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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the profitability of urban chicken production in the medium-sized cities of Kisumu and Thika, Kenya.

Data were collected in 2016 from a sample of 157 indigenous chicken producers in the two cities. Descriptive analyses were used to characterize indigenous chicken production, marketing and profitability. In addition, multivariate regression models were estimated to determine factors influencing profitability of the enterprise.

Urban indigenous chicken production mainly serves a dual role of food provision and income generation. The enterprise is profitable, generating an average gross margin of Ksh. 756/bird. The multivariate regression models show that access to high-value markets, household income level and the type of production system used significantly affect profitability of indigenous chicken farming. However, poultry diseases and high input costs especially feed are the major constraints to poultry farming.

This study has used cross-sectional data that provides information for only one point in time. Future research should be able to capture the seasonality of indigenous chicken production.

This study has shown that indigenous chicken production in urban areas is a viable and profitable enterprise, which could provide an avenue for employment and income generation.

Studies assessing profitability of urban agricultural enterprises are scant. Thus, this study provides insights on the profitability of a common urban agriculture enterprise.

Reports the results of a case study undertaken as part of a doctoral research programme carried out to investigate the information needs of, and provision to, the legal community in Kenya. The case study, is based on data collected from a one‐man law firm in Kisumu, Kenya. Data were collected by interviews and observation. Although essentially a case study, the results reflect the kind of experiences and problems that lawyers in Kenya, working in single law firms, experience in accessing legal information. Concludes that the only practicable way lawyers can maximise the availability of legal information in the country is by setting up their own law library on a co‐operative basis. Reliance on court libraries is futile as the libraries are already over‐stretched by the needs of the Bench.

Perinatal health is a good indicator of both maternal health status and the level of socioeconomic status attained in any community. This article presents part of the findings of a research project conducted in 1997 by the author to look at the determinants of maternal and perinatal health in Kisumu district of Kenya. Data were collected from four health facilities within the district which were selected through purposive sampling to act as sentinel centres. In total, 1,455 obstetric cases were enumerated and those with perinatal complications were isolated. Perinatal health status was measured by the frequency of low birth weights, neonatal deaths, still‐births, and early neonatal morbidity. Cross‐tabulations and multivariate analysis have been used to identify the major risk factors of the perinatal health problems identified in the study area. Among other things, the study reveals that the risk of most perinatal complications is significantly increased by maternal and environmental factors. These include poor pregnancy care, malaria and anaemia during pregnancy, poor socioeconomic conditions of the mother and poor sanitary conditions in the household. Any policy measure aimed at promoting perinatal health should seek to address all these factors.

Highly deprived urban contexts, such as informal settlements in the global south, can turn into niches of extreme innovation and sparkle ingenuity out of necessity. But what are the rationales behind the participation of disadvantaged communities in social innovations? Why do they engage in grassroots innovations? What is it that makes these grassroots try novelties and continue experimenting with them, even when the perceived benefits are not clear yet? This paper aims to examine and conceptualize the rationales for engaging in grassroots financial innovations in the context of extremely deprived urban settings.

This paper is based on the case of grassroots organizations which have started experimenting with the development of a community currency in Kisumu, Kenya. This paper is informed by in-depth interviews with members of three grassroots organizations involved in the community currency, together with observations and meeting participation since 2019.

The rationales argued by the participants for engaging in this grassroots innovation are framed in various ways: as a means for seeking poverty alleviation (the development framing); as a challenge to conventional imaginaries of innovations (the digital framing); and as an innovation embedded in community and trust relations (the community framing). These framings have a mobilizing effect that initially draws participants into the innovation. Yet, what explains persistent participation despite the decreasing influence of these framings over time is the organizational space and strategies of incompleteness accommodating these experiments.

This paper contributes to the emerging body of grassroots innovations movements literature. While research has progressed in its understandings of the challenges of scaling up innovative practices, the examination of the grassroots initiatives stemming from extremely deprived settings, and the rationales and framings behind, have been under examined. This paper comes to bridge this gap.

The purpose of this study was to investigate restaurant clientele tipping behavior and its inspiration on foodservice empathy within two- and three-star hotels in Kisumu County, Kenya. This was with the objective of analyzing the tipping effect on restaurant food service quality with an emphasis on Parasuraman, Zeithmal and Barry's empathy as a key dimension of quality in accordance to the SERVQUAL model.

For the purpose of this study, food service empathy was investigated in relation to the influence of tipping on restaurant food service quality. Further, a census of all the two and three star-rated hotels within Kisumu County was carried out. The study applied descriptive research design in the investigation on the tipping behavior and its inspiration on foodservice empathy. Moreover, simple random sampling was employed in the selection of clients since it yielded a sample that is representative of the population. Additionally, the study employed the use of questionnaires for collection of data, which were coded, analyzed and presented in frequencies, tables and graphs.

The study findings reveal that there is a significant relationship between rewards upon perception of service and food service empathy but failed to find a significant relation between incentives for improved future service as well as the social norms and foodservice empathy. However, in general, the study established a significant relationship between tipping and foodservice empathy in the sampled hotels in Kenya. Thus, in summary, at 95% confidence level, the study concluded that there is a significant relationship between tipping and foodservice empathy.

This study was restricted on two and three-star hotels within Kisumu County in Kenya with a sample size of 384 respondents, which would otherwise limit the degree to which the findings were applied. Consequently, the study sought to collect data from restaurant clients although the access and, therefore, direct interaction were denied by some of the hotels. Further, this study employed a survey approach in the collection of data from restaurant clients in two and three-star hotels. Accordingly, there was minimal local and regional research literature available on the study topic.

Tipping in the context of the broad global service industry, including hospitality's restaurant food service, is as old as Roman times. However, tipping is practiced differently across the world with some countries practicing while other countries not practicing the act of tipping. For that reason, tipping is not regulated in some of the countries including Kenya and therefore the lack of policy. Nonetheless, tipping is perceived to be the genesis of food service failures as a result of discriminatory restaurant food service in addition to increasing costs of eating out. This study therefore sought to investigate restaurant tipping behavior and its inspiration on foodservice empathy. The study results might be applied in policy formulation in order to curb the negative effect of tipping on food service empathy.

Minimal studies have been instituted and published in the area of tipping and service quality relationship with an emphasis on each of Parasuraman, Zeithmal and Berry's dimensions of quality. This research survey, therefore, sought to collect data from restaurant clients in two and three-star hotels within Kisumu County in Kenya and therefore investigated restaurant clientele tipping behavior and its inspiration on food service empathy.

Anaemia during pregnancy is an important contributor to maternal mortality and morbidity in Kenya. A prospective study was conducted in Kisumu District, a region characterized by high incidences of maternal and infant mortality, to determine the levels and prevalence of maternal complications. Four health facilities were purposely selected to act as sentinel centres from urban and rural clusters. All the obstetric‐related cases were recorded between January and July 1997, and the outcomes of the pregnancies were recorded. Details on the respondents socioeconomic, demographic, biomedical and environment characteristics were also recorded. A total of 1,455 cases were recorded, of which 59 percent experienced obstetric‐related complications. Of those with complications, 22 percent were suffering from severe anaemia. Among other things, the study reveals that anaemia prevalence is determined by maternal and environmental factors. These include poor pregnancy care, illness during pregnancy, socioeconomic conditions of the mother and the sanitary conditions of the household. Policy measures aimed at managing anaemia should seek to address all these factors.

Women’s empowerment remains a key development challenge in Kenya. The purpose of this study is to attempt to understand the status of women’s empowerment and the key contributors to their disempowerment in Kenya’s aquaculture sector.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 534 male and female fish farmers from 300 households drawn from six counties in Kenya (Kakamega, Kisumu, Kisii, Kiambu, Meru and Nyeri). The Abbreviated Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (A-WEAI) was adapted to Abbreviated Women’s Empowerment in Fisheries and Aquaculture Index (A-WEFI) to suit the aquaculture and fisheries sub-sector. The adapted A-WEFI was then used to estimate and the status of women’s and men’s using five domains of empowerment (5DE) and a gender parity index (GPI). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Cramer’s V and sensitivity analysis as test statistics.

About 86% of the men and 80% of the women were classified as empowered. The mean score of the 5DE was 0.93 and 0.95 for women and men, respectively. In addition, 82% of the households achieved gender parity, suggesting that for such households, empowerment of men was no greater than that of women. Overall, the results suggest no major differences between the empowerment of women and men. Findings suggest areas of improvement in empowerment: when observed separately, women report lack of agency in production, resource, time-use and allocation and leadership.

This paper adapts the A-WEAI to the fisheries and aquaculture context, in bid to bridge the gap in standard women’s empowerment measurement methods in this area. Also, there are limited empirical studies on the multifaceted empowerment of women in aquaculture in Kenya. The findings are meant to serve as a point of reference for policymakers, as they develop gender-responsive intervention programmes, and in implementing gender mainstreaming in Kenya.

Many Asians migrated to Kenya in the late 19th century. Some of these Asians have been running successful entrepreneurship ventures, some of which are over a century old. The study investigated whether there are any differences in the approach to entrepreneurship between the businessmen of Asian origin and those of African origin. A questionnaire was administered to 80 entrepreneurs of Asian origin and 75 of African origin doing businesses in two major Kenyan cities, Nairobi and Kisumu. The Asian origin entrepreneurs were more into manufacturing businesses, more exposed to challenges, and had global education and a higher element of being next generation entrepreneurs than those of African origin. African origin Entrepreneurs were more likely to initiate businesses on their own, enjoyed community support and enrolled for more technical training, but were more risk averse. This article revolves around the theme of how socioeconomic evolution affects the way businesses are conducted.

Kenya has seen a gradual decline in the quality of health services particularly those in the public sector. This has adversely affected health status of vulnerable groups including the poor, children and pregnant women. This article discusses research findings on the quality of obstetric care offered by both public and private sector facilities in the Nyanza province. It found that public sector health facilities are under staffed, lack essential drugs and equipment and are unable to offer even basic therapeutic and diagnostic services. Local people have lost confidence in the facilities and only use them when in absolute danger. Sometimes this may be late, leading to severe complications. The article recommends more personnel be trained and posted to rural areas, a reliable supply of drugs and the purchase of necessary equipment for public health facilities. Meanwhile, the private sector should be encouraged to charge less for essential services like maternity care.

ON August 25, 1919, the first British air transport service was opened. On that day‐Air Transport and Travel Ltd. dispatched its first aircraft—a De Havilland Airco 4a— on a regular service from Hounslow, London, to Paris.