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Agricultural Pesticide Use in Malawi
(Journal of Health & Pollution, 2018-12) Jeketule Soko, Jacob
Pesticides are substances used in agriculture to increase crop yields and improve the appearance of plant products, as well as other uses.1 According to Langley and Mort, pesticides are used in most homes, businesses and farms to control pests, including insects, weeds, fungi, rodents, and even microbial organisms.2 According to Lakudzala, rapid agricultural development in Malawi has led to an increased use of pesticides.3 At least 2000 metric tons of pesticides are used annually, 70% of which are used for agriculture (Figure 1).3 While pesticides are used to destroy pests, reports show that some of the pesticides are harmful to human health and the environment. Several studies support the assertion that pesticides are the most common poisons used throughout the tropics and are associated with high mortality rates.1,4,5 Furthermore, a number of studies have established the direct effect of pesticides on health, but only a few studies have reported on the indirect relationship between pesticides and health connecting pesticide use to sicknesses. However, as noted by the United Nations Special Rapporteur, it is difficult to obtain reliable, global statistics on the number of people who suffer from pesticide exposure, hence studies on pesticides statistics rely mostly on estimates.6 Although the majority of pesticides (80%) are used in high-income countries, most cases of poisoning occur in low-income countries.7 According to a report by the United Nations, approximately 200,000 people die worldwide annually from toxic exposure to pesticides.6 Gunnell et al. reported that most of the cases of pesticide self-poisoning occur in agricultural communities in low- and middle-income countries.4 According to Binns, Dixon and Nel, over 11 million cases of poisoning in Africa each year can be attributed to exposure to harmful pesticides.8 In sub-Saharan Africa, pesticides are being used more frequently by small farmers in an unsustainable way.9 Approximately 62% of Malawi’s population depends on agriculture as a means of livelihood, and pesticide use is common.10 The major crops grown in Malawi include tobacco, sugarcane, coffee, maize, beans, groundnuts, cotton, and tea.
Change Management in Kenya’s Catholic Organizations
(Tangaza University College, 2012-04) Jeketule Soko, Jacob
The article explores receptivity to change of rigid and hierarchical organizations, arguing that change is inevitable and organizations that are resilient and agile, readily accept it while those that are rigid and hierarchical in structure, like Catholic Organizations (COs), find it difficult to adapt to it. The research sampled 288 managers out of a population of 1,444. It examined strategies used by COs and compared them with best practices which attest that power sharing strategies are effective than force-coercion strategies because the former, win high commitment to implementation and the latter, lead to small scale and short term impact. The key findings are that change of leadership, technological and social cultural are the main drivers of change and reasons for resistance are inertia and fear of losing securities. A small percentage of COs excelled in managing change effectively because they used power sharing strategy which provides logical and rational reasons and therefore, managers can smoothen the way for acceptance and weaken the forces working against it. It was recommended that COs should put in place succession plan strategies. They should also increase participation of those who are likely to be affected by change and craft strategies that help members to accept change such as training programs that improve peoples skills so that they are not rendered useless hence a cause of resistance to change. Finally, COs should deploy managers that are innovative so that they create organizations that can thrive in a future that cannot be predicted.
Competitive Advantage for Universities in Kenya: A Qualitative Study
(The Research Journal, 2015-11) Jeketule Soko, Jacob; Gachunga, Hazel; Katuse, Paul; Odhiambo Otieno, Romanus
The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that make universities gain Competitive Advantage in Kenya.
The Influence of Househelps on Child Behaviour
(Tangaza University College, 2016) Jeketule Soko, Jacob
Ideally, children are brought up well when both wife and husband give substantial attention to their children. However, due to the increase in economic demands, in major cities and growing towns in the world, there is an increasing number of couples both in paid employment. This makes the couples to leave their homes before children wake up and return to the homes when children are actually retiring to bed. This increasing trend in both couples working has led to children being raised by care-takers or house-helps. This phenomena is raising a concern, as one wonders, do the house-helps possess the spiritual values that need to be imparted on children? Is the phenomenon of raising children through care-takers the best model? What can be done so that children, from working couples, are raised in a holistic manner? This article explores ways that can help bring up a child in a holistic way faced with challenges of work. The research used exploratory qualitative design targeting working couples. The findings were that house-helps need training for proper child-upbringing and that couples need to be available for their children. The implication of the research is that policy makers need to design appropriate programs in building capacity for house-helps, policies for conducive work environment for raising children and programs that would help families to balance work and family.
The Influence of Quality Service Delivery on Competitive Advantage of Universities operating in Kenya
(The Research Journal, 2016-11) Jeketule Soko, Jacob; Gachunga, Hazel; Katuse, Paul; Otieno Odhiambo, Romanus
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of Quality Service Delivery dimensions on Competitive Advantage in universities operating in Kenya. This was an exploratory quantitative research. Method: This was a quantitative exploratory study. A total of 378 respondents from 17 universities participated in the research. A self-administered likert scale questionnaire was distributed to both students and faculty. Findings: The study found out that four dimensions of Quality Service Delivery namely Tangibles, Assurance, Responsiveness and Empathy had a strong positive significant relationship with Competitive Advantage. While Reliability had a positive relationship with Competitive Advantage, it was not significant factor. The findings are in line with several other studies and theories. Research limitations: The study is limited because it was only carried among universities operating in Kenya. Furthermore, the study had been done only in service industry. This limits applicability to universities operating outside Kenya and other non-service industry. Implications: The study supports developing and focusing on intangible competences in order to gain competitive advantage. The study implies that management need to work on crafting strategies that best combines resources in order to generate competitive advantage.
Intangible Assets for Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Institutes of Higher Learning: A Case of Kenya
(Msingi Journal, 2014) Jeketule Soko, Jacob
Resources and capabilities are the building blocks upon which an organisation can create and execute value-adding strategy so that it earns reasonable returns and achieves strategic competitiveness (Management, 2012). A company’s resource strength forms the cornerstones of strategy because they represent the company’s best chance for market success (Duncane, Ginter, & Swaye, 1998). This article seeks to find out what kind of resources and capabilities thriving institutes of higher learning in Kenya possess and build to make them stay afloat amidst stiff competition. The ever-changing tastes and customer needs and preferences have significant influence on how businesses shape their strategy to compete with other industry players. The education industry in Kenya has not been spared from this trend. Colleges and universities are facing demanding customers who seek customised education services tailored to their own pace, preferred location and time. While some colleges and universities have thrived because they have taken advantage of the opportunities in their environment some have closed doors while others have resorted to unethical ways to attract students. The play-field has been left to those colleges and universities that have reengineered their organisational activities to address the ever-changing needs and preferences of customers in order to have a competitive edge in the industry. This article discusses the value of intangible assets, anchoring its arguments on the resource based view of the firm. We argue that reputation, organisational leadership, and collaboration are vital for institutes of higher learning to thrive. It recommends that institutes of higher learning should concentrate on building resource strengths and capabilities that make them gain and sustain competitive advantage. We propose action research to continuously improve organisational processes. We further propose a conceptual framework that may lead institutions of higher learning to gain and sustain competitive advantage. By focusing on building intangible assets, which are less prone to imitation, this article will address the challenges of competition in the higher education industry.

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