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Resource Administration Practices and Implementation of Projects in Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations in Bomet County, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2024-11) Kibet, Vincent
Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations (Saccos) play a crucial role in promoting financial inclusion and economic development in Kenya, particularly in rural areas like Bomet County. However, many Saccos struggle with project implementation, hindering their growth and member benefits. Only about 40% of projects in Bomet are completed on time, with 35% facing delays of over six months. Additionally, project costs exceed budgets by an average of 25%, and 60% of Saccos report funding shortages that negatively impact execution. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the influence of resource administration practices influences the implementation of projects in Saccos in Bomet County, Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were to examine the influence of resource scheduling, resource allocation, resource monitoring, and resource planning on the implementation of projects in Saccos in Bomet County, Kenya. The study was guided by resource-based view theory, resource dependency theory, and theory of constraints. This research utilized a descriptive design, focusing on five projects: SACCO automation, digital banking, savings and loans, FOSA services, and land acquisition. The sample included 642 SACCO project managers and team members, selected through stratified sampling. Data were collected via surveys, with a preliminary test conducted in Baringo County involving 10 participants to ensure reliability and validity. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, while validity was evaluated through content and construct analysis. Results were presented in tables and figures, including mean and standard deviation calculations, and inferential statistics were applied using multiple regression analysis. Diagnostic tests for multicollinearity, normality, linearity, homoscedasticity, and autocorrelation were also conducted. The research discovered that the effective scheduling, allocation, monitoring, and planning of resources had a notably positive influence on project execution within Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations (Saccos) in Bomet County, Kenya. This discovery indicates a strong positive association, where an increase in resource scheduling, allocation, monitoring, and planning leads to a rise in project implementation within Saccos in Bomet County, Kenya. Consequently, it can be deduced that the independent variables displayed a robust correlation with the dependent variable. The investigation concludes that project managers utilize resource scheduling as a tool to appropriately assign resources, thereby maximizing efficiency and averting work overload. Resource allocation empowers project managers to strategically select and assign available resources to tasks or projects in alignment with business objectives. Through resource monitoring, project managers can ensure that projects are accomplishing their objectives. Resource planning provides project managers with a more comprehensive understanding of the project life cycle. The investigation recommends that project managers compile a list of tasks that need to be completed, along with an estimation of the time required (in hours, days, or man-hours). Additionally, project managers should prioritize projects and determine the most suitable and available personnel to work on them. A project manager should monitor the progress of tasks and swiftly assess how much time each task was intended to take and how much time it actually took. It is crucial for project managers to carefully consider these aspects in advance, as they directly impact the project scope, timeliness, and quoting process through the early identification of required resources. The study highlights the need for further research on unexplored resource management practices to address a 20.4% conceptual gap in the regression model. It specifically examined SACCOs in Bomet County, Kenya, suggesting that a broader study across various counties could effectively fill this contextual gap.
Principals' Instructional Leadership and Its Relationship with Teacher Professional Development: A Case of Public Secondary Schools in Mombasa County, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2024-10) Otieno, George A.
Teacher professional development is crucial for enhancing the quality of education, yet in Mombasa County, many public secondary schools are grappling with inadequate instructional leadership from principals. This shortfall significantly hampers teachers' growth in key areas such as pedagogical skills, assessment, and inclusive education practices. The 2022 County Education Report underscores these deficiencies, highlighting an urgent need for improvement in the instructional leadership provided by school principals.The principals’ responsibility in promoting professional development of teachers has been widely acknowledged in educational research. However, in the context of public secondary schools in Mombasa County, there is a gap in the understanding of the impact of principals' instructional leadership on teacher professional development due to inadequacies cited in the County Education Report 2022, such as insufficient teacher training opportunities, lack of continuous professional development programs, and inadequate support from school leadership in fostering pedagogical growth and inclusive education practices.This study therefore sought to establish the impact of principals’ instructional leadership on teacher professional development in Mombasa County. The distinct objectives were; to investigate the relationship between principals’ instructional leadership and teacher pedagogical skills, teacher Knowledge of assessment and reporting, teacher selfefficacy and teacher support on inclusive education practices. This study was based on Transformational Leadership theory. This study is significant for the Ministry of Education, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), and secondary schools in Kenya. The findings provide insights into how principals' instructional leadership influences teacher professional development, potentially guiding the Ministry and TSC in creating policies that enhance teacher growth and instructional practices. Additionally, the study offers schools strategies to improve teacher efficacy and student outcomes.The study employed explanatory sequential research design to establish the influence of the independent variable on the dependent variables. The research targeted 1103 TSC teachers and principals teaching in the county. Purposive sampling was used to establish the principals sample size while teachers were sampled using the Taro Yamane formulae. A Sample of 305 respondents were picked out of which 216 responded back. The data collection methods for the study was the questionnaire for the teachers and interview sessions with the principals. The research instruments' validity was assured by the professional opinion of members of faculty and supervisors who are knowledgeable about research methodologies in education leadership and management. Cronbach’s alpha was then conducted to test reliability of the instruments. This was 0.8 and therefore was reliable. Frequencies and percentages were used to summarize the respondents data while regression analysis was conducted to assess the relationships between principals' instructionalleadership and teacher professional development. Quantitative data collected was analysed through frequencies and percentages while qualitative data was analysed thematically and presented as verbatim. The study found out that principals who are effective instructional leaders are more likely to have teachers who are professionally developed. Therefore principals’ instructional leadership had a positive impact on Teacher Professional Development. It is therefore recommended that policymakers, academia, school administrators, and teachers should work together to create a system that supports effective instructional leadership and teacher professional development. This will ultimately lead to improved student learning outcomes.
A Machine Learning Model to Detect Phishing Emails using Ensemble Technique
(Kenyatta University, 2024-11) Murangiri, Fredrick Nthurima
The majority of phishing attacks prey on behavioral flaws in users. Phishing links are included in an email that an attacker sends to the recipient that looks and feels authentic. The attacker can obtain sensitive data, like as usernames, passwords, and credit card details, by having the receiver click on the embedded links and access the hacked account. With the increasing case of cyber-attacks, organizations are looking for safer ways of protecting data and preventing getting hacked or getting hacked again. Design and technology should be greatly improved to prevent hackers from infiltrating networks. Phishing attacks, which mostly target financial organizations, have been identified as the most common online content attack according to surveys. A 2017 Ponemon Institute LLC survey estimated that the yearly loss from phishing attempts is almost $1.5 billion. The Internet of Things (IoT) is contributing to the global danger to information security; hence, a more effective phishing detection system is needed to reduce these losses and reputation injury. In order to increase the accuracy of phishing detection and prevention, this research study investigates and reports the use of several machine-learning models by utilizing more phishing email features and the random forest algorithm. To detect and prevent phishing attacks, this project examined current phishing techniques, examined the impact of using an ensemble model, designed and created a supervised classifier to identify and stop phishing emails, and tested the model using available data. The model was learned under supervision using a dataset of legitimate and fraudulent emails. With a rate of less than 0.1% for False Positives (FP) and False Negatives (FN), the expected accuracy is 99.9% which will be higher than the already existing models therefore better detection of fraudulent emails.
An assessement of chinese led infrastructural development on sino-african relations in Kenya (2012-2022)
(Kenyatta University, 2024-12) Mutinda, Kalui Victor
Public Debt, Private Investments and Unemployment Rate in Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2024-11) Mugo, Bernard Githio
The government of Kenya has put efforts to ensure that private investment in the country is boosted and hence reduce the unemployment rate. However, despite the government efforts in increasing the levels of private investment and lowering unemployment rates in the country, with increased government borrowing, private investment has continued to perform below expectations while the rate of unemployment continues to increase. While some researchers have attempted to assess the effect of public debt on private investment and unemployment the studies have found contradicting results. The major goal of this study was to ascertain how Kenya's state debt has affected both private investment and the unemployment. Assessing the impact of governmental debt on private investment and figuring out how it affects Kenya's unemployment rate were the specific objectives of the study. Longitudinal research approach was used where time series data from 2001 to 2021 was gathered. Secondary data was used. The World Bank, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, and the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) provided the data for this report. To analyze the data, descriptive and inferential statistics were applied where ordinary least square method was adopted. The study established that domestic debt has a negative and significant relationship with private investment. However, the relationship between external debt and private investment was found to be positive and significant. Similarly, regarding the effect of public debt on unemployment rate, the study revealed that domestic debt has a negative and significant relationship with unemployment rate. External debt however was found to have a positive and significant relationship with unemployment rate. Based on the above findings the study concluded that public debt has a significant effect on private investment. For the second objective the study concluded that public debt has a significant effect on unemployment rate. Based on this, the government through its policy makers should come up with measures that would control the mount of borrowing by the government.