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The advent of structural adjustment reforms in the early 1990s in the coffee sector saw the decline of government involvement in Kenya’s Coffee Cooperatives. The withdrawal of the state in the agricultural cooperative sector witnessed major coffee cooperatives struggle with the production of premium coffee. The production of coffee by cooperatives has greatly declined over the years, which has negatively affected the lives of thousands of small-scale farmers that belong to coffee cooperatives. A decline in cooperative coffee production has led to a decline in the number of coffee farmers witnessed attending cooperative meetings. This situation has further weakened the organizational capacity of the coffee cooperative as a key institution for small-scale coffee production. This thesis attempts to unearth those barriers that restrict cooperative members from attending meetings. A mixed methods approach is used to investigate participation levels at New Gatanga Coffee Farmers Cooperative Society. Understanding the fundamental issues behind the boycott by small-scale coffee producers in rural Kenya will provide a platform for constructing positive policies that will be used to improve the livelihoods of coffee cooperative members. / An investigation of the New Gatanga Coffee Farmers Cooperative Society to understand the fundamental issues behind the boycott by small-scale coffee producers in rural Kenya in order to provide a platform for constructing positive policies that will be used to improve the livelihoods of coffee cooperative members.

There is scant research within educational literature on the nature of visual cognition, language, and expression in relation to cross-culturally driven socio-cognitive and socio-economic development. Indeed, the integrated, multi-disciplinarian approach needed to address the nature of this complex relationship is still being devised. / This dissertation examines a community of artisans located in Kenya's remote western highlands. Over the past ninety years, the community has developed a unique soapstone carving cottage industry. This creative commercial response to the pernicious effects of Western acculturation has somewhat mitigated the severe environmental, demographic, and economic stresses being experienced by most other Gusii communities in the region. / The community-cottage industry's structural and longitudinal dynamics meld traditional artisanal and social practice to Western market mores. However, the industry could not have evolved, nor could it have sustained itself, without a corps of competent artisan-merchants. The creation of such a corps is the result of a distinctive bi-modal educational system consisting of both indigenous training and Western-style schooling. This system, in its totality, helps to develop the requisite cognitive, affective, psychomotor, and linguistic skills essential to artisanal-mercantile practice. Consequently, participating Gusii youth generally graduate knowing how to produce and market soapstone carvings. / This dissertation, drawing from studies in history, economics, psychology, sociology, ethnography, phenomenology, communications, and aesthetics, examines the foundation and growth of this cottage industry as well as its bi-modal education system in tam of its socialization patterns and learning processes. These patterns and processes are related to cross-cultural theories of socio-cognitive and socio-linguistic development and learning. One of the principle features of this particular educational system involves the of visual acumen among its trainees. Such an enhanced faculty is for those whose livelihoods depend literally on pleasing the eyes of Western consumers. Explication of this system, therefore, provides the necessary framework within which to consider the central role that visual cognition, Language and expression plays in the cottage industry.

In Kenya, there has been a tendency to portray a separation of Church and State. However, attempts made by political leaders to separate Church and State have not successfully severed the relationship between religion and politics. The interweaving of religion and politics is the subject of this project. In particular it studies the changing relationship between Muslims and various political orders in Kenya from the pre-colonial times to the present. The study traces the role of Muslim individuals and associations under different political regimes. It explores the ways in which Muslims have politically mobilised in a context of political authoritarianism and limited space for protest. This has led to increasing politicization of Islam in Kenya with the formation of the Islamic Party of Kenya (IPK) in 1992 crystallizing the growing process of radicalization of sections of the Kenya's Muslims. Therefore, this study focuses on the politicization of Islam in Kenya and discusses the factors that triggered the process of its politicization and its challenges in Kenya's politics. Over a period of one year, a structured interview with selected informers and informal discussions was conducted. The finding of the study indicates that the emergence of politicization of Islam in Kenya is a reflection of the exclusionary-repressive politics of the various Kenyan regimes. This political system is alleged to have contributed to the perceived political marginalization of Muslims in the country. It is this perceived marginalization which Muslims are striving to overcome. The formation of the IPK was an attempt by Muslims to address this perceived political marginalization. Fearing Islamic oriented political competition the Kenyan government refused to offer the IPK recognition. It is concluded that despite the registration setback the Muslims faced in Kenya's politics, they are still a significant opposition to political leadership in the country. None the less, this study shows that Muslim political engagement is not a monolithic. There are political differences among Muslims in relation to Kenya's politics. These differences are attributed to ethnic and racial binaries exhibited within the Muslim community. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2008.

Abstract not available. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

There is no abstract available for this dissertation.

The purpose of this dissertation is to determine whether Sheng, a language spoken in the Eastlands area of Nairobi, Kenya, is a mixed language (incorporating Swahili, English and local vernaculars). The study focuses on the lexicon and morphosyntax, but social factors are examined as well. Three broad research questions are addressed: (1) Does Sheng have a core vocabulary separate from that of Swahili? (2) How do the system morphemes of Sheng compare with those of Swahili? And (3) in what manner does Sheng provide its speakers a new identity?With respect to question one, the core lexicon, like Russenorsk's, Trio-Ndjuka's and Michif's, manifests a nearly fifty-fifty split in Sheng (52% Swahili; 48% other), making it a mixed language lexically.As for question two, the analysis reveals that Sheng has a composite morphosyntax. No object or relative affixes are marked on the verb. Predicate-argument structure from English has provided a null relativizer. The aerial feature imperfective suffix -a(n)g- is preferred 68% of the time. Noun classes show convergence leveling. The marker ma- serves as the generic plural. The diminutive markers, (ka-, to-), constitute a complete non-Swahili subsystem. Consequently, Sheng is also a mixed language morphosyntactically.In reference to question three, a negative correlation exists between competence in Sheng and income and housing. Though the affluent display a negative attitude towardSheng, they agree with the lower socio-economic groups that Sheng has a communicative utility in metropolitan Kenya. A comparison of the usage in the different residential areas establishes that community-wide grammatical norms (i. e., stability) exist in Sheng. Over two decades without institutional support for Swahili provided a niche in which Sheng, a non-standard language variety, flourished and a new urban identity emerged.Eastlanders walk a linguistic tightrope, balancing between the labels mshamba (`rube') and Mswahili (`slick talker'). However, Sheng provides a sociolinguistic embodiment symbolizing what nuances their existence. Over time, speakers formed a new identity group, whose language was initially `off target' (1899-1963) but subsequently became deliberate postcolonially. Finally, the name of the language itself (Sheng < LiSheng < lish-eng < English) results from and is symbolic of this social transformation. / Department of English

The intention with the research was to investigate the role of civil society in the Kenyan democratization process. The research intends thus to analyze (1) the role of civil society in Kenya's transition to democracy (1990- 2002), and (2) the role of civil society in the further democratization process (2002- 2013). The results of the research demonstrates that the role of civil society played a crucial role in Kenya’s transition to democracy given that civil society provided with a multiparty- system in 1991. In addition, civil society endowed with education for citizens in order to attain constitutional reforms. As a result, Kenya accomplished a transition to democracy in 2002. The role of civil society in the further democratization process struggled to maintain democracy since corruption emerged instantaneously where elections resulted in electoral frauds. Civil society played a vital role once again, but this time with the help of media.

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