MST-Department of Environmental Studies and Community Development
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Browsing MST-Department of Environmental Studies and Community Development by Author "Kamau, Peter K."
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Item An Assessment of Poverty Reduction Interventions in Kiandutu Slum, Thika West District, Kiambu County, Kenya(2014-02-24) Kiarie, Lucy Njeri; Mutinda, Jane Wanza; Kamau, Peter K.Poverty has often been seen as a purely rural problem but for many developing countries, the pervasive nature of urban poverty constitutes an enormous challenge for policy makers and in development efforts. Poverty reduction tools and approaches that have been developed for rural poverty reduction cannot be replicated in urban areas because urban poverty is different in nature from rural poverty hence, understanding the nature of urban poverty as well as having accurate data that presents its dynamics, trends and conditions is vital. Kiandutu slum is one of the largest slums located in Kiambu County. It consists of poor people majority of whom are unemployed resulting from the closure of many industries in Thika town and the collapsing of coffee plantations rendering the residents to live in abject poverty. This research focused on the effectiveness of organizations working in Kiandutu Slum to reduce poverty, it assessed the poverty coping strategies employed by residents in Kiandutu, challenges facing poverty reduction interventions in Kiandutu Slum and recommended some comprehensive poverty reduction strategies. The study employed a survey design targeting 350 households which were systematically selected at a confidence level of 95% and confidence Interval of 5.18. Focus group discussions were held with the Community Health Workers (CHWs), Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).Data collected was then analysed through SPSS (version 12) and presented inform of graphs, tables, texts, pie charts and photographs. The results indicated that poverty coping strategies could be grouped in terms of: economic activities, expenditure and purchasing pattern, rural-urban ties, social network and community participation. The challenges facing poverty reduction included: inadequate housing and environmental services, lack of clear and secure tenure, informality, inadequate information, high levels of insecurity and high unemployment rates. Recommended poverty reduction strategies included: formulating clear and consistent city/town development strategies, revision of tenure security and property rights, empowering vulnerable households and disadvantaged groups, expanding microfinance, credit systems and income generating activities in Kiandutu slum, improving social infrastructure, shelter and physical infrastructure, capacity building, HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation, decentralization, community organization and mobilizationItem Climate Change Awareness in the Public Service Sector: a Study of Six Institutions in Kenya(2014-03-10) Ruirie, Onesmus Kamiri; Kamau, Peter K.; Muriuki, J.Climate change is one of the most significant environmental challenges of our time. This calls for the adoption of necessary mitigation and adaptation strategies. These strategies include education and public awareness on climate change and its effects. This study assessed the level of climate change awareness among employees of six public sector institutions namely, National Environmental Management Agency, Kenya Meteorological Department, Kenya Electricity Generating Company, Kenya Medical Research Institute and Kenya Agricultural Research Institute. Employees offer non-formal education to the public while providing services and in their social circles. Their awareness is therefore critical. The study also aimed to establish the source of climate information in public sector, whether there are policies on climate change in the public service sector and identify if there are challenges in implementing them. The six public institutions were chosen using purposive sampling due to their roles in climate change. A descriptive survey design was adopted. 20 respondents from each institution were chosen from a sample frame comprising three job categories using simple random sampling techniques. To implement the survey, a structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data was analyzed using descriptive and detailed statistics and results presented graphically in charts, graphs and tables. From the findings, the study established that there was general awareness about climate change as 97% respondents stated that they have heard of climate change. The difference in respondents level of being informed on causes, consequences, and ways to curb climate change was statistically significant (F=4.592, df=5 and P Value> 0.05 at 0.0132. Media emerged as the main source of climate change information with television leading at 94%. Media had significant impact on creating awareness (x2=51.425, n=120, df=3, p=O.OOOI).The study established that there are policies on climate change at the workplace as reported by 82% of respondents. 82% of the respondents stated that implementation of these policies is hampered by inadequate funding, lack of coordination among the various climate change stakeholders and low level of public awareness about climate change among others. Majority of employees, 85% said there is need for more information on climate change in the workplace. The study established a strong positive and significant relationship between climate change awareness (r = 0.698, P< 0.05 at 0.01) on one hand and policies and source of information on the other hand (r=0.547, P Value of 0.02 at 95% precision level). The study also established a strong positive correlation between mitigation and adaptation and climate change awareness (r =0.698 and a significance level of 0.006, P< 0.005).The study concluded that it is important to enhance awareness among the employees to make them better understand climate change science, especially the support staff. The study recommended enhancement of awareness through seminars, workshops, brochures and memos in the workplace.