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Research and scholarly work by the University's academics.

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87 publications

2024

Assessing Identity Disclosure Risk in the Absence of Identified Datasets in the Public Domain

Peter N. Muturi; Andrew M. Kahonge; Christopher K. Chepken

Data release is essential in supporting data analytics and secondary data analyses. However, data curators need to ensure the released datasets preserve data subjects’ privacy and retain analytical utility. Data privacy is achieved through the anonymisation of datasets before release.The risk of disclosure posed to the dataset should inform the level of anonymisation to be undertaken. As anonymisation achieves data privacy, it reduces the analytical utility of the dataset by introducing alterations to the original data values. Therefore, data curators require an appropriate estimate of the dataset’s identity disclosure risk to inform the required anonymisation that balances privacy and utility. The disclosure risk varies from one geographical region to another due to varying enabling factors. This paper assesses the disclosure risk and the enabling factors in an environment lacking identified datasets in the public domain. This study used a quasi-experimental design in carrying out an empirical identity disclosure test, where respondents were given an anonymised dataset and were required to disclose the identity of any of the records. The findings were that background knowledge of the released datasets was the primary enabler in the absence of identified datasets. Respondents could only disclose records in the dataset they had familiarity with. However, the disclosure risk was within an acceptable threshold. Therefore, the study concluded that in an environment lacking identified datasets in the public domain, reasonable anonymisation could achieve a balance of privacy and utility in datasets. The findings justify private data release able to support data analytics and secondary data analyses in environments lacking identified datasets in the public domain.

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2024

Accessibility of Technical And Vocational Training Among Disabled People: Survey Of TVET Institutions In North Rift Region, Kenya

Titus Kiptoo Murgo; John Kosgei Changa’ch; Julius Kipkogei Keter

People with disabilities face particular challenges in education and training. Most of them are deprived of access to basic literacy and numeracy skills. They also face barriers that affect access to Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions some of them arising from the surrounding socio-economic environment and from mainstream TVET institutions. The main purpose of this paper was to assess barriers to accessibility of TVET institutions by disabled people in Kenya. The study was carried out in the North Rift Region of Kenya. The target population of the study consisted of the lectures and students with disabilities in 5 public TVET Institutions. Semi Structured Questionnaires were used as the main instruments for data collection. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics with the aid of SPSS IBM version 20. One of the most striking findings was that disabled students in TVET institutions are discriminated and isolated. Findings also indicated that the disabled students cannot access some of the school buildings; they are also barred from enrolling in TVET due to policies that provide cut off point marks or entry behavior to courses they desire to enroll in. It was also found that teachers had positive attitude toward the disabled students, contrary to the fact that students considered teachers to be unfriendly to them. Therefore, the paper recommended that skills training and instructional mechanisms must consider specific needs of youth with different types of disabilities before putting them together in regular class. Better coordination between the government and service providers could anticipate and mitigate this barrier. There is also the need for specialized training institutions to be upgraded and

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2024

Socio-Economic and Institutional Constraints to Accessing Credit among Smallholder Farmers in Nyandarua District, Kenya

Muiruri, E. J.; Nyangweso, P. M; Kipsat, M. J.; Ndambiri, H. K; Ritho C; Ng’ang’a et al.

Amongst the challenges faced by smallholder farmers in production is inaccessibility to credit. This study sought to identify household socio-economic and institutional constraints influencing access to credit among smallholder farmers in Nyandarua District. The study used a Logit model. Both quantitative and qualitative data were acquired from primary and secondary sources. Primary data was collected using questionnaires through a survey design. A sample of 164 smallholder farmers was selected using stratified, multi-stage random sampling techniques. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and maximum likelihood method using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study established that socio-economic constraints such as age, gender, household size, farm income, collateral and awareness are critical determinants of access to credit. The study also established that institutional requirements such as costs involved in operating / maintaining bank accounts, loan requirements and transaction costs involved in the credit process influenced access to credit. The study concludes that household socio-economic characteristics and institutional requirements influence access to credit. Key recommendations made include the need by government to deal with bureaucracies involved in land registration to benefit majority of smallholder farmers who remain insecure in the land they use without proof of ownership and also to make easier the registration of lease certificates for those who do not own land and use land on leasehold tenure system. Financial institutions should also put in place less stringent credit requirements and reduce credit costs especially interest rates to make credit more affordable.

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2024

INFLUENCE OF STRESS MANAGEMENT SKILLS ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE OF POLICE SERVICE IN KENYA

Onura Daniel Odoyo; Dr. Laura Mamuli; Dr. Michael Washika

Employees coping with work-related stress, lack of creativity, as well as inspiration result in poor organizational performance. Very strong opinions suggest that Police Officers’ (POs) welfare is insufficient. Most of the police officers who were interviewed observed that they were not sufficiently remunerated for their services. The POs also do not have enough insurance covering their hazardous situations they continually encounter as they reinforce law and order. According to the Kenya police service satisfaction and needs analysis report of 2016, the Police Officers live under very poor conditions which hamper their job performance. The mentioned aspects, lower the level of Emotional Intelligence in the Police Service since they spend much time thinking about their problems other than looking for solutions. Bungoma County though has well committed police officers; their service delivery has been hampered by factors linked to emotional intelligence among these disciplined service providers. The study sought to investigate the influence of stress management skills on employee performance of police service in Kenya. The study was anchored on the Systemic Stress, Selye's Theory, Trait Model and Mixed Model. The research design adopted by the study was descriptive design. The target population consisted of 1,517 police officers in Bungoma County. Purposive, simple random and stratified sampling techniques were used to obtain a sample of 317 respondents from the population of 1,517 police officers. A questionnaire was used as the data collection instrument. This study employed the Cronbach alpha coefficient as an indicator of test instrument reliability, at a threshold of 0.7 and beyond. The data was analyzed and interpreted primarily using descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS version 22. The results illustrated a positive, linear and significant association between stress management skills and performance of Police Officers in Bungoma County. It was concluded that stress management skills in police service was a significant factor in relation to employee performance.

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2024

Characteristic functions of some contraction operators

BM Nzimbi; BN Kiratu; SW Luketero

In this paper, we characterize some contraction operators in terms of their Sz.-Nagy-Foias model characteristic functions and their associated Toeplitz operators. 2010 Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary 47A05,47A11; Secondary 47B20,47A65.

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2024

SOFT SKILLS PREPARATION AS PANACEA FOR SELF-EMPLOYMENT FOR TVET TECHNICIAN GRADUATES IN KENYA

Titus Kiptoo Murgor

The main aim of the paper was to assess how effect of soft skills on self- employment among Technical and Vocational Education and Training technician graduates in Kenya. The specific soft skills investigated in this study were practice time management, solve problems, work independently, interpersonal skills, communication skills, decision making skill, creativity/innovations and adaptability on self-employment among TVET graduates. This study was based on pragmatic research paradigm using embedded research design. The study targeted 527 technician graduate from TVET institutions in Uasin Gishu county Kenya. Simple random was used to select 320 sample size. Quantitative data analysis was done using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Multiple Regression analysis was done to test hypothesis. Findings showed that TVET institutions did not inculcate soft skills content required for survival in self-employment. The generic skills tested were ranked from highly perceived as good to the least good: time management, ability to solve problems, ability to work autonomously, interpersonal skills, communication skills, decision making, creativity and innovative skills, and adaptability. However, despite time management being ranked the highest it had no effect on self-employment. Regression results revealed that ability to solve problems, ability to work independently, interpersonal skills, adaptability and creativity and innovations have a positive and significant effect on self-employment.

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2024

Influence Of Employee Engagement on Organizational Performance: A Case Study of The County Government of Kakamega, Kenya

MERCYLINE NANJALA WAFULA; LAURA MAMULI; ROBERT WAFULA

Employee engagement has emerged as a crucial factor influencing organizational performance, particularly in the public sector. This study examines the influence of employee engagement on organizational performance in the County Government of Kakamega, Kenya. A descriptive survey research design was adopted, targeting a population of 2,913 employees. A sample of 352 employees was selected using stratified random sampling, and data was collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze the data. The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between employee engagement and organizational performance (r = 0.68, p < 0.01). Employee engagement was found to be a significant predictor of organizational performance (β = 0.64, p < 0.001), even after controlling for demographic factors. The study highlights the importance of fostering employee engagement to enhance organizational performance in the public sector and provides recommendations for the County Government of Kakamega to improve engagement levels and address areas of concern. Future research could explore specific job resources and demands influencing engagement in the context of county governments in Kenya and employ qualitative methods to gain deeper insights into employees' experiences.

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2024

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN STRATEGY AND STRUCTURE

Dr Stanley Kavale

This is a study on structure, strategy, their connection and relationship. The objective was to identify the connection between structure and strategy, their relationship and their consequent influence on organizational performance. Five different cases have been identified which support Chanler’s (1962) proposition that ‘’Structure Follows Strategy’’. These cases are; a real life situation, Chandler’s case study, Safaricom case, Bharti Airtel case and the Kenya commercial bank case. With a good match and connection between structure and strategy, the result is high performance. A mismatch leads to under performance. This paper concludes that structure and strategy are closely related. Structure follows strategy; each is married to the other. This paper recommends that, top management should be ultimately involved from the beginning of strategy crafting and formulation, implementation and aligning it with the structure that follows the strategy.

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2024

Factors Affecting the Selection of Optimal Suppliers in Procurement Management

Ruth Mwikali; Stanley Kavale, PhD Student

This is a desk top study on factors affecting the selection of optimal suppliers. The main objective was to identify the factors affecting supplier selection; the supplier selection process has also been identified. Factors affecting selection of suppliers were identified as; cost, technical capability, quality assessment, organizational profile, service levels, supplier profile and risk factors, in that relative order. This paper concludes that a cost criterion is a key factor affecting supplier selection for it dictates among many elements, the profit margins. Technical capability, quality of materials and the profile of the supplier are also closely considered. From the findings, we recommend that supplier selection should be an open and transparent process, carried out by experts from all key departments and should be done in time to avoid stock outs.

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2024

Browder’s Theorem For Totally Posinormal Operators

Beth Kiratu; Bernard Nzimbi; Stephen Luketero

In our study we consider a higher class of Hilbert space operators, Posinormal operators introduced by C.Rhaly(1992).The purpose of this paper is to prove that if A is a Totally Posinormal operator such that σ(A − λI)|M = 0 ⟹ (A − λI) |M = 0 for every M ∈ Lat(A) and satisfies property(ab),then A satisfies Browder's theorem and generalized Browder’s theorem. We shall also prove that, if N is a nilpotent operator such that AN = NA,then Browder’s theorem holds for A + N.

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2024

The Effect of Hybrid Office Environments on Curriculum Support Officer Performance in Western Kenya

DIPHINAH NASIMIYU KIMINGICHI; LAURA MAMULI; SYLVIA CHEBET SIRAI

The education sector has undergone significant transformations in recent years, with the emergence of new technologies and work arrangements reshaping traditional roles and practices. This study aims to examine the effect of hybrid office environments on the performance of curriculum support officers (CSOs) in the western region of Kenya. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data was collected from 115 CSOs across four counties. The results indicate a significant positive relationship between hybrid office environments and CSO performance (r = 0.462, p < 0.01). Regression analysis shows that hybrid office environments explain 21.3% of the variance in CSO performance. The findings suggest that the adoption of hybrid work arrangements can potentially enhance CSO performance, particularly in terms of work-life balance and job satisfaction. However, challenges in communication and collaboration within hybrid environments were also identified. The study provides valuable insights for educational policymakers and administrators in Kenya and similar contexts, offering evidence-based support for the adoption of flexible work arrangements while highlighting areas that require attention to maximize their effectiveness.

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2024

Talent Management and Employee Performance: The Moderating Effect of Transformational Leadership

Vincent Obedgiu; Charles Lagat; Jane Sang

The global competitive environment is shaping the way organizations manage, maintain, and improve employee performance. Literature has established that there are different mechanisms through which transformational leadership influences employee performance, yet few studies have tested the mode of influence on followers' attitudes, behaviors, and employee performance in public universities in Uganda. The study looks at the role of transformational leadership in moderating the relationship between talent management and employee performance in Ugandan public universities. The study draws on a cross-sectional and quantitative research approach. A random sampling technique was used to select 536 academic staff. Data was collected using a selfadministered questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the direct and indirect effects. The findings show that talent management has a significant positive effect on employee performance. In addition, findings reveal that transformational leadership significantly and positively affects employee performance. Furthermore, it was discovered that transformational leadership exerts a significant moderating effect on the relationship between talent management and employee performance. This provides the psychological stimulus that innovates novel ways to execute job tasks; illuminating the role of transformational leadership in enhancing employee performance as the transformational leaders identify, motivate and stimulate employees to achieve extraordinary performance outcomes among academic staff of public universities in Uganda.

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