Browsing by Author "Mutunga, Daniel"

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    Digital Technology and Community Empowerment: Bridging the Rural-Knowledge Centre Gap
    (Kirinyaga University, Kenya, 2024-03-28) Kimote, Zipporah; Mutunga, Daniel
    Rural communities in developing countries continue to experience marginalization due to centralization of services in urban areas and institutions. The imbalance in the distribution of resources and provision of services isolate rural communities making them to remain ignorant of the advancements that can lead to the socio-economic transformation of their life. Rural communities lack access to innovations and knowledge necessary for their transformation due to lack of good and effective channels for relaying information or mechanisms that can enable them to tap the knowledge they need to broaden their world view, interpret their situations, and address the barriers that prevent them from taking control of their life. Government and non-government agencies through their research and practice have current knowledge and information on different issues that have remained a distraction to communities’ transformation over the years, which if disseminated would enhance problem-solving ability of the said communities. Knowledge is power and does free people from the bondage of ignorance and set them on a firm and high ground where they discover themselves, interpret reality with confidence, and make decisions that improve their wellbeing. This paper argues that rural communities can be empowered by bridging the gap between rural communities through enhanced knowledge management strategies to develop problem-solving skills. Through an extensive review of existing literature, this study seeks to explore different strategies for disseminating knowledge to communities using digital technology. It will further examine how government agencies, not for profit organizations and local community initiatives can facilitate access to information and enhance digital literacy among rural communities. The findings of the study will help in drawing conclusions and recommendations.
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    The Forgotten Victims of our Correction System: The Case of Children of imprisoned parents in Kenya
    (Interdisciplinary Journal on the African Child, 2019) Mutunga, Daniel
    Imprisonment has been used as a means of punishment and correction since the 18th Century. Different professionals have discussed the role of imprisonment as punishment and how it has reduced crime and rehabilitated offenders, but criminologists have paid little attention to the effects of imprisonment on the children of imprisoned parents despite their magnitude. These children, whose number and condition are not well known, are referred to as “the forgotten victims of the system of punishment”. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the plight of these millions of children. Using Kenya as an example, the paper assessed the effects of imprisonment of parent offenders on the life of their children, and the readiness of the justice system and child welfare agencies to protect them. The data for this paper was collected from three government departments and an ex-prisoner, and was supplemented by secondary data from a review of relevant literature relevant. The study found that imprisonment of parents deprived children of their primary caregiver and had social, economic and psychological effects on them. The study affirmed other studies that suggested that the number and status of these children is not known and that government departments responsible for the welfare of children intervene only when the courts involve them. It further established that the departments lacked policy and capacity to attend to the plight of these children and policies to guide any needed intervention. The study recommended that, since it is hard to reconcile the punishment of offenders and the welfare of their children, legislation should be reviewed to make provision for the care of these children. There is a great need for collaborative efforts by different child welfare agencies to address gaps in services provided to prisoners’ children and for more research to expose the plight of parent offenders’ children.