Browsing by Author "Sirera, Merecia"

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    Examining the Relationship between Selected Demographics and Levels of Vicarious Trauma among Teachers Working In Educational Assessment and Resource Centres in Kenya
    (Centre for Democracy, Research and Development (CEDRED, 2023) Sirera, Merecia; Oteyo, John; Githae, Eunice; Njeri, Eunice; Chege, Lydia; Malasi, Flora; Mutheu, Jane
    In the past two decades, there has been a rapid growth in research evidence showing that teachers working in educational assessment and resource centres (EARCs) are at risk of vicarious trauma (VT). Whilst the causes VT may be diverse, understanding personal demographics as indicators of potential vulnerability can help to support EARCs avoid exposure to extreme VT. However, studies that examine the association between individual demographic characteristics and traumatic symptoms are scarce, particularly in sub-Saharan African countries. This article reports part of the results of a cross-sectional survey-based PhD study on the emotional effects of vicarious trauma on professional development among teachers in educational assessment and resource centres in Kenya. The results presented in this document are based on a random sample (n = 107) of special needs teachers from Kenyan EARC centres. The study found that approximately 27.1% (at least 2 in every 10) of teachers working in EARCs exhibit traumatic symptoms, risk factors for VT. The study also found that there is no single demographic structure that uniquely characterises the group of teachers at risk for VT; however, teachers who had prior training in functional assessment (FA) were significantly less vulnerable to VT. The study also found that early career teachers with less than 10 years of professional experience exhibited significantly higher levels of VT compared to more experienced teachers. Other personal demographics that tend to influence levels of VT to a mild extent include highest level of academic training and gender where those with bachelor’s degree and male teachers tend to exhibit slightly higher levels of VT. It should be noted that age was not a significant factor in almost all cases. The study recommends the development of VT management skills in induction programmes for newly recruited EARC teachers. The study recommends establishment of EARC support system and mechanisms domiciled at the grassroot level.
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    Family Emotional Over-Involvement and Relapse among Inpatient Alcoholics in Nairobi, Kenya
    (International Organization of Scientific Research, 2016) Githae, Eunice Njango; Sirera, Merecia; Wasanga, Christine
    Family interactional patterns have been proposed as significant in relapse of most psychiatric disorders. Many studies have demonstrated that patterns of interactions of family members affect the quality of relationships within such families. Research, particularly in Systems Theories, has also indicated that the ways in which family members interact with each other is cyclic and affect recovery and sustainability of treatment among psychiatric patients. Although the relationship between family communication dynamics and psychiatric relapse has received much attention, few studies have focused on such dynamics within alcoholic families. This study has examined one of the interactional patterns referred to as emotional over-involvement (EOI) among close family members with alcoholic patients. The study is underpinned by the Family Systems Theory (Minuchin, 1974), and views alcoholism as a „family illness‟. The study derived samples from inpatient alcoholics in rehabilitation centers (N=186) and their family members in Nairobi County, Kenya. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was used to assess for alcoholism, while a questionnaire was generated to assess family EOI. Interviews were also carried out and were corroborated with the questionnaires. Pearson correlations and regression analyses showed that EOI was statistically significant at p=0.000<0.05 and had a predictive value of .471. This meant that EOI expressed by family members was a very significant predictor for relapse among recovering alcoholics.
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    Security Constraints Threatening the Utilization of Maritime Resources in the Context of the Indian Ocean
    (JAIS, 2024-01) Nkubitu, Joel Mukaria; Sirera, Merecia; Mwatha, Regina
    The purpose of this article is to investigate security constraints threatening the utilization of maritime resources in the context of the Indian Ocean and implications on peace in the region. The contention of the study is that the Indian Ocean has huge economic value and potential in terms of exploration of offshore gas and oil, short and deep-sea shipping, marine aquatic products, aquaculture and fisheries, blue biotechnology and ocean renewable energy. However, it is faced with a myriad of security threats, such as illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, transnational organized crime, environmental maritime crimes, among. The research objective was to assess the implications of maritime security constraints on the utility of the Indian Ocean blue economy. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design together with a phenomenological approach to achieve thick description on the concerns of the study. The targeted populations were security agencies operating in the area and the business community or investors since they were the key stakeholders in the development of the blue economy. To obtain the sample for study, cluster sampling and stratified random sampling was applied to proportionately select primary respondents, whereas purposive sampling technique was utilized to select key informants to obtain a sample of 384. Primary data was collected using questionnaires and interview schedules. SPSS (Version 24) software was used to compute descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Thematic analysis was also used to analyze qualitative data from open-ended questions and presented along quantitative data. The results from questionnaire and tools were triangulated to obtain a thick description. The findings of the study revealed that Indian Ocean had huge blue economy potential in terms of provision of livelihoods to the coastal people in addition to the investment opportunities to several onshore and offshore businesses, such tourism, transport, mineral exploration, among others. However, this potential is faced with a myriad of security issues, such as large sea area, sophisticated piracy networks and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
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    Strategies Used By Mpesa Agents and Their Effectiveness in Deterrence of Counterfeit Bank Notes Fraud in Nairobi City County
    (International Academic Journals, 2019) Kimani, John Muinde; Sirera, Merecia
    M-pesa is a mobile money transfer and agent banking system that has become popular over the years due to its easy and cheap access to financial services, especially to the middle and lower classes of the society. However, this type of service has lately been threatened by many cases of counterfeits in Bank notes and fraudulent transactions which ultimately challenges the effectiveness of the strategies used to deter counterfeits. The study employed descriptive survey design and targeted population was M-pesa agents, police officers, Safaricom, and the Banking Anti-fraud unit in Nairobi City County. Using both Purposive and Simple Random sampling techniques the sample size of 109 was drawn. To collect data for the study, both qualitative and quantitative methods were used. Descriptive Analysis was used to analyze the data. The study revealed that there were fraud-related challenges deterring M-pesa agents in countering fake bank notes in their operation, the prevalence of these challenges in the deterrence of counterfeit notes was found to be very high in Mpesa agent operation. Lack of skills and detection Kits were the main challenges facing Mpesa agents in the deterrence of counterfeit banknotes fraud. Other challenges facing Mpesa agents in the deterrence of counterfeit banknotes fraud includes Poor enforcement and coordination mechanism, easy counterfeited Security features on bank and Lack of advanced technology. Study further revealed that only a few Mpesa agents use detectors due to their high prices of acquiring the device. Those had employed the use of detectors to counter fake money in their operation said that this method was effective. Mpesa Agents are looking much on training so as to be in a position to recognize the fake money. Safaricom officials are working hard to ensure that the challenges to the deterrence of fake bank notes comes to an end by doing Monitoring, coordinating and doing reviews of their agents. Mpesa agents are continuously reviewing and improving on their internal controls such as surveillance and internal audit, primarily in the defense against fraud. There was a strategy to increase funding for advance equipment and technology and also there was hope for Safaricom’s mobile money agents were to start using photos to identify those withdrawing or depositing money on the M-Pesa platform to curb fraud. Police officers were found to co-ordinate with the Law enforcement to end the challenges to the deterrence of fake bank notes. The study recommended the central bank of Kenya to research and develop new notes with innovative security features that are both easy to check and hard to counterfeit. The study recommends further research to be done to establish other challenges other than deterrence of counterfeiting that is facing Mpesa business in Nairobi City County.