structured
questionnaire. Ethical considerations of confidentiality and respondents' consent were adhered
to. Inferential and descriptive methods were used for quantitative data analysis. Data collected
was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS). Figures and tables were
used for presentation. The study adopted a multivariate regression analysis. The study outcome
indicated that drug and substance abuse management practices influence 30 per cent of
economic empowerment in Kiambu County. Variables outside this model contributed the
remaining 70 per cent. The model was, therefore, appropriate for inferential statistics.
Economic empowerment increased when a single unit increased prevention program practices,
law enforcement practices, and therapeutic interventions practices. In conclusion, the joint
effect of prevention program strategies, law enforcement practices, and therapeutic
interventions was crucial for the economic empowerment of drug abuse victims.
Recommendations included enhancing stakeholder collaboration and communication,
including prevention program providers, law enforcement agencies, healthcare professionals,
and economic empowerment organizations
Use of Data Mining Tools in Determining Patrons’ Information Needs for Collection Development in Selected Academic Libraries in Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2025-11) Kinyua, Margaret Wamuyu
Data mining is defined as the process of identifying and extracting useful information from a large pool of raw data. In context of this study, data mining tools refer to the techniques, strategies, channels used to collect raw data into the data warehouse. Though data mining tools have been in use for a considerably long time, it has been emphasized and largely used in commercial settings: manufacturing, banks, the health sector and the customer service industries in order gather feedback from clients in bid to offer satisfactory services to their clients. The studies lacked information on how raw data was obtained and from whom. The studies reviewed also had a glaring deficiency on the use of data mining tools by academic libraries for developing a patron driven collection. This study therefore sought to look into the application of data mining tools in the collection development process and focused on the aspect of data mining at the point of collecting raw data, rather than analyzing the data to form patterns. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how academic libraries embrace and utilize data mining tools in order to build a collection based on the information needs of its users. The research was based on the following objectives: to establish various data mining tools available in libraries, to assess librarians’ awareness of the existence of data mining tools, to determine contribution of postgraduate students in the collection development process by use of data mining tools and to assess the current acquisition processes in use. The study focused on two academic libraries; Kenyatta Univeristy and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. Data was collected from the university librarian, acquisition librarians and postgraduate students from each university. The university librarians and acquisition librarians were purposively selected and Slovins’ formula was used to derive the sample population for Post Graduate students. Data was collected using interviews for the university librarians and questionnaires for acquisition librarians and Post Graduate students. The data collected was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, and presented in form graphs, tables, and charts. The study derived the following findings: that data mining tools were available in the libraries, librarians were aware of the existence of various data mining tools, the Post Graduate students were not directly involved in the collection development process and that the libraries relied heavily on curriculum requirements and suggestions from the faculty during selection and acquisition of information resources. The study recommended that libraries should sensitize their staff on the use of data mining tools for collection development. The study further recommended that librarians should capitalize on their patrons’ input where data mining tools play a significant role in order to achieve a patron driven collection.
Total Quality Management Initiatives and Service Delivery in Non-Governmental Organizations in Garissa County, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2025-10) Osman, Khadija
Non-governmental organizations in Garissa County, Kenya, face multifaceted challenges in delivering services effectively and efficiently to their beneficiaries. Despite the growing emphasis on Total Quality Management as a means to enhance organizational performance and service delivery, there exists a dearth of empirical research investigating its influence within the Non-Governmental Organizations sector specifically in this region. Consequently, understanding the precise nature of these challenges and the extent to which Total Quality Management initiatives influence service delivery in Garissa County Non-Governmental Organizations is crucial for devising informed strategies to address them. The general objective of this study was to investigate the influence of total quality management initiatives and service delivery in NGOs in Garissa County, Kenya. The specific objectives were to ascertain the influence of leadership, customer focus, technology and staff training on service delivery in non-governmental organizations in Garissa County, Kenya. The research was dictated by the resource-based view theory, leadership contingency theory and human capital theory. The study was done through a descriptive research design. The target audience under research was 100 employees working with NGOs in Garissa County, Kenya. The study's sample size was determined through census where all the 100 employees were involved in the study. A semi-structured questionnaire was utilized in data gathering. A total of 10 people— being staff from NGOs in Wajir County which is adjacent to Garissa County were involved in the pilot study. Content validity, construct validity, and criteria validity were employed to gauge validity. Quantitative data was evaluated utilizing descriptive statistics such as means and standard deviation. Inferential statistics was analyzed using correlation analysis and multiple regression. The results were presented using frequency tables. The findings showed that total quality management elements of leadership, customer focus, technology and employee training positively influence service delivery in the NGOs in Garissa County. Multiple correlation analysis suggested that a positive and significant correlation between leadership, customer focus, technology and employee training and service delivery. The study concluded that leadership, customer focus, technology and employee training are important elements that influence service delivery by NGOs in Garissa County. The study recommended strengthening leadership, enhancing customer focus, establishing robust technology and increasing employee training as a way of further enhancing service delivery by NGOs in Garissa County. The study's beneficiaries include the local population, sponsors, employees of non-governmental organizations, and recipients of their services.
Housing Costs and Financial Health of Housing Development Institutions in Nairobi Metropolitan Area, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2025-09) Mokembo, Josephat Nyauncho
Housing development institutions play a critical role in Kenya’s economic development by contributing significantly to the gross domestic product and addressing the nation’s housing needs. For these institutions to remain sustainable, their financial health is essential. This study examined the effect of housing costs on the financial health of housing development institutions in the Nairobi Metropolitan Area, Kenya, with a particular focus on construction costs, operating costs, and financing costs. The study was anchored on the housing adjustment theory, urban economics theory, the positive theory of housing, and the Marxist theory of housing, which collectively provided insights into how housing costs interact with institutional behavior, market dynamics, and socio-economic structures. The target population consisted of 53 housing development institutions registered with the Kenya Property Developers Association, from which 16 were purposively selected. Secondary data were collected using a Data Collection Sheet from the institutions’ published financial statements covering the period 2016–2023. Financial ratios were employed to measure construction costs, operating costs, financing costs, and financial health, while descriptive statistics and panel data regression analysis, specifically the fixed effects model, were used to analyze the data with the aid of SPSS version 26. The findings revealed that construction costs (β = 0.018; p = 0.000), operating costs (β = 0.692; p = 0.000), and financing costs (β = 0.747; p = 0.000) all had a positive and significant effect on the financial health of housing development institutions. The study concludes that effective project planning, prudent cost management, and securing affordable financing are crucial for the long-term sustainability of these institutions. It further recommends that housing development institutions strengthen internal cost-control mechanisms, optimize resource allocation, and diversify financing sources by exploring partnerships, capital markets, and public-private collaborations. In addition, institutions should invest in innovative construction technologies and sustainable building materials to reduce long-term costs, improve operational efficiency through digitalization and capacity building, and enhance risk management strategies to mitigate financing and market risks. Moreover, transparent governance structures and accountability mechanisms should be established to attract investors and build stakeholder confidence. Finally, aligning housing development with government affordable housing programs and urban planning frameworks, while fostering research and data-driven decision-making, will position housing institutions for greater resilience, policy support, and sustainable financial health.