African Women's Studies Centrehttp://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/1070422024-03-28T17:51:12Z2024-03-28T17:51:12ZLived Experiences of Female Domestic Workers in Nairobi City County, KenyaOsiro, Cynthia Ahttp://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/1641282023-11-21T09:59:40Z2023-01-01T00:00:00ZLived Experiences of Female Domestic Workers in Nairobi City County, Kenya
Osiro, Cynthia A
Domestic work is an informal sector which employs thousands of female workers. Despite the ratification of the Domestic Workers Convention in 2011, female domestic workers face many challenges. The convention seeks to ensure that domestic workers access healthcare, are paid at least minimum wages, access paid leave and are eligible for social security benefits and they hardly receive the minimum wages stipulated in law or any social security and medical benefits. The general objective of this study was to explore the experiences of female domestic workers in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The Marxist Feminist Theory and the Caroline Moser Model underpinned the study. The study was conducted in Nairobi City County, Kenya. A descriptive research design was used in this study. The study population was female domestic workers under the 23 Househelp Bureaus in Nairobi County, Kenya. Systematic random sampling was applied in the study sample selection. A sample size of 10 female domestic workers selected randomly from 10 out of the 23 Househelp Bureaus in Nairobi County, Kenya was used. The study used in-depth interviews to collect data from female domestic workers. In-depth interview qualitative data was recorded, categorized, and subjected to theme analysis. From the study findings, the typical house chores were homogenous across various homes. The findings depict that most of the domestic workers received a monthly pay that was below the government’s minimum wage and majority of the participants lived and worked in employers’ residences. All the domestic workers revealed that they had acquired new skills in the course of their employment. These findings revealed that the female domestic workers did not have good sleep. The study findings indicated that the female domestic workers left their previous employers due to various issues, including: - violation of their rights, salary delays, accusations of interference with marital issues, health issues, low pay, reduced salaries, mistrust, and misunderstandings with their employers. This study recommends that domestic work rules of engagement be formalized. This could be achieved through the recruitment and training be carried out by registered agencies or firms. This study also recommends to advocacy groups to take up the issue of minimum wage payments paid to most of the female domestic workers in Nairobi. This study recommends that domestic workers, through informal employment agencies be taught on various skills that would be handy in performance of their duties. Finally, this study recommends that employers treat the domestic workers with respect, love and dignity.
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZExploring Socio-economic and Psychological Resilience: a Case of Kenyan Distance Runners During the Covid-19 PandemicMutuma, Nelly Nhttp://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/1641052023-11-20T12:46:20Z2023-01-01T00:00:00ZExploring Socio-economic and Psychological Resilience: a Case of Kenyan Distance Runners During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Mutuma, Nelly N
Resilience as a broad concept has attracted different academic orientations over the years and subsequently, been applied in diverse fields. The concept of developing resilience capacities has also gained prominence among sport scholars in recent times. This is a crucial component in the sporting industry especially during crises. The unparalleled global nature of the COVID-19 pandemic threatened the income, training routines and well-being of athletes due to the preventive measures put in place to moderate the spread of the potentially evolving virus. This study therefore sought to explore ways of developing socio-economic and psychological resilience to future pandemics among distance runners in Eldoret and Iten by drawing lessons from their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. It examined the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, assessed the interventions, and established effective strategies for developing resilience among distance runners in Eldoret and in Iten. The research relied on the socio-ecological model, psychological resilience theory and self-determination theory all which best explains resilience from a multidimensional perspective. A mixed method research design was adopted for this study. Secondary data was obtained through a thorough desk review while primary data was collected using key informant interviews, questionnaires, case narratives and focus group discussions. The key findings suggested the following: distance runners in Eldoret and Iten struggled with loss of livelihood sources as well as loss of athletic identity, missed athletic scholarship opportunities, reported depression, anxiety, stress and fear during the COVID-19 pandemic period. This research concluded that developing socio-economic and psychological resilience required preparedness among distance runners in Eldoret and in Iten as well as concerted efforts by the government, Athletics Kenya, the National Olympic Committee of Kenya and the general community. Stakeholders in the sporting industry need to ensure that resilient systems are put in place in order to overcome the effects of future pandemics. It is expected that the results of this research can be applied in other sports disciplines since it will be instrumental in determining multiple ways of developing resilience. Future research is necessary to look at the unique experiences of para-athletes and paralympians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZExperiences of Women With Breast Cancer During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Nairobi, KenyaNgumi, Mercy Whttp://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/1640932023-11-20T11:50:50Z2023-01-01T00:00:00ZExperiences of Women With Breast Cancer During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Nairobi, Kenya
Ngumi, Mercy W
The global cancer burden is increasing and Breast Cancer is now the top cause of death among women, most in the prime of their lives, the majority of whom are from the poorer nations of the world. Cancer is therefore ranked the number two global leading cause of fatality among non-communicable diseases Every aspect of life as we know it changed drastically when COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020. Governments across the world instituted stringent measures in order to curb the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus. The daily briefings in Kenya and in the world concerning the risk for citizenry with comorbidity, women living with breast cancer were at higher risk. The mixed method approach used in this study lends an ear to the voices of these women and records how the pandemic presented new and exciting training and employment opportunities leading to a positive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their socio-economic status. This study looked at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the livelihoods of a select number of women with breast cancer living at the epicenter of the pandemic in Nairobi, Kenya during the period from March 2020 to September 2021. The study found that majority of these women were empowered by the unique opportunities presented by virtual upskilling, and many more job opportunities that allowed them to work despite their comorbidity. While some of the lockdown measures resulted in closures, re-prioritizing, and reduction of ‘in-person’ interaction it also presented flexibility and new approaches to psycho-social support and socio-economic support to women living with breast cancer.
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZThe Contribution of Smallholder Women Farmers to Food and Nutritional Security in Vihiga Sub-county, Vihiga County, KenyaLusui, Hardlynehttp://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/1639852023-11-16T06:28:10Z2023-01-01T00:00:00ZThe Contribution of Smallholder Women Farmers to Food and Nutritional Security in Vihiga Sub-county, Vihiga County, Kenya
Lusui, Hardlyne
Women contribute in many waystowards food and nutritional security particularly in the rural areas. Although smallholder women farmers have great potential to guarantee food and nutritional security, they have an even bigger role as the backbone of food production owing to their reproductive roles. They face limitations due to poor access to resources because of illiteracy, marginality, customs and a lack of capacity. Notably, more needs to be done to elucidate through research and document their importantrole in food and nutritional security in some of the more populous counties in Kenya presently.The main purpose was to determine how women farmers have contributed to food and nutritional security in Vihiga Sub-County and to recommend possible mitigating measures to the challenges faced by the smallholder women farmers in Vihiga Sub-County in their endeavor to achieve food security at family level. Feminist political ecology theory and the social relations theory were used to anchor the study. The target population comprised women smallholder farmers in Vihiga Sub County. Data was collected using in-depth interview of 8 women from each of the four wards, focused group discussions of between 10-12 women from each ward, observation and documents analysis.The units of analysis comprised the woman smallholder farmers in Vihiga County aged 18 years and above. Purposive sampling and snowballing methods were used to select the respondents.The data collected was analyzed qualitatively using thematic analysis. The study established that smallholder women farmers in Vihiga Sub County play a key role in promoting household food and nutritional security. The smallholder women farmers grow various food crops and also keep various animals including cows, goats, sheep, and pigs. The women provide the bulk of labor from land preparation, planting, weeding, harvesting, storage and cooking for the family. While at, they face numerous challenges. These include lack of access to farm inputs, lack of financial resources and poor access to credit, lack of access to agricultural extension services, lack of access to large land, and ecological challenges including climatic changes and pests. The study concludes that while smallholder women farmers have the capacity to promote food and nutritional security they face a myriad of challenges that need to be addressed.Hence the study recommends that smallholder women farmers should be supported by the governmentand financial institutions to enhance food production through economic support, use of quality inputs and access to extension services. Policy makers should appreciate, acknowledge and promote smallholder women farmers with a view to increasing the acreage under production through effective land governance and management policies from the local level to the national level.
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