Metaphorical Euphemisms in Dholuo Marriage Conflict Resolution Program ‘Dak Man Gi Ndhadhu’ on Radio Nam Lolwe

Worldwide, youths engage in risky sexual behaviours which place them at risk of contracting Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), unplanned pregnancies and unsafe abortions. In Kenya, cases of youths engaging in irresponsible sexual behaviours have been on the rise, with many girls getting pregnant and dropping out of school. In order to curb sexual risk-taking behavior among the youth, religious institutions have attempted to educate young people on their sexuality through youth sexuality programmes. Despite such interventions, youths still engage in high-risk sexual behaviours which adversely affect their health. The objectives of this study, therefore, were to: 
 
 Establish the effectiveness of the sexuality programmes offered by the Deliverance Church to the youth in Kisumu County, 
 Investigate the challenges Deliverance Church has faced in offering sex education to the youth in Kisumu County and 
 Develop strategies that can be used to improve the sexuality programmes offered by the Deliverance Church to the youth in Kisumu County. 
 
 The theoretical framework of the study was the Sexual Script Theory which postulates that sexual behaviours of human beings are written in a script. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design and was carried out in five branches of Deliverance Church in Kisumu County. A simple random sampling technique was used to sample 210 youths who participated in the study. The study included 38 parents, 6 Sunday school teachers and five pastors who were sampled through a purposive sampling technique. A saturated sampling technique was used to sample the five branches of the Deliverance Church. Structured questionnaires, Key Informant Interviews and Focus Group Discussions were used to collect data. The participants in this study were assured of privacy and confidentiality. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse quantitative data and thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. Analysed data were presented in the form of tables, pie-charts, frequencies and percentages. The findings revealed that the approach used in teaching sexuality, topics covered by the sexuality programmes, the duration of teaching sexuality and the facilitators of the sexuality programmes significantly influenced the sexual behaviour of the youth. The study recommended that training should be offered more frequently to teachers and pastors. It also recommended that sex education programmes should be introduced at an early age and should be taught at every stage in life.

Infertility in men and women is a widespread global phenomenon. However, socio-cultural beliefs and practices have been associated with failed reproduction processes in Africa. The study specifically aimed at establishing socio-cultural beliefs and practices associated with infertility. Similarly, the study relied on a mixed method design which involves integratingboth qualitative and quantitative techniques. Thereafter, the data were organized, tabulated, interpreted and described. In particular, the study employed the use of semi-structured questionnaires to gather information from 200 respondents. In addition, six Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) comprising of 10-12 individuals and thirty six (36) Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) comprising 20 health officers/practitioners, 4 religious leaders, 4 herbalists and 8 Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) were conducted. The study disclosed that the concept of infertility has strong social, cultural and economic undertones. From the perspectives of childless couples, health practitioners, traditional birth attendants, herbalists and religious leaders, the respondents have limited knowledge about causes of infertility. In particular, infertility is given negative labels embedded in the community‟s socio-cultural set up. In Kisumu County, children are quite vital and not predictive of the residents‟ experiences but also their future. The study recommends for a comprehensive education program within Kisumu County aimed at filling the existing knowledge gap about infertility and any myths associated with it. The study concludes that low level of knowledge is a threat to management of infertility in Kisumu county. Key words: Social-cultural, beliefs, Infertility, Kisumu County.

Stock outs of medicines and unaffordable cost are two major barriers of access to healthcare. Universal Health Coverage (UHC) seeks to ensure that all people have access to quality essential health services without suffering financial hardship. The main objective of the study was to determine the effect and challenges of UHC program on the availability of medicines in public health facilities in Kisumu County. The study used a Pretest - posttest research design. The study was carried out in twenty-nine health facilities that were selected using stratified random sampling. Data was collected using key informant interviews with a health worker in each facility. Participants also involved four hundred and forty-four patients selected from the chosen facilities using consecutive sampling. Data from patients was collected using researcher administered questionnaires. The availability of medicines improved by 3.4% for 20 tracer medicines since the introduction of the pilot UHC in Kisumu County. This was also supported from the patient's perspective (n= 444; 79.5%). However, in spite of this, health workers experienced challenges which included inadequate supply, delays and stock out of some medicines. Other challenges were overworking, shortage of qualified staff and inconsistent supplies.

Households residing in informal settlements are often hampered by urban-induced vulnerabilities. Despite more than fifty per cent of urban residents in Kisumu County residing in informal settlements, it is unclear to what extent urban-induced vulnerabilities affect their livelihoods. To address this problem, the study examined the types of urban vulnerabilities in Kisumu County Informal Settlements. The data was collected from a sample of 396 households using structured questionnaires, key informant interviews and document reviews. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square, while the qualitative data was subjected to verbatim and thematic analysis. The data revealed that there were various types of urban-induced vulnerabilities which affected access to education including social economic and environmental vulnerabilities. The study recommended that adequate resources should be allocated to reduce environmental vulnerabilities in schools; measures to increase households’ adaptive capacities to urban-induced vulnerabilities among the residents in the informal settlements in Kisumu County should be prioritized.

Provision of safe water, adequate sanitation, and hygiene has been lauded as one way of preventing diarrheal infections and improving health especially in developing countries. However, lack of safe water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene practices in most parts of rural Kenya have posed a challenge that exposes the populace to diarrhea cases and possible deaths. In this regard, many nongovernmental organizations and governmental agencies have tried to provide water, sanitation, and hygiene services with poor results. This study was conducted using qualitative research methods in Central Nyakach in Kisumu County, Kenya. The methods were focus group discussions (FGD), key informant interviews (KII), and observation of homesteads. The data were then analyzed thematically. Findings revealed that water issues are gendered and its use is socially and culturally categorized. Water storage is affected by traditions such as use of a clay pot, while sanitation and hygiene issues are ritualized and bound by taboos. Latrines are majorly constructed by men and sharing the same with in-laws and older children is prohibited. Children faeces are thrown out in the open fields as a means of disposal and hand washing with soap is nonexistent, since it is believed that doing so would make a person lose the ability to rear livestock. The implications of these findings are that some of these sociocultural practices have a profound effect on health of the population. This affects health care delivery through high incidence rates of disease, encourages “unhealthy” environments through open defecation and pollution, and negates the government’s commitment to national and international policies on universal health care provision.

Child sexual abuse is a public health problem with negative physical, mental, behavioral and learning outcomes to survivors. A recent Kenya Demographic Health Survey showed that 22% of women and 13% of men in western Kenya have experienced sexual abuse compared to 14% women and 6% men nationally. Whereas schools have a major influence on a child’s development and behavior, they have been identified as important settings where child sexual abuse might occur. However, how sexual abuse is patterned by the type and location of the school remains an open question. In the present study, we investigated risk factors of sexual abuse among school-going children in primary schools in Kisumu County. Using a cross-sectional study design and guided by the ecological health model, the study determined association between type of school and sexual abuse; association between location of school and sexual abuse, and spaces that predispose school-going children to sexual abuse in primary schools. A sample of 398 pupils aged between 10–16 years randomly identified participants from 37 pre-selected primary schools in Kisumu Central and Kisumu West sub-Counties was used. Data from pupils was collected using self-administered questionnaires, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. The mean age of participants was 13 years. Forced sex (38%) was the most common known type of sexual abuse. More girls than boys had ever experienced any type of sexual abuse 29% versus 20%; p = 0.038. Whereas there was no statistical difference in pupils’ experience of sexual abuse by type and location of school x2 = 2.044; p > 0.05 and x2 = 0.823 p > 0.05, pupils reported that attending public day schools is associated with higher risk of sexual abuse mainly while walking to and from home. Pupils reported that bushes inside the school (52%), latrines/toilets (51%) and bushes outside the school (50%) were the spaces where one is more likely to experience sexual abuse. Being a female pupil was the most significant risk factor for sexual abuse in the primary schools surveyed indicating that gendered predisposition plays an important role in the incidences of sexual abuse in primary schools. Though not statistically significant in this study, it is plausible that risky spaces and type of schools might modify female gender predisposition in subtler ways as suggested from the pupils’ perspectives. Consequently, there is need for a gendered focus in a complex primary schooling environment.

Kenya is one of the developing countries experiencing rise in demand for arable land and tree products. This has led to the scarcity of available land for productive agriculture. To improve this situation, agroforestry technologies have been assimilated in many regions in Kenya. However, at the local level in Kisumu County, agroforestry technologies are yet to be adopted effectively for agrobiodiversity improvement. This study therefore sought to determine the socio-economic factors influencing the diversity of tree and shrub species of agroforestry on the small-scale farms in Kisumu West Sub-county. Descriptive research was undertaken and respondents were selected through proportionate stratified random sampling. Use of questionnaire instruments together with Key Informant Interviews were employed to 404 household heads and forest officers respectively in Kisumu West Sub-county. Inventory data of tree species was conducted on each of the sampled farm plots and together with the questionnaire data; Microsoft Excel and SPSS software were used for exploratory statistics, tree diversity measurement, chi-square and regression analysis tests. Diversity of agroforestry tree species was analysed using Shannon-Wiener Index. The results showed that the most abundant tree species were Eucalyptus spp and Grevillea robusta. The overall Shannon-Wiener Index was 1.9311 which was regarded as very low. In the study, there was a significant positive relationship between gender, level of education completed by household head, household size and the species diversity. In addition, there was a significant positive relationship between farm size and species diversity. The study recommends that information on socio-cultural factors such as education and gender, in addition to economic factors such as the farm size, that influence diversity should be a priority to the development partners and even to the local communities

This empirical study explores how young women in Nyalenda B, Kisumu County, interpret and engage with campaign posters promoting modern contraception. Drawing from focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and ethnographic fieldwork, the study examines how visual and linguistic elements color, image, layout, tone, and placement shape perceptions across diverse educational backgrounds and age groups. Grounded in Visual Semiotic Theory and supported by Peirce’s triadic model of signs, findings reveal that interpretation is not passive but actively filtered through lived experience, literacy, and socio-cultural context. While most young women found the posters appealing and empowering, others expressed skepticism when visuals felt unrealistic or culturally detached. Misinterpretations were common where poster messages omitted nuance or ignored pervasive myths and fears about contraception. The study concludes that effective poster design must integrate localized semiotics, emotionally intelligent language, and participatory design strategies to bridge the gap between message intent and community interpretation.

For decades floods have continuously threatened communities’ livelihoods and destroyed properties and the ecosystem as a whole. In an attempt to minimize the destructive nature of these events, different flood mitigation strategies have been employed. Nevertheless, the challenge with these strategies employed is that they seldom give audience to the people affected, instead focusing on technical solutions. Thus the need to employ an integrated floods management approach that puts local knowledge into consideration. Although some studies have emphasized the need to have this incorporated with technical expertise to get more lasting solutions to the negative flood effects, much work still needs to be done. This study was conducted in the Nyando sub-catchment, of Lower Kano Plains in Kisumu County, Kenya. The study utilized both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Stratified sampling technique was used to select the three flood-prone areas in Lower Kano Plains, namely, Nyando, Miwani, and Lower Nyakach as study sites. Simple random sampling technique was then used to select 100 households for the survey while Purposive sampling was used to select the key informants. Methods of data collection included questionnaires, key informant interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), GIS-integrated participatory community mapping, and desk reviews. The main research findings were that 65.93% of respondents in this study live downstream of river Nyando, of which 60.00% resided in Nyando Sub County, thus exacerbating the risk to floods. The study concluded that Miwani, Nyando, and Lower Nyakach were found to be the flood risk areas of Lower Kano Plains.

To evaluate which body parts preoccupy adolescents with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Patients admitted to an inpatient psychiatric hospital who agreed to take part in the study completed the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire (child and adolescent version) and Body Dysmorphic Disorder Diagnostic Module. Patients also completed a questionnaire that addressed age at onset, coping strategies, history of sexual abuse, amount of time patients spent thinking about their perceived defects, and the area of the body that the participants were preoccupied with and the specific coping strategy used. All patients met DSM-5 criteria for BDD. The study was conducted from January 17, 2014, to September 29, 2014. Patients with BDD (N = 17) were preoccupied with the face: 6 (35.2%), skin: 3 (17.6%), lips: 5 (29.4%), nose: 3 (17.6%), teeth: 3 (17.6%), ears: 1 (5.8%), and eyes: 1 (5.8%), while gender-specific parts included breasts: 5 (50%) and penis: 4 (57.1%). The mean age at onset of BDD was 10.5 years, and the time spent thinking about the imagined defect averaged 3.5 hours per day. Patients with BDD are more preoccupied with exposed facial body parts such as skin, lips, nose, teeth, ears, and eyes and body parts with sexual connotations such as breasts in females and the penis in males.

Introduction: Kenya, like many countries in Africa, faces a range of public health emergencies, including outbreaks of infectious diseases, natural disasters, and environmental health threats. The capacity to respond effectively to such emergencies at the community level is critical for mitigating their impact on health and well-being. Community-level public health emergency response capabilities involve preparedness, resilience, and the ability to mobilize local resources and knowledge. However, despite progress in developing agile national programs and health systems strengthening efforts, significant challenges in their implementation remain. The current study assessed community-level awareness of public health emergencies; response capabilities and community engagement for response in Kisumu County, western Kenya to identify key gaps in knowledge and practice hence propose actionable recommendations for enhancing resilience and effectiveness in addressing public health crises. Understanding these dynamics is essential for informing policy, improving health outcomes, and ultimately safeguarding the health of Kenyan communities in an increasingly uncertain global health environment, and to inform effective and improvement plans to enable designing of contextually specific, acceptable and appropriate interventions. Methods: Using an analytical cross-sectional with mixed methods approach, data was collected from 507 participants residing within Kisumu County-Kenya. Quantitative data was collected in English through a mobile application (Commcarehq) and analyzed descriptively and relationships among covariates were determined through multivariate analysis. Qualitative data was obtained through Key informant interviews (n= 12) and four focused group discussions, one in each of the four sub-counties and analyzed thematically. Results: Most participants 213(42.0%) old with 417 (82%) having completed secondary or higher level of education while 281 (55.4%) were self-employed. Among all the participants only 180 (35.5%) were aware of the national public health emergency response and preparedness guidelines while 253 (50%) had ever experienced and participated in a PHE-related response plan. Additionally, only 88 (17.4%) had ever received any training on public health emergency response. Whereas the participants who were aware of PHE had higher odds of better response preparedness, this relationship was not significant (aOR= 2.23; p= 0.078). The qualitative findings showed that despite awareness of PHE events, response preparedness was still sub-optimal with individuals perceiving these events to be less likely to occur frequently to worry about. However, receiving timely information about a PHE event (aOR= 7.74; p<0.001) and more consistent follow up and supervision by government staff (aOR= 6.19; p<0.001) increased chances of enhancing preparedness and capability to respond appropriately during and after PHE events. Conclusion: Whereas over two thirds had satisfactory level of education, awareness and response preparedness to PHE events was low among this population. People who were aware of the PHE events were more likely to be prepared and capable to respond appropriately with additional efforts to provide timely information and consistent governmental supervision and follow up assistance.

Land use and land cover change as a result of human-induced transitions is a major environmental challenge in Lake Victoria Basin. The study adopted a mixed-method consisting of remote sensing and GIS-based analysis, key informant interviews, and household survey consisting of 384 households to asses Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics and associated human-induced transformations in Ombeyi wetland. The study aimed at generating a characterized area estimate of Ombeyi wetlands land use and land cover change schema for the study period (1990-2017), and examining the spatial and temporal characteristics of anthropogenic impacts and their relationship with land use and land cover change in Ombeyi wetland. The gis-based analysis revealed that built-up area/settlements and agricultural lands extensively increased in area at the expense of wetland vegetation. Key informants attributed the changes to population increase (29.2%) and an associated demand for land and natural resources as the major driving forces for the changes. Analysis of household-survey results validated the observed patterns during the remotely sensed data analysis phase of the research, as 90.1% (n=384) of the respondents reported to own land within the wetland through inheritance. 92.2% of the respondents are farmers practicing farming in the wetland with 72.4% of the same respondents attaining primary level education and below. Poverty and education levels were significant factors in influencing unsustainable land use and land cover changes observed in this study. The present state of land cover and its dynamics have had negative impacts on the riparian rural livelihoods and natural resource management.

Food insecurity remains a major impediment to the attainment of adequate health outcomes among the population. This is attributable to the adverse implications that food insecurity poses on the nutritional status of the populations. Globally, in the year 2021, an estimated population of 3.1 billion people (42%) faced unprecedented food crisis evident by inability to afford a healthy meal. Meanwhile, global rates of stunting attributable to food insecurity among children under the age of sixty months was 22.3%. In Kenya, close to 32% of the populations are acutely food insecure and require urgent food insecurity interventions. Kisumu County is a food import county; hence, decline in food supplies in the counties depends on for food supply results in food crisis amongst its populace. Women and children are disproportionately affected by food insecurity due to gender and age-related factors. Rural populations are often worse affected by food insecurity as evident by high rates of stunting experienced in rural areas when compared to overweight rates that are more in urban areas. It is on this basis that we sought to assess the prevalence of food insecurity among mother-child dyads drawn from Seme Sub-County, a rural area in the County of Kisumu, Kenya. We used a longitudinal study design adopting repeated cross-sectional measures to assess food security status of a sample of 201 mother-child pairs during planting and harvesting seasons. Food security status of mothers was assessed quantitatively using Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. Children’s food security status was assessed using Prevalence of Undernourishment as indicated by the anthropometric measurements. Qualitative data were further synthesized using Key Informant Interviews and Focus Group Discussions to complement quantitative data on prevalence of food insecurity among mother-child dyads. Data was analysed descriptively to indicate proportions of mothers and children depicting various food insecurity classifications. The mean HFIAS score for season I; 11.22 (± 5.36 SD) was statistically significantly different (higher) than mean HFIAS score for season II; 9.63 (± 5.18 SD) at α ≤ 0.05 (t-test: p=0.003). During planting season, a majority of the mothers; 134 (70.9%) experienced severe food insecurity prevalence and during harvesting season, a majority of the mothers; 117 (61.9%) experienced severe food insecurity prevalence. In planting season, almost three-quarters of the children; 137 (72.5%) were food secure as they had normal weight-for-age Z score (were not underweight). On the other hand, slightly higher than average; 102 (54.0%) of the children were food secure during harvesting season. These findings demonstrate suboptimal variations in prevalence of food insecurity across the two seasons. Mothers were more likely to experience severe food insecurity prevalence than children. Thus, there is a need to develop adequate interventions aimed at optimizing intra-household food distribution dynamics as means of ensuring adequate food security for both mothers and children in the study area

In this paper, we examine the efficiency of different improved cookstoves (ICS) in the Kenya market to understand their impact on household energy saving and deforestation. Similar to many other countries in the global south, especially in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA), in Kenya traditional cooking methods such as the three stone cookstove (TSC) are still dominant, especially in the rural households. These types of stoves have very low efficiency levels, and therefore require large amounts of fuelwood with substantial negative impact on the environment and human health. Despite the three decades of improved cookstove development and promotion in Kenya, the penetration remains low especially in the rural areas where it is estimated that over 90% are still relying on the traditional TSC for cooking. Lack of data on stoves testing has been proposed as one of the critical bottlenecks to adoption of improved cookstove. The study aims to address this gap by providing stove-testing data on some of the stoves currently in the market. The study was conducted in all the 7 sub-counties of Kisumu County. It adopted a mixed method approach, which included quantitative and qualitative methods. Qualitative studies included literature review, key informant interviews (KIIs) and focused group discussion while quantitative studies included household interviews and stove performance. A total of 400 households were interviewed. The data obtained shows that firewood and charcoal are the most dominant fuel used for cooking as recorded in 74% and 67% of the interviewed households, respectively. Further, majority of the respondents believed that the tree cover in their areas is diminishing mainly due to the destruction of woodland for fuelwood. Three stoves were used for this study, which included the traditional three stone cookstove (TSC), Integrated Domestic Energy Unit (IDEU micro-gasifier stove) and Kuni mbili stove. Both IDEU and Kuni mbili performed better than the traditional three stone cookstove sin all the parameters such Kitchen test and controlled cooking test as well as emission reduction. IDEU was superior to all the stoves tested. The study has provided valuable data on kitchen performance which will provide useful insight on potential energy saving and forest. Besides, the study also pointed out at the weaknesses of some of the improved stoves in the market and need for further design adjustment to improve efficiency.

Background Child mortality in Kenya is 41 per 1,000 live births, despite extensive investment in maternal, newborn, and child health interventions. Caregivers’ health-seeking for childhood illness is an important determinant of child survival, and delayed healthcare is associated with high child mortality. We explore determinants of health-seeking decisions for childhood illnesses among caregivers in western Kenya. Methods We conducted a qualitative study of 88 community members between April 2017 and February 2018 using purposive sampling in an informal urban settlement in Kisumu County, and in rural Siaya County. Key informant interviews, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were performed. We adopted the Partners for Applied Social Sciences model focusing on factors that influence the decision-making process to seek healthcare for sick infants and children. The discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed. Data management was completed on Nvivo® software. Iterative analysis process was utilized and themes were identified and collated. Results Our findings reveal four thematic areas: Illness interpretation, the role of social relationship on illness recognition and response, medical pluralism and healthcare access. Participants reported some illnesses are caused by supernatural powers and some by biological factors, and that the illness etiology would determine the health-seeking pathway. It was common to seek consensus from respected community members on the diagnosis and therefore presumed cause and necessary treatment for a child’s illness. Medical pluralism was commonly practiced and caregivers would alternate between biomedicine and traditional medicine. Accessibility of healthcare may determine the health seeking pathway. Caregivers unable to afford biomedical care may choose traditional medicine as a cheaper alternative. Conclusion Health seeking behavior was driven by illness interpretation, financial cost associated with healthcare and advice from extended family and community. These findings enrich the perspectives of health education programs to develop health messages that address factors that hinder prompt health care seeking.