Daystar University Publications

Browse by

Sub-communities within this community

Recent Submissions

Ethnicity & Political Violence A Kenyan Perspective with Reference to Mathare and Kibra Informal Settlements

Musya, Justus K. (The Kairos Book Publishers, 2023)

[more]

Abstract:	Besides addressing the original and the deleterious effects of negative ethnicity on Mathare and Kibra Informal Settlements, within the city of Nairobi, this book also theorizes on the broader philosophy behind ethnic tensions, and to an extent, xenophobic behaviours troubling the post-colonial Africa. In particular, the role of inequalities in causing ethnic grievances, its role in fuelling ethnic mobilization, its global perspective, its regional dimension, its national dimension, and its local perspectives have all been surveyed so as to guide us in addressing divisive citizenry. By the time we are done with reading these dimensions of ethnic perspectives, we are driven to start thinking deeper. And indeed, we are enabled to think critically and creatively and brought to the understanding of the problem: namely, the negative ethnicity (derogatorily called tribalism) and we are simultaneously driven to start working towards solutions and/or problem-solving. Put differently: why shouldn‟t ethnic diversity help us appreciate our great favours from God, as plurality is God‟s economy for the world? Why should Africans utilise ethnic cards to mobilize electoral politics? Why should we vote in a person simply because he or she is from our local ethnic group? Does it matter who messes up or builds the country; aren‟t they the same practical terms? In the worst case scenario, we are driven to ask: Why use ethnic mobilisation to instigate political violence that will eventually lead to displacements, as in the case of post December 2007 disputed elections where over 400, 000 were displaced from their farms; and Kenya became a home of internally displaced persons (IDPs)? Besides the above, this book theorizes the philosophy revolving around ethnic conflicts. How can these theories help in vi understanding ethnic conflicts? The author has ably strived to make sense out of this. In a nutshell, negative ethnicity is caused by lack of vision among the leaders and/or elites of society. In some cases, historical injustices, rooted in colonial hegemony, have had their share of promoting ethnic divisions and conflicts. Take for instance, the amalgamation of Nigeria of 1914, for instance. Yes, it created the North and South, can we view it as a marriage of inconvenience, particularly when we recall the terrorist activities in the north? Certainly, the amalgamation of North and South Sudan since 1956 left a scar within the rank-and-file of Southerners, the black Africans, who felt that the Arabs in northern part were enslaving them. This resulted in endless wars between the Arabs and the black Africans. In 1983, the Sudanese People‟s Liberation Army (SPLA) was formed so as to battle the then Arab-dominated government of the northern Sudan. This was followed by the formation of the Sudan People‟s Liberation Movement (SPLM), as the political wing of SPLA. The formation of SPLM on 16th May 1983 came after the Arab-dominated Sudan‟s government reneged on the so-called Addis Ababa Agreement of 1972. This agreement was previously signed by the then Sudanese President Gaafar Nimeiry (1930-2009), who reigned from 1969 to 1985, and the then rebel movement, Anyanya leader, Joseph Lagu, on 27th February 1972. It is in this Addis Ababa Agreement where the Southern Sudanese were to be given economic, social, political, religious, and educational rights. The signing of the Addis Ababa Agreement of 1972 had thus brought down the long ranging conflict. Prior to this, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan had ceased after independence in 1956, as it now became Sudan. This came after both the Egyptian and the British governments recognised Sudan as an independent country; and eventually terminated vii their respective shares of sovereignty over it. Reneging on the 1972 Addis Ababa Agreement of recognising the Southern Sudanese religiosity by Field Marshal Jaafar Muhammad Nimeiry (1930-2009), who served as President from 25 May 1969 to 6 April 1985, and his decision to begin Islamist rule, speaks for the nature of African conflicts: a phenomenon where we „suspend‟ our governing „constitutions‟ from family to national levels without any iota of shame. Ripples are that we become our own enemies who fuels conflicts that can be ethnic, racial, social, political or xenophobic based. Thus the Sudanese case, of reneging on a memorandum of understanding, ushered in a conflict between the practitioners of Islam religion (northerners) and the Christians and traditionalist of South Sudan, a contestation that did not die till 2011 when South Sudan became an independent country under the SPLA/SPLM in 2011. Back to negative ethnicity, we appreciate that conflicts are also caused by religious intolerance, as the Sudanese case has demonstrated. Religious intolerance is manifested by blind religiosity or blind denominationalism that doesn‟t see anything good in others. Equally, blind ethnic loyalty doesn‟t see anything good in other ethnic groups existing in the same country. It is a psychological disorder that needs to be diagnosed through public education. As a social construct, it can be deconstructed through re-educating, de-education, and be eventually reconstructed for the betterment of society. A society that fails to educate people on the dangers of negative ethnicity or racial-national prejudices faces extinction from the map of the world. The height of madness in any nation reaches its climax when a notoriously religious continent and her countries allow religion to become the opium of, and for the people, thereby eulogizing religio-denominational intolerance and dehumanisations. When politicians use religion to confuse viii the vulnerable poor-weak-and-hungry citizenry, as they strive to promote the Big Man‟s Syndrome and/or Messianic political leaderships, the true rapture gets closer and closer. It could as well mark the proverbial “last days.” Are we under borrowed time? In Uganda, the contestations between the Anglicans who were mainly members of Milton Obote‟s (1925-2005) Uganda People‟s Congress versus the Democratic Party under Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere (1932-2022), whose supporters were mainly Catholics, polarised Uganda for a long time; and has remained a wound that takes long to heal. When a religiousinclined society views some politicians as Mosaic-Messiah‟s, while their contestants are effectively portrayed as Devilincarnates, it becomes a preparatory route for ending the life of a nation. Besides this, all forms of marginalization, resource control, and lack of vision among the emerging leaderships in Africa, must be re-evaluated from time to time so as to ensure that ethnic plurality does not become a curse. Rather, our rich cultural diversity has to remain our strength rather than as our weakness; and indeed, it has to remain the source of health and wealth of a nation. Having said this, I wish to recommend Justus K. Musya‟s book: “Ethnicity & Political Violence: A Kenyan Perspective with Reference to Mathare and Kibra Informal Settlements.” It brings back the theme of Ethnicity that ought to be addressed from time to time. With negative ethnicity, ethnic balkanisation, banditry, refugee crisis, religious intolerance, narcotics, dangerous liquor, terrorism, economic mismanagement, suspicious and mysterious pandemics, and bad politics, threatening the very existence of the African populace in the twenty-first century, a sharp-shooter, of Musya‟s level, is needed to outfox the enemy; and eventually call the society back to its conscience. We thus need the likes of Musya to come and say: “Look here! We are staring at danger; hence stop mishandling ix ethnic cards. Use it to enrich the society rather than impoverish the very society that God so much loved.” The book is recommendable to scholars of all nations under the sun! Referring to the Africanist scholars in particular, the aspiring scholars, and readers and leaders of all walks of life. This is your book, and indeed it is a little encyclopaedia on how to handle the ethnic card
Description:	Book
URI:	http://repository.daystar.ac.ke/xmlui/handle/123456789/4184 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372645819_Ethnicity_Political_Violence_A_Kenyan_Perspective_with_Reference_to_Mathare_and_Kibra_Informal_Settlements_by_JUSTUS_K_MUSYA

Files in this item: 1

EthnicityPoliti ... lementsbyJUSTUSK.MUSYA.pdf (3.604Mb)

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), The heart of Chinese Economic development: What can African governments learn?

Muriith, Samuel Muiruri (European Journal of Research and Reflection in Management Sciences, 2018)

[more]

Abstract:	The last few decades have witnessed the meteoric rise of China as a world economic champion in terms of development, growth and impact, a move that seems to destabilize the economic and political dominance of the Western countries. However, the Chinese economic growth is not an accident but is a well-orchestrated plan meant to transform the country and its business enterprises. From a state controlled socialist economy, China has adopted open door policy, market oriented approach and political changes meant to navigate the country into a global market leader. At the heart of Chinese economic development is the Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector. Recognising the central role played by SMEs, the Chinese Government integrated SMEs agenda in its national and social development strategic planning leading to development of numerous legislations and policies meant to promote and boost SMEs growth. Currently SME businesses are spread in all major sectors from manufacturing, constructions, agriculture to service industries. Some laws implemented to promote SMEs include eradicating barriers to growth, establishing equal level playing ground rules for all businesses, promoting scientific and technological innovations, and creation of conducive competitive atmosphere. As a strategy to ensure local and regional growth of SMEs, the government classified the businesses in terms of their absolute advantage. The move has seen categorisation of development into four main categories, namely township and village-based enterprises, private enterprises, state-owned businesses (SOEs) and jointventures. It is this strategy that has seen industries rise in all major regions resulting to development and employment creation across China. Comparing the Chinese Government’s role in supporting SMEs and African governments shows a sad reality. Although SMEs in Africa accounts for 95% of all businesses, 50% of GDP and 60% of employment, their rate of failure range from 50% to 90%. Unlike China, African governments have been accused of making it difficult for SMEs operations. With little or no incentives, SMEs have to contend with heavy taxes, high cost of production, lack of finances and poor legal and legislation structures. This paper presents Chinese Government as a model of how African countries can promote SMEs to steer development and transformation of their economies. The paper recommends that African governments prioritise SMEs as key pillars of economic and social development of individual countries and the continent as whole.
Description:	Journal Article
URI:	http://repository.daystar.ac.ke/xmlui/handle/123456789/4181

Files in this item: 1

Small and mediu ... ican governments learn.pdf (706.5Kb)

Daystar University Publications

Daystar University Repository

Daystar University Publications

Browse by

Sub-communities within this community

Recent Submissions

Search DSpace

Browse

All of Daystar University Repository

This Community

My Account

Discover

Author

Subject

Date Issued

Has File(s)

Abstract:	Family businesses are the backbone of the world economic where they are associated with economic and social transformation. While majority of large family businesses perform better than corporate or public organisations, there are millions of such businesses that do not survive beyond their first generation of operation. The inability to succeed is associated to several challenges among them trying to accommodate all family members in the businesses, over-specialising and under-specialising in certain functional areas and creating expertise gaps, diverting funds away from businesses and inability to manage family conflict especially relating to generation succession. However, with good strategies to manage family members’ role in businesses, acquiring appropriate expertise, effective management of success across generations, promoting cohesions and talent management, such family businesses can survive across generations and decades. This paper is based on empirical evidences from existing researches and studies aimed at generating lessons that upcoming or start-up family businesses can learn from experienced and well established successful family businesses. The paper is based on over 6000 family businesses studied by leading world scholarly and research bodies. This makes the lessons therein not only credible but very valuable for upcoming family businesses, policy makers and government bodies, all interested in family businesses.
Description:	Journal Article
URI:	http://repository.daystar.ac.ke/xmlui/handle/123456789/4199

Abstract:	Small and medium sized businesses are the engines that drive economic development and contribute significantly to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) of most countries. The roots of such businesses are the families that form their foundations. To succeed, family business founders must establish strong foundations, structures and succession plans. This paper examined the role of African and Indian business founders in determining the future of their businesses across generations. The study targeted 52 business founders (owners) and managers operating Mombasa City (Kenya) and used stratified random sampling method to identify the respondents. A questionnaire was used as the primary data collection instrument while a documentary analysis was performed to attain secondary data. The paper found that family businesses are predominant among all respondents. It was also found that most Indian families involve family members in business during strategic development and planning. In terms of longevity, Indians businesses lasted longer while African businesses were only a few years old and rarely succeeded across two or three generations.
Description:	Journal Article
URI:	http://repository.daystar.ac.ke/xmlui/handle/123456789/4198

Abstract:	: Leadership effectiveness is critical to organisational performance and survival. To be effective, organisational leaders must possess the right competencies. One vital leadership competency is strategic thinking, which is described as the ability to synthesise and utilise intuition and creativity in order for an organisation to achieve an integrated perspective. Strategic thinking remains a critical area for research, owing to lack of supporting empirical literature, and to theories that give little or no guidance to leaders.
Description:	Journal Article
URI:	http://repository.daystar.ac.ke/xmlui/handle/123456789/4197

Abstract:	The purpose of this paper is to establish how strategic market entry modes influence firm’s ability to expand from the local to the international market. The study looked at how different entry modes determine the level of firm internationalization. Some of the strategic entry modes which medium sized firms have used include exporting, direct investment, licensing and franchising, outsourcing and subcontracting, collaborations and partnerships. The study targeted CEOs and senior managers for 100 Top Medium firms in the category of 2012. Structured questionnaire was administered and both descriptive and inferential statistics were used. The findings revealed that though the mode of entry affects the firm’s ability to internationalize, there are multiple factors that should be considered when deciding to go international as opposed to only one or a few.
Description:	Article
URI:	http://repository.daystar.ac.ke/xmlui/handle/123456789/4195