Informal Settlement In Kenya Research Articles

Small Business Social Responsibility: More than Size

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the topic of complementary currencies to the academy engaged in research on corporate responsibility and responsible finance, as well as the broader field of progressive management studies. It responds to the growing awareness that both managers and researchers need to address a systemic challenge of our time, concerning stagnating economies and growing inequality. An underlying cause of that problem is identified as mainstream monetary systems and the implications for inadequate financing of SMEs and microenterprises. The potential of currency innovation, from cryptographic currencies like Bitcoin, to local currencies and then to commercial barter and countertrade are discussed. Given the novelty of these phenomena for management studies in general and corporate responsibility in particular, an interdisciplinary literature review is presented. Then a case study of a complementary currency in an informal settlement in Kenya is presented and implications for the wider adoption of useful new currencies discussed. It concludes therefore that SMEs need certain types of complementary currency more than others and proposes that companies can engage in currencies as part of their corporate responsibility programmes as well as for direct business benefit.

Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets in an urban informal settlement in Kenya and is associated with malnutrition

The commonest cause of rickets worldwide is vitamin D deficiency, but studies from sub‐Saharan Africa describe an endemic vitamin D‐independent form that responds to dietary calcium enrichment. The extent to which calcium‐deficiency rickets is the dominant form across sub‐Saharan Africa and in other low‐latitude areas is unknown. We aimed to characterise the clinical and biochemical features of young children with rickets in a densely populated urban informal settlement in Kenya. Because malnutrition may mask the clinical features of rickets, we also looked for biochemical indices of risk in children with varying degrees of acute malnutrition. Twenty one children with rickets, aged 3 to 24 months, were identified on the basis of clinical and radiologic features, along with 22 community controls, and 41 children with either severe or moderate acute malnutrition. Most children with rickets had wrist widening (100%) and rachitic rosary (90%), as opposed to lower limb features (19%). Developmental delay (52%), acute malnutrition (71%), and stunting (62%) were common. Compared to controls, there were no differences in calcium intake, but most (71%) had serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels below 30 nmol/L. These results suggest that rickets in young children in urban Kenya is usually driven by vitamin D deficiency, and vitamin D supplementation is likely to be required for full recovery. Wasting was associated with lower calcium (p = .001), phosphate (p < .001), 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (p = .049), and 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D (p = 0.022) levels, the clinical significance of which remain unclear.

The impact of fecal sample processing on prevalence estimates for antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli

Investigators often rely on studies of Escherichia coli to characterize the burden of antibiotic resistance in a clinical or community setting. To determine if prevalence estimates for antibiotic resistance are sensitive to sample handling and interpretive criteria, we collected presumptive E. coli isolates (24 or 95 per stool sample) from a community in an urban informal settlement in Kenya. Isolates were tested for susceptibility to nine antibiotics using agar breakpoint assays and results were analyzed using generalized linear mixed models. We observed a <3-fold difference between prevalence estimates based on freshly isolated bacteria when compared to isolates collected from unprocessed fecal samples or fecal slurries that had been stored at 4°C for up to 7days. No time-dependence was evident (P>0.1). Prevalence estimates did not differ for five distinct E. coli colony morphologies on MacConkey agar plates (P>0.2). Successive re-plating of samples for up to five consecutive days had little to no impact on prevalence estimates. Finally, culturing E. coli under different conditions (with 5% CO2 or micro-aerobic) did not affect estimates of prevalence. For the conditions tested in these experiments, minor modifications in sample processing protocols are unlikely to bias estimates of the prevalence of antibiotic-resistance for fecal E. coli.

Parental education and high school completion in the urban informal settlements in Kenya

A well-established empirical association exists between family background and children’s educational attainment. Studies have shown the importance of parental education for not just children’s educ...

Factors Influencing Academic Performance in Urban Informal Settlements in Kenya

In spite of the government’s commitment to provision of Universal Free Primary Education (FPE) to all children that have attained school going age, there are segments of the society which continue to face myriad of hurdles in access of and participation in basic education which affect their academic performance. Key among these are children in the slums. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that influence academic performance in urban informal settlements.The study was carried out in public primary schools located in kibera slums of Nairobi county.The objectives of the study were;to establish social economic factors influencing academic performance,to examine the extent to which environmental factors influence academic performance and to find out pupils psychological factors that influence academic performance. The research employed descriptive survey design as the method for data analysis.Public primary schools located in Kibera,headteachers,teachers and class eight pupils were used as the target population. Purposive sampling was used to sample the schools and the headteachers. Simple random sampling was used to sample the teachers and the pupils. The sample size for the school and headteachers done at 100% hence four schools and four headteachers were used for the study. According to (Kasomo, 2006) Ten (10%) of all accessible population is enough for a descriptive survey study, therefore 10% of the total population for both the teachers and pupils was obtained. The sample size for teachers was 9 and for the pupils was 82. The study used questionnaires as the sole research tool to collect data from headteachers,teachers and pupils. Data collected was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively using tables and percentages.

Patterns and Determinants of Poverty Transitions among Poor Urban Households in Nairobi, Kenya

We examine the patterns and determinants of household transitions into and out of poverty among the urban poor in two Nairobi informal settlements in Kenya between 2006 and 2009. We find worsening household poverty over time, with the proportion of poor households increasing from 51.2 percent in 2006 to 54.9 percent by the end of 2009. Over the period, 34.5 percent of households remained in chronic poverty, 20.4 percent fell into poverty, 16.7 percent successfully escaped poverty and 28.4 percent fully remained out of poverty. We identify slum of residence, gender and marital status of household head, attainment of at least secondary education by household head, consistent engagement in formal employment, household size and the incidence of births within a household, among key determinants of household poverty transitions. Our results underscore the need for anti-poverty policy options around provision of economic opportunities, addressing disadvantages of female-headed households, promoting access to at least secondary education, smaller household norms and birth control among the urban poor. While the outcomes are consistent with some national trends, the need for the design and implementation of slum and sub-group specific anti-poverty policies are significantly evident.

Emotional and Psychosocial Aspects of Menstrual Poverty in Resource-Poor Settings: A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Adolescent Girls in an Informal Settlement in Nairobi

We introduce the concept of “menstrual poverty” to categorize the multiple deprivations relating to menstruation in resource-poor settings across the Global South, and we examine how this affects the psychological well-being of adolescent girls in an urban informal settlement in Kenya. We use qualitative data collected through 34 in-depth interviews and 18 focus group discussions with girls, women, and key informants. Menstrual poverty involved practical and psychosocial challenges affecting girls at home and at school. Its emotional impacts included anxiety, embarrassment, fear of stigma, and low mood. Further research is needed on how menstrual poverty affects girls’ psychological and educational outcomes.

Sexual risk taking among patients on antiretroviral therapy in an urban informal settlement in Kenya: a cross‐sectional survey

BackgroundOur intention was to analyze demographic and contextual factors associated with sexual risk taking among HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral treatment (ART) in Africa's largest informal urban settlement, Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya.MethodsWe used a cross-sectional survey in a resource-poor, urban informal settlement in Nairobi; 515 consecutive adult patients on ART attending the African Medical and Research Foundation clinic in Kibera in Nairobi were included in the study. Interviewers used structured questionnaires covering socio-demographic characteristics, time on ART, number of sexual partners during the previous six months and consistency of condom use.ResultsTwenty-eight percent of patients reported inconsistent condom use. Female patients were significantly more likely than men to report inconsistent condom use (aOR 3.03; 95% CI 1.60-5.72). Shorter time on ART was significantly associated with inconsistent condom use. Multiple sexual partners were more common among married men than among married women (adjusted OR 4.38; 95% CI 1.82-10.51).ConclusionsInconsistent condom use was especially common among women and patients who had recently started ART, i.e., when the risk of HIV transmission is higher. Having multiple partners was quite common, especially among married men, with the potential of creating sexual networks and an increased risk of HIV transmission. ART needs to be accompanied by other preventive interventions to reduce the risk of new HIV infections among sero-discordant couples and to increase overall community effectiveness.

Comparing Clinic Retention Between Residents and Nonresidents of Kibera, Kenya

Comparing Clinic Retention Between Residents and Nonresidents of Kibera, Kenya

Provider Characteristics Among Staff Providing Care to Sexually Transmitted Infection Self-Medicating Patients in Retail Pharmacies in Kibera Slum, Nairobi, Kenya

To evaluate the characteristics of providers in management of STI self-medicating patients in retail pharmacies within the largest informal settlement in Kenya. We collected sociodemographic, training, and work history attributes among pharmacy staff from a convenience sample of 50 retail pharmacies in Kibera slum using a self-administered questionnaire. We gathered the required data in 8 weeks, collecting completed self-administered questionnaires within 7 to 14 days after distribution. Two data collectors subsequently presented at these pharmacies as mystery patients seeking care for symptoms of genital ulcer disease and gonorrhea and completed a structured observation form within 10 minutes of leaving the pharmacy. Approximately half the respondents were men aged less than 28 years. Over 90% had 12 years of formal education and an additional 3 years of medical professional training. Two thirds (66%) had been trained in Government institutions. About 65% reported that patients presented without prescriptions, and 45% noted that patients requested specific medicines but were open to advice. One-third (36%) of the patients used the pharmacy as their first point of care. Using mystery patients to evaluate syndromic management of gonorrhea and genital ulcer disease, only 10% offered appropriate treatment per the Kenya Ministry of Health STI syndromic management guidelines. Although the majority of the pharmacy staff in this informal settlement have some medical training and some experience, a very low proportion offered adequate treatment for 2 common STIs.