Journals and Articles

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African Family Business Conflicts; The Role of the Church in Providing Mediation as a Ministry to Family Businesses
(Africa International University, 2018-12-31) Peter Mutinda Mutua; Sammy Kent Mangeli
Mediation has existed in Africa for millennia and is an integral part of African culture and heritage. Sadly, structured mediation through traditional mechanisms, e.g. tribal and clan leadership has not deliberately been passed on to modern generations; it is a skill that seems to be dying with the older generations. Even as the church embraces African cultural aspects such as Rites of Passage Experiences (ROPES) and programs specific to guide men/women to maturity, prepare congregants for marriage, parenting and other life stages, mediation does not regularly feature in adult education within the urban church; it seems to have been relegated to rural village. Study of available literature established that alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is preferred to litigation and rejection when settling disputes within family businesses given the close relationship of the disputants. A quantitative and qualitative survey of urban family business practitioners established that mediation is the method most preferred for resolving conflict in family businesses. The survey further revealed that the founders or leaders within these ventures are looked upon as the ones best placed to engage in conflict resolution even though they may not be the best-suited individuals for this task. The study concludes with suggestions on the urban church can do to raise peacemakers who have a passion for family business, equip them with skills for mediation and deploy them into the market place to meet the needs of family businesses that are struggling with conflict.
Ambient Air Quality and the Incidence of Selected Diseases
(Africa International University, 2018-12-31) K. O. Laro and U. A. Raheem
The quality of air is determined by the extent of atmospheric pollution. The USEPA identifies six criteria pollutants namely particulate matter (PM), ground level ozone, carbon monoxide, sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides and lead exposure as toxic and injurious to human health. Thus, there is a need to examine ambient air quality and incidence of selected diseases in Lagos, Nigeria. The data for the study include a five-year sampling on criteria pollutants and data on selected airborne diseases that were collected for the same period of time. Data analysis adopted the use of multiple regression for examining the relationship between ambient criteria pollutants and the occurrence of diseases. GIS procedure was also employed to produce a map showing the spatial pattern of criteria pollutants. The findings reveal an R2 of 19.8, 13.9, 8.9, 8.4 and 16.8 percent respectively for asthma, bronchitis, heart failure, lung cancer and tuberculosis. The results show a low level of association and this was attributed to other causal factors responsible for the occurrence of the selected diseases. However, this study provides evidence of an association between outdoor air pollution and increased risk from these diseases. Therefore, the study recommends that governments, and other stakeholders in health sectors should harmonize efforts, resources and ideas towards effective planning, monitoring, policy implementation and provision of facilities that could control and ameliorate the presence of pollutants to which urban residents are exposed thereby reducing the health effects from such exposures.
Ambient Air Quality and the Incidence of Selected Diseases: Some Urban Health Observations in Lagos, Nigeria
(Africa International University, 2018-04-01) Laro, K. O.; Raheem, U. A.
The quality of air is determined by the extent of atmospheric pollution. The USEPA identifies six criteria pollutants namely particulate matter (PM), ground level ozone, carbon monoxide, sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides and lead exposure as toxic and injurious to human health. Thus, there is a need to examine ambient air quality and incidence of selected diseases in Lagos, Nigeria. The data for the study include a five-year sampling on criteria pollutants and data on selected airborne diseases that were collected for the same period of time. Data analysis adopted the use of multiple regression for examining the relationship between ambient criteria pollutants and the occurrence of diseases. GIS procedure was also employed to produce a map showing the spatial pattern of criteria pollutants. The findings reveal an R2 of 19.8, 13.9, 8.9, 8.4 and 16.8 percent respectively for asthma, bronchitis, heart failure, lung cancer and tuberculosis. The results show a low level of association and this was attributed to other causal factors responsible for the occurrence of the selected diseases. However, this study provides evidence of an association between outdoor air pollution and increased risk from these diseases. Therefore, the study recommends that governments, and other stakeholders in health sectors should harmonize efforts, resources and ideas towards effective planning, monitoring, policy implementation and provision of facilities that could control and ameliorate the presence of pollutants to which urban residents are exposed thereby reducing the health effects from such exposures.
Drifting Loyalty
(2011-07-30) Makanda, Nelson Ndong'a
Enhancing In-Bound Student Mobility in Kenyan Universities through Student Feedback on Their Satisfaction
(Africa International University, 2018-04-01) Nyagah, Esther
Quality education for attainment of sustainable development goals cannot exclude giving attention to students as global citizens. In the context of an ongoing trend of inter-regional and intra-regional student mobility, universities must consider hosting international students as a key attribute of internationalization of education and give attention to the needs of the international students they host. Feedback from students on their satisfaction with their university experiences is therefore vital for continuous quality improvement in universities. Understanding how different groups of students perceive their experiences is helpful in decision making to help meet diverse students’ needs. This paper focuses on feedback from international students enrolled in Christian universities in Kenya where a survey was conducted and cross-sectional data collected in the year 2017. Stratified random sampling was done for inclusivity of the various sub-groups of interest to the study. Overall satisfaction with students’ university experiences was sought and student characteristics were regarded as the dependent variables whose influence on the international students’ satisfaction is established. Relationships between students’ satisfaction and various student characteristics were determined through Mann-Whitney U tests and Kruskal Wallis tests which revealed that the variables of age, gender, current type of residence and the kind of accommodation preferred by international students had a significant relationship with students’ satisfaction. The findings revealed that the younger undergraduate students were significantly less satisfied than their older postgraduate counterparts and that female international students were significantly less satisfied than male students. University accommodation off campus was not just the least popular type of accommodation among international students; it also generated the least satisfaction. These are aspects to which educational administrators need to give attention in the endeavour to enhance service quality among international students in their institutions.
Factors Contributing to High Rate of Illiteracy among the Borana Muslim Women in Marginalized Areas
(Africa Intgernational University, 2018-12-31) Pauline Wangari Mukuria
Factors Influencing Students’ Discipline in the Process of Classroom Management: A Case Study of Mixed Day Public Secondary Schools in Kisau Zone, Mbooni Sub-county, Makueni County, Kenya
(Africa International University, 2018-04-01) Tshibangu, Godfrey Mwamba
This study was a descriptive research that sought to investigate the influence of sociocultural factors on the discipline of students in the process of classroom management among mixed day public secondary schools in Kisau Zone of Mbooni Sub-county, Makueni County. Specifically, the study was guided by four theories of school discipline: The non-interventionist Interventionist, interactionalist and developmental approach to classroom management and discipline. The target population included all the 793 students in the five mixed day public secondary schools in Kisau Zone from which a stratified random sample informed by Krejcie and Morgan Table comprising 260 students (125 boys and 135 girls) from Forms 1 to 4 was selected. Quantitative data was obtained using closed and open ended self-administered questionnaires. Other data collection tools included students’ discipline cases checklist and the students’ behaviour observation checklists. A pilot test was conducted in a school in the neighbouring zone to test the reliability of the questionnaire. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) Ver. 20 and presented in form of tables and graphs. The study concluded that, socio-economic status (SES), moral values, attitudes, perceptions, and Christian faith had a positive influence on the discipline of students during the process of classroom management in mixed day public secondary schools within Kisau Zone, particularly where the discipline of girls, as opposed to boys, is concerned. The study recommends in terms of socio-economic status, schools and parents should embrace valuebased education (VBE) and concentrate on students from high SES. Since, it imparts social, moral, integrity, character, spirituality and many more in terms of moral values, churches and schools intensify teaching on good moral values including the national values as espoused in the Kenyan Constitution 2010, Article 10(2) while at the same time setting good examples as role models. In terms of attitudes and perceptions, teachers should use a developmental approach to classroom management and discipline as it places more emphasis on building relationships than on controlling students. Further research could be done regarding how sociocultural factors influence the discipline of students in the following categories of schools; mixed boarding public secondary schools, girls only or boys only boarding public secondary schools and private secondary schools.
Fostering Responsible Citizenship through Effective Preparation for Harmonious Family Relationships
(Africa International University, 2018-12-31) Reverend Steve Oladunni Ogo-Olorun Ayorinde
Responsible citizenship is necessary for the development of any society and it can be learned in our homes wherever there are harmonious family relationships. This is based on the premise that the family is the first contact point of any citizen of a nation. Living harmoniously is possible only if the couple who serves as the foundation of the family can handle conflict responsibly. Conflict can be a catalyst for positive change if properly handled. Responsible citizenship requires that citizens know how to handle conflicts which is a direct function of having the right understanding of conflicts; such an understanding can start from the home. This underscores the need for couples themselves to know how to handle conflict before they can help their children. This study embarked on an exploration of the effectiveness of preparation of intending couples for conflict transformation in marriage with a view to understanding the present premarital counseling strategies and possible improvements. This is a descriptive research that used one hundred and twenty (120) selfadministered questionnaires and in-depth interviews of twenty persons. The respondents, all of whose marriages were conducted in Baptist churches located in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, have been married for at least five years and twenty-five years respectively. From the field survey, four major themes were identified; namely, the strategies of premarital counseling, major socio-cultural mindsets that promote conflicts, the role of pastors in handling conflict, and how the Baptist church can help in conflict transformation in marriage. Key findings include major kinds of premarital counseling, the most effective way of preparing people for marriage, the attitude of most intending couples, a comprehensive counseling approach to assist pastors, and negative socio-cultural mindsets that must change. The recommendations include the need for marital mentorship, making one-on-one counseling more appealing to couples through the use of technology.
Impact of Technology on Youths
(Africa International University, 2018-12-31) Sijuade Toyin Adeniyi
The English language plays a key role in Nigeria. It is a major means by which knowledge is impacted. As a result of the advancement in technology, the language has gained more recognition and has improved communication worldwide. However, many users especially the youths have abused the use of social networking. In the past, the poor performance of students in written English was attributed to inadequate motivation, teaching and learning environment, and lack of facilities. Today, other factors have emerged as a result of technological advancement and the internet. The spelling system of English is a major problem for the second language user community. New forms of written expressions among youths now compound this. The question is: what are the effects of social media on students’ writing? The question was answered through a comparative review of the written text in social media and academic settings. Samples of Nigerian youths' written texts were collected via social media platforms, in addition to paragraph essays from various students in selected schools in Lagos. Findings indicate that youths use new forms of expressions in their social communication, which may not be understood by the older generation. Youths also do not abide by the grammatical rules in both formal and informal writings as reflected in their writings. Therefore, it is recommended that formal and non-formal writings should be taught comparatively in the classrooms to increase awareness of the new forms of expressions that infiltrate academic writings. Also, for a good quality of education to be promoted in Nigeria, teachers should discourage these new forms of technological expression among youths.
The Kikuyu Conceptualization of Adoption: A Cognitive Grammar Approach
(Africa International University, 2018-04-01) Mbua, Abigael Wangari
The process of Bible translation entails interpretation of concepts in the original text. Such interpretation calls upon translators/exegetes not to just reconstruct and analyze the conceptualization evoked by a biblical concept with regard to the conceptual universe of the author and his original recipients but also to analyze the conceptualization evoked with regard to the speakers of a receptor language. The underlying idea is to aid the translator/exegete, in a complementary way, to gain an understanding of the meaning of the original text. The aim of this approach to the translation task is to come up with a translation that is clear to the speakers of a receptor language. This paper concentrates on the concept of ‘adoption’ represented by the Greek term, huiothesia in Gal. 4:5; Rom. 8:15, 23; 9:4; and Eph. 1:5 Which is variously rendered in the English translation versions. Focusing on Kikuyu as a receptor language, the concept of adoption is represented by gũciarwo na mbũri ‘to be procreated by means of (slaughtering) a goat’ the Kikuyu label for adoption. The evoked conceptualization is analyzed using a Cognitive Grammar approach. Cognitive Grammar enables first the semantic characterization of the expression gũciarwo na mbũri and its components as grammatical constructions, second the analysis of the conventional conceptual content evoked by gũciarwo na mbũri and its components in the conceptual universe of the Kikuyu speakers. The evoked conceptual content is incorporated in the emergence of the meaning of the expression.
Language and hate speech
(Africa International University, 2019-04-30) Agnes Asenwa Mungai
Every electioneering period in Kenya witnesses ethnic animosity that is fuelled by hate speeches by protagonists. Language is used as a tool that evokes bitterness and thereby injuring one’s emotions leading to conflict. This has polarized this country politically. Besides understanding hate speech, this paper looks at ways in which language can be used as a tool for peace-building and enhancing national coherence. This paper borrows greatly from Cognitive Grammar as advanced by Langacker (2008). I have intentionally employed Langacker's thoughts of Schematization, Conceptualization, Categorization, Domains, Base and Profile among others. If a linguistic item (for instance a word) can arouse ethnic animosity, is there a way in which we can achieve a less offensive conceptualization of that word? Key to this paper is that meaning is viewed as grounded in embodied human experiences and that it resides in the mind of the language users as conceptualization. Conceptualization is an interactive process between the language users. During this interaction, interpretation of meaning will depend on the knowledge of the notion at hand.
Leadership, Community, Charisma, And Culture Redefined: Acts 5:1–11; 8:14–24; 15:7–11
(Africa International University, 2015-04-30) Benea Alukwe Amakhungu
Resilient leadership and ethics are crucial to the success and stability of governments, corporate bodies, and institutions. Often, it seems, the need to keep an institution afloat takes priority, and leaders learn to ignore the qualms of their conscience when ethics threaten to block their ascent up the ladder. The Kenyan Vision 2030, which was built on three pillars; political, economic and social, appeals for a candid conversation on strong leadership and values, if only we provide the necessary foundations for achieving it. This paper seeks to examine the narratives of Ananias and Sapphira, Simon the Magician and the Jerusalem Council with the goal of providing both a model for leadership and a biblical theological perspective. This model could be adopted in engaging community life, charisma and culture in relation to the present working of God through his Spirit in the Global South, especially in Kenya. I will endeavor to demonstrate through a narrative study that the verbal repetitions of the words “heart,” “Holy Spirit,” “God” and “test/tempt” thematically link these narratives together. The repeated vocabulary hence suggests that the actions of Ananias and Sapphira, and Simon the Magician’s request (seeking to abuse the gift of the Spirit) are to be read in concert with the seemingly antithetical narrative of the Jerusalem Council. Therefore, reading the demands of the circumcision group at Jerusalem as an abuse of Israel’s culture as God’s people. The findings of the narrative study will be applied to the Kenyan context in an effort to remedy the prevalent abuses in our community, culture, and spirituality.
Perceptions of Childlessness in Women among the Kipsigis Community in Fort-Ternan Region, Kericho County
(Africa International University, 2018-12-31) Catherine C. Kitur
In the recent past, an increasing number of couples dealing with childlessness have been willing to discuss their predicament. This is observed among the Kipsigis in Fort-Ternan, Kericho County. It is worrying to note an identifiable number of couples suffering from childlessness. Thus, there is a need to understand why childbearing is important in the Kipsigis community and its implications for churches. The study sought to answer the research question: How does Kipsigis society perceive childlessness? A qualitative study using an open-ended interview and focus group discussion are employed in gathering information for this study. Heibert’s critical contextualization theory is adopted in scrutinizing the Kipsigis perceptions. The narratives’ analysis revealed five influencing factors: social, cultural, family, religious and economic factors as significant influencers of the Kipsigis perceptions. The results suggested that child-bearing is a celebrated and respected act in human life and thus children are perceived as an inevitable part of life. Child-bearing is a social and religious duty which is central to marriage. There was, however, a repeated emphasis by the informants on the role of women in marriage. Childbearing is believed to be a woman’s primary role; thus childless women are expelled from their matrimonial home for failing to contribute to the family. It is recommended for the Kipsigis Christians to understand the implications of childlessness in the Bible and to acknowledge an alternative view in light of God’s perspective and mission in the world and to offer biblical and cultural guidance for the Kipsigis churches and the Kipsigis society.
Re-examining the summary statements in acts: a biblical response to the enigma of negative ethnicity in Kenya: towards responsible citizenship-SDG 4
(Africa Intgernational University, 2018-12-31) Amakhungu, Benea
The persistent ethnocentrism in Kenya and especially the ineptitude of the church in dealing with this vice in the Christian guild is the motivation behind this paper. Significant passages in Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-35; and 5:12-16 that portray God’s ideal community and the requisites for such a community will be examined in the quest for contributing principles and values that will shape the urgently needed responsible citizenry to replace the tainted image of our populace. Technically referred to as summary statements, these passages have always been viewed as dividing and connecting the narrative of Acts. However, this paper proposes a possible function and purpose of the summary statements. I will argue for the significance of these summary statements as markers of the presence of the restored kingdom of God: the ideal community. We will commence this investigation by first providing a definition of our terms, a survey of the state of the matter in Kenya; second, we will examine God’s creation as presented in Genesis 1-3; and conclude by doing an exegesis of the aforementioned passages informed by the functional and canonical view of the Bible. We will require a blending of the functional and canonical approaches in reading these texts. This eclectic approach to reading Scripture will aid in providing tested biblical principles and values needed to remedy our persistent socio-political and religious challenges in Kenya, ultimately providing for a peaceful environment inhabited by responsible citizens that are a necessary asset in achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
Religious Historical Injunctions of Taqwa, and its Implications for Leadership among the Orma Muslim Women in Tana River County, Kenya
(2019-04-30) Pauline Wangari Mukuria
This study seeks to examine the interplay between taqwa and leadership among the Orma Muslim women. Taqwa (Arabic: fear of Allah) is a canonical concept that is deep-rooted in the Islamic teachings. In inculcating taqwa, the Orma Muslim women are to cling to every concept that is entrenched in the beliefs and practices of Islam. According to the madrassa teachers, one of the historical provenances entrenched to guide the Muslim women in their taqwa is Surah 33:33. The injunction encourages the women to stay at home and not to be involved in leadership positions outside their homes. On the contrary, one of the keenly observed aspects in Islam, which is highly guarded among the Muslims, is the rule forbidding the intermingling of sexes. However, the researcher observed that although this is a matter of significance, all the Islamic teachers employed to teach the Orma Muslim women are male. Thus, one of the pertinent questions that this study raises is: Why are there no female Islamic teachers occupying leadership positions to guide the Orma Muslim women in the madrassa? In understanding this phenomenon, the religious historical provenances as engrained in the beliefs and practices involved in taqwa are examined in light of this Qur’anic injunction as comprehended and communicated by the Islamic teachers in Tana River County. The researcher adopted Synthetic Triangular Approach (STA) framework as proposed by Kim (2014). The research is qualitative by nature and engages phenomenological design in bringing out the lived experiences. In addition, the researcher employed ethnographic tools such as in-depth interviews, participant observation, and focus groups in collecting data. The researcher interviewed both the religious teachers and the Orma Muslim women. However, in examining the interplay between taqwa and leadership in this study, the researcher has opted to use only the data collected from the madrassa teachers as it dealt with leadership as one of their focal points. In analyzing and interpretation of the data, this study adopted Thematic Coding Analysis (Gibbs, 2007). This study will therefore look at the religiously underpinned gender imbalance of taqwa, and its implications for leadership among the Orma Muslim women in Tana River County.
The Role of Leadership and Governance in Managing Occupational Stress in Higher Educational Institutions
(Africa International University, 2018-04-01) Chukwuma, Victor Priest
Stress is a modern-day epidemic that calls for urgent attention and proactive measures to end its threat on employees’ wellbeing in order to promote quality education through competent and reliable personnel to fulfil organizational goals. It is observed that many potential workers are severely affected as a result of occupation stress. The role of leaders in higher educational institutions and government policy makers is critical in ensuring the safety of employees in the workplace. This study is based on quantitative research methods conducted in one private university in Kenya to determine the effect of stress on workers’ effectiveness. Pertinent data was collected through a questionnaire based on open and close-ended questions. Descriptive survey design was used to describe the cause of occupational stress while correlation analysis was used to test the linear relation between variables. The results obtained from the data revealed four causes of occupational stress: Conflicting relationships among co-workers and their immediate supervisors, heavy workloads with deadlines, lack of rest, and lack of adequate finances to pay workers in due time. The outcome of the hypothesis test indicates that conflicting relationships between staff members and their immediate supervisors has a significant effect on job performance. Also, a heavy workload that needs to be accomplished within a specific period has a significant effect on job performance. Thus, it was recommended that leaders should minimize stress in the workplace by lowering the amount of work assigned, and to build strong relationships through team building activities.
The Kikuyu Conceptualization of Adoption
(Africa International University, 2018-12-31) Abigael Wangari Mbua
The process of Bible translation entails interpretation of concepts in the original text. Such interpretation calls upon translators/exegetes not to just reconstruct and analyze the conceptualization evoked by a biblical concept with regard to the conceptual universe of the author and his original recipients but also to analyze the conceptualization evoked with regard to the speakers of a receptor language. The underlying idea is to aid the translator/exegete, in a complementary way, to gain an understanding of the meaning of the original text. The aim of this approach to the translation task is to come up with a translation that is clear to the speakers of a receptor language. This paper concentrates on the concept of ‘adoption’ represented by the Greek term, huiothesia in Gal. 4:5; Rom. 8:15, 23; 9:4; and Eph. 1:5 Which is variously rendered in the English translation versions. Focusing on Kikuyu as a receptor language, the concept of adoption is represented by gũciarwo na mbũri ‘to be procreated by means of (slaughtering) a goat’ the Kikuyu label for adoption. The evoked conceptualization is analyzed using a Cognitive Grammar approach. Cognitive Grammar enables first the semantic characterization of the expression gũciarwo na mbũri and its components as grammatical constructions, second the analysis of the conventional conceptual content evoked by gũciarwo na mbũri and its components in the conceptual universe of the Kikuyu speakers. The evoked conceptual content is incorporated in the emergence of the meaning of the expression.
Towards a responsive ethical leadership Building the foundation for the realization of Vision 2030
(Africa International University, 2019-04-30) Linda Ochola-Adolwa
In 2010, a new constitution was promulgated by the Republic of Kenya. This paper analyses the opportunity created by the provision for the vetting of public and state officers and considers the challenges in implementing the quest for ethical leadership. In particular, the paper explores the political context for the selection of public officers in Kenya. It explores one case in 2018 in which African culture has served as a framework for challenging unethical leadership in the Republic of Kenya. This paper examines the reasons why the Church has not been able to boldly challenge unethical leadership and the ways in which it grapples with being co-opted by the state. The paper considers the social origins of the early Christians as a basis for the Church to evaluate her position over against unethical leaders.