Legal and Regulatory Responses Adopted by Kenya to Combat Terrorism in the Aviation Industry

Terrorist acts against the civil aviation industry have remained sustained since the first recorded aircraft hijack in February 1931. The devastating effects of a successful terror attack in the aviation industry transcend the jurisdictions of many states, threatening their national and human security. This study sought to analyse the responses to combat terrorism within the aviation industry in Kenya. It employed the exploratory research design. This design is appropriate for a research problem in cases where there are few documented studies for reference. Secondary data was collected from government publications, websites, internal records and reports, conference proceedings, research articles, and books, among others. The data collected was analysed thematically. The findings show that due to the many devastating terrorist attacks in Kenya, a number of legal measures have been progressively initiated to strengthen the security of all aspects of Kenya’s commercial civil aviation against terror attacks. These include the protection of Aircraft Act, 1970 (revised in 2012). Article 2(6) of the Constitution of Kenya provides that any treaty or convention ratified by Kenya shall form part of the law of Kenya. Another Act put in place is The Civil Aviation Act, 2002 (revised 2013), which established the KCAA to regulate and oversee aviation safety and security as guided by the provisions of the Convention on the International Civil Aviation. There is also the Kenya Security Laws Amendment Act, 2014 (Section 75) which provided for the establishment of a mechanism for coordinating counter-terrorism measures in all entry and exit ports in the country. There are also numerous regulatory strategies adopted to combat terrorism in Kenya’s aviation industry. The country has also put in place elaborate regulations on Preventive Security Measures contained in Part IV of the Civil Aviation (Security) Regulations, 2019. Further, the country has instituted the training program with aims to ensure that personnel of all entities involved with or responsible for the implementation of various aspects of aviation security are properly trained on the appropriate standards for tasks in accordance with the national civil aviation security program. The country also undertakes Aviation Security Audits and Reviews. It can thus be concluded that Kenya has adopted elaborate legal and regulatory responses to combat terrorism in the aviation industry. These have been largely successful in combating aviation terrorism in Kenya. Based on the study findings, there is a need for regular reviews of the various legal and regulatory responses to combatting terrorism in Kenya to enhance their efficacy and responsiveness to the dynamism of international terrorism. Furthermore, the training strategies should be strengthened through increased funding to enhance the domestication of the various legal and regulatory responses in the various aviation security agencies in Kenya. KCAA should also increase the frequency of aviation security audits, inspections, system tests, investigations, and surveys on airports, airlines, cargo agents, and inflight catering operators among others in response to increased sophistication of international terrorism.

Predictors of HIV Infection Risk among Health-Care Workers in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review

The study set out to investigate the determinants of HIV infection risk among healthcare workers in SSA through a systematic review. The aim of the study was to identify, collect and systematically review and synthesize existing literature articles on the determinants of HIV infection risk among healthcare workers in SSA. The objectives of the study were to: determine the prevalence of health care workers' exposure to HIV risky conditions in health care settings in SSA; identify selected determinants of HIV infection risk among Health care workers in SSA (major focus in Nigeria, South Africa, and Tanzania) and apply effective strategies to prevent issues associated with HIV infection risk among Health care workers. The study conceptualizes that HCWs in the SSA region are at risk of HIV infection due to factors related to lack of healthcare resources, their knowledge, attitude and practice, and barriers to reporting. The combined effect of these factors is that hoped to determine the propensity of HCWs to be infected by HIV/AIDS. The key themes guiding the systematic review were: risk to exposure to HIV among HCWs; lack of health care resources and facilities. The findings of the study confirmed all the three alternative study hypotheses that: there is a significant relationship between lack of health care resources and facilities and the risk of HIV infection among HCWs in SSA; there is a significant relationship between HCWs’ knowledge, attitude, and practice on HIV and their risk of HIV infection in SSA and; there is a significant relationship between barriers to reporting and the risk of HIV infection among HCWs in SSA. In this regard, the study found out that HCWs in SSA are at high risk of HIV exposure whilst working. In this regard, this is a result of lack of enough equipment, poor practices at work and barriers to reporting, including stigmatization and lack of well-stipulated reporting guidelines. As such, the following recommendations were made:: there is a need to increase funding in the health care sector to enhance access to the right equipment, microbicides, vaccination, and PEP for HCWs; there is a need for psychosocial support systems to make it easy for HCWs to report infection with ease and that; the government should adopt recommended global best standards to enhance protection of HCWs while at work in SSA. Two areas for further study were also recommended. As such, there is a need for studies on each of the study objectives, and; there is a need for a descriptive study on the topic under investigation in this study for correlation purposes.

Environment-Conflict Nexus: The Relevance of Thomas Homer-Dixons Environmental Conflict Theory in Africa

Using practical examples, the paper examines the relevance of Thomas Homer-Dixons Environmental Conflict Theory within an African context. It outlines that Homer-Dixon’s Environmental Conflict Theory is to some extent valid, but it suffers significant shortfalls that make its applicability and generalizability questionable. The paper has shown that the abundance of resources in Africa contributes more to violent conflicts than their scarcity. Resources in Africa are vast, and so are environmental conflicts. The paper underscores factors that aggravate environmental conflicts such as depletion, degradation, social cleavages, population growth and environmental scarcity and recommend solutions on how they can be redressed.

Relationship Between On-Job Training and Employee Turnover in the Telecommunications Industry in Kenya

The study set to determine the relationship between on-job training and employee turnover in the telecommunications sector in Kenya. Its objectives were: to investigate the kind of extant on-job training in Safaricom Ltd; to determine the effect of employee turnover after undergoing on-job training in Safaricom Ltd; to establish the factors motivating employees turnover after training in Safaricom Ltd and; to establish the relationship between on-job training and employees turnover in Safaricom Ltd. The null hypothesis adopted in this study was: there is no significant relationship between on job-training and employee turnover in Safaricom Ltd. This study used a case study research strategy. It targeted 67 employees of Safaricom Ltd. drawn from two job groups 4 and 5 through stratified proportionate sampling. A questionnaire shall be the only research tool used in this study. The findings obtained shall be presented in Tables and Figures. This study found that there on-job training, as is practiced in Safaricom Ltd. is important. As such, organizations need to invest in it. But as they do so, they should realization that it often leads to turnover. Turnover is caused by various factors. The most important factors include: need for high pay after training, competition for other organizations that might want the skills acquired by such employees after training, need for promotion and better working conditions, breach of psychological contract after training among others. When turnover occurs, organizations are affected in various ways. One of the major ways in which organizations are affected is loss of revenue, delay in realization of organizational goals, loss of competiveness as well as loss of requisite skills. Lastly, the study established clearly that there is clear nexus between on-job training and employee turnover. Based on this, the following recommendations are made. The study recommends that managers should have a clear understanding of the influence of on-job training on employee turnover before embarking on such training. This is essential since it could enable employees to put in place ways of curbing the associated turnover. To this end, various measures can be put in place to check turnover put in place budgets to cater for increased pay; have measures for discouraging turnover, and; revise employment contracts to curb turnover among others. Training should also be well planned such that in the eventuality of turnover, companies can make up for such loss by getting suitable replacements. Furthermore, organizations can also avert the loss associated with training-related turnover by employing persons who already possess the requisite skills.

An Assessment of Church Leader’s Perceptions on Gay Relationships, and its Acceptability by the Church

The aim of this study was to determine how church leaders felt about gay relationships and whether they were acceptable in the church. The study used Bandura’s Social Learning Theory to demonstrate that a person's behavior is a function of the factors that surround them. The research focused on the All Saints Cathedral Anglican Church in Nairobi, and it used a cross-sectional study design. Questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups were used to gather information. Cross tabulations and simple statistical analyses were carried out using descriptive summary statistics. The results reveal that there is a clear link between modeled behavior and behavior acceptance. The view of church leaders affected the recognition of gay relationships in the church. Younger churchgoers, on the other hand, were more likely to change their actions in response to what their age-mates who were also churchgoers did. Furthermore, the results of the focus group discussion reveal that most parents would rather support their children if they came out as gay and continued to attend church than denounce them. Finally, while African culture is hostile to gay relationships in general, the presence of gay church leaders in the community /or complicit church leaders is likely to affect the church community's view of gay relationships and, as a result, their inclusion in society.

Mobile Loan Frequency of Repayment as a Predictor of the Financial Performance of SMEs in Urban Informal Settlements in Kenya

This study explored the effect of repayment timelines on the financial performance of SMEs in urban informal settlements in Kenya. This study adopts the descriptive survey design. Data were collected from 120 SMEs in the 6 wards of Mathare Sub-County. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires. It was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. From the study findings, it is evident that repayment timelines influenced the application for mobile loans. The ability to pay mobile loans without problems due to flexible repayment times also enhanced the performance of the respondents’ businesses. While loans with short repayment periods discouraged the businesses from borrowing due to immense pressure, long repayment periods were preferable since it meant that the stock purchased could be converted to cash. Budgeting could also be made easy due to the certainty of cash flow in long and flexible repayment periods. Lastly, a long repayment period meant that the intended use of the money borrowed could be realized. The study made the following recommendation based on the study objective. In this regard, most of the various mobile loan providers should put in place flexible repayment plans to make their loans appealing. They should also market their mobile loan products to make them visible since only 4, Safaricom-Fuliza, M-Shwari, Tala, and KCB-Mpesa were the most used. Civil society organizations in collaboration with mobile loan providers should also carry out capacity building campaigns among SMEs in informal settlements.

Mobile Loans as Financing Options in Kenya and the Financial Performance of SMEs in Low Income Areas in Nairobi County

This study sets out to examine the effect of loan accessibility on the financial performance of SMEs in urban informal settlements in Kenya. Based on the descriptive survey design, data were collected from 120 SMEs in the 6 wards of Mathare Sub-County using semi-structured questionnaires. It was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings show that all the loan accessibility had a significant and positive relationship with the financial performance of SMEs. In this regard, enhancing loan accessibility contributed to the financial performance of SMEs in urban areas. Financial inclusion among SMEs in urban areas was also enhanced through mobile loans. This could go on to enhance living standards among the inhabitants of urban informal settlements as envisaged by world bank. In this regard, several recommendations were made. Mobile loan providers should market their mobile loan products to make them visible since only 4, Safaricom-Fuliza, M-Shwari, Tala, and KCB-Mpesa were the most used. Civil society organizations in collaboration with mobile loan providers should also carry out capacity building campaigns among SMEs in informal settlements. This would lead to enhanced visibility and accessibility of these mobile loans among the inhabitants of urban informal settlements.

Key Challenges Facing AMISOM in Military Diplomacy in the Horn of Africa

The world over, military diplomacy has not been always successful. This stems out of the fact that it could be faced by a plethora of challenges. This paper sets out to explore the key challenges facing AMISOM in military diplomacy in the Horn of Africa. The study adopted an exploratory and mixed methods research design. Data was obtained from a sample of 100 persons sampled from a population of 22,315 AMISOM Staff and Civilian contingent. The study employed a breadth of both primary and secondary sources for data collection. Primary data was being collected from study respondents by means of a research questionnaire and an interview schedule. The data analysis process involved both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Content analysis was mainly used to analyze the qualitative data and which would be reported normatively. Quantitative research findings were analyzed and reported using descriptive statistics, tables, graphs, charts and inferential statistics in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS v23). Moreover, the data analysis was structured objectively to address each of the study research questions. The findings show that while competing interests may have clouded the scene at regional level, partly alluded to lack of a common approach to deal with the Somalia issue among the various countries, military diplomatic engagements by AMISOM are the most agreeable way to address regional peace and security. The study highlights the greater need for revised strategies in military diplomacy efforts and novel approaches to address competing interests among troop contributing countries that comprise AMISOM. Based on the study findings, the following recommendations were made. Arguably, the most important dimension of its success is hinged on the strategic unity and partnership of the different troops. At present however, the inconsistency in unity and strategic alliance among these countries continue to challenge the seamless command and probably influence the implementation of different military diplomacy strategies based on competing interests. Further, while assets remain a critical component of military diplomacy, the success of such multidimensional peace operations is equally anchored on a civilian component and the need for civilian capabilities. The realization of effective peacemaking and peacekeeping calls for efficient management structures at the field and in Addis for strategic and support of mission teams. AMISOM currently experiences an insufficient institutional capacity and human resources required to effectively handle complex peace operations and peacemaking initiatives. Recent assessment reveals the institution bureaucratic processes are still weak.

Multi Agency Response to International Terrorism in Kenya: A Comparison of Dusit D2 and Westgate Terror Attacks

This study sets out to assess responses to international terrorism in Kenya. This stems out of the fact that the terrorism menace has had been a major security challenge facing the country. The study draws a comparison of the Dusit D2 and Westgate terror attacks. Data was collected from a purposive sample of academics as well as serving and retired diplomats, senior police officers and military personnel. Primary data was collected from the respondents using interviews. The findings show that the West gate shopping mall in 2013 and the DusitD2 Hotel attack in January 2019 are replete with major differences. A critical comparison between both attacks shows an immense difference in the response to the terrorist attacks in Westgate Mall and Dust D2. In both cases, there was prior intelligence of the looming attack. However, there was no clear policy framework on intelligence sharing between the various security agencies in Westgate. Additionally, policies on timely multiagency deployment were disjointed in Westgate but improved in Dusit D2. Although the friendly fire was recorded in Westgate, this was not the case in Westgate. There was also a lack of clear policies on hierarchical coordination between different security agencies in Westgate Mall as opposed to Dusit D2. The law had also been more enhanced with the domestication of the 2012 Prevention of Terrorism Act and the creation of the institutions enshrined therein during the Dusit D2 attack. Accountability mechanisms for security agencies had also been improved during the Dusit D2 attack as opposed to Westgate Mall attack where there were cases of indiscipline and looting by state security personnel. Coordination between government officials and security agencies was also smoother in the Dusit D2 attack. Although the terrorists could communicate for some time between themselves and their command center and share publicity information, this was not the case with Dusit D2 where such communication was curtailed immediately. In both attacks though, communication between victims and outside help was poor and unreliable, and false information was passed. This was more prone and documented in the Dusit D2 attack. It is recommended that multiagency response teams should constantly review their operation guidelines and standard operating procedures so as to deal with the ever-changing sophistication in terrorist attacks. The government should put in place ways aimed at checking disparities in capabilities and equipment among various tactical and intelligence teams in Kenya for a uniform response to terrorism. There is a need for multinational frameworks for undertaking financing and creation of joint information infrastructure for security agencies so as to reign in on international terrorism in the East African Region. Training should also be synchronized across security agencies.

Determinants of Teacher and Student Retention in Secondary Schools of Seventh-day Adventist Church in East Kenya union Conference

The study aimed at establishing the factors which influence low retention of teachers and students in secondary schools of the SDA Church in EKUC. It employed a concurrent mixed methods research design and adopted an exploratory approach using a descriptive survey. This was to investigate the factors which influenced the retention of teachers and students in EKUC schools. Out of the twenty secondary schools in the Union, the researcher targeted eleven which sat for the national exams since 2008. The subjects of the study included teachers, students, principals, the Conferences/Field Education Directors and the BoM chairpersons. The study was based on expectancy theory of motivation which states that certain behavior leads to expected outcome. In the research, certain behaviors by the relevant authorities should lead to high retention of students and teachers. Teachers should be availed bursary funds for career advancement, given incentives for motivation and be made to believe that they are appreciated by the school administration. The administration should assist the needy students to get financial support. The findings showed that two independent variables (school administration and motivation strategies) commonly contributed to retention of teachers and students. School administration was the most common factor which contributed to low retention, among the two groups. It was found important to carry out exhaustive studies on each of the study variables for comparative purposes in public schools and undertake exploratory and in-depth studies on the same.