Improving Access to Maternal Health Care through Devolution in Western Kenya

Devolution was greeted with great anticipation in Kenya as a means of bringing services closer to the people. However, since the implementation of the recent devolution reforms, criticism has mounted, with evidence of corruption, poor management, late payment of county staff and considerable disaffection among service providers, especially health professionals. In this study, we examine health-care users’ and providers’ perceptions of the effect of devolved health services on referral maternal health-care access in Kisumu and Uasin Gishu counties in Western Kenya. Our findings suggest that while health workers are dissatisfied, there is considerable satisfaction among users of referral maternal health services. Users largely associate their satisfaction with devolution. However, closer analysis suggests that improved access is not only linked to devolved health services but also to other developments both at the national level (health campaigns, increased mobile telephony) and county level (improved transportation, relocation of available funds)

Construction of Feminine Ideology in Gusii Oral Poetry

Abagusii females of the Kisii community of Western Kenya are largely socialized through the community’s oral poetry to operate within the limits of a feminine ideology. The choice of Gusii oral poetry as a vehicle for studying feminine ideology of Abagusii is informed by the fact that this genre of Gusii verbal arts is the oldest and most versatile genres of Gusii orature. Equally, it has had a long and intimate relationship with human communities globally. This paper thus examines the Gusii oral poems as a semiotic system with encoded signs which embody the Gusii feminine ideology. The objective of the paper is to establish the construction and nature of the Gusii feminine ideology and its efficacy in shaping social relationships within Abagusii as a social entity. In the analysis of the purposively sampled oral poems, this paper uses a conceptual framework developed from the Chandler (1995) strands of semiotics in which he argues that a culture produces signs and attributes meanings to them. The tenets of semiosis are then linked to the sociological literary theory strands of Rosenblatt (1978) in which he argues that literature mirrors protocols of the society which produces it and serves given social purposes. Finally, strands from the two literary theories of semiotics and sociological are further interlinked with the Althusserian (1989) and Eagleton (1976)’s tenets of Marxism in which they argue that art is a product of a specific historical epoch and its purpose is to be an Ideological State Apparatuses which interpellates people into becoming subjects of specific ideologies. This paper has adopted the analytical study design. Secondary data was obtained from a review of published works and primary data was the textual analysis of Gusii oral poems collected from the Abagusii resource persons, copyrighted music stores and libraries. The sampling of data and resource persons was both purposive and through snowballing. The study is significant in the sense that it contributes towards celebrating the role of oral poetry as a vehicle for enabling humans to perceive themselves, their environment and their world in ways unique to them and enhancing of intercultural relations as well as forms a basis for related studies. Keywords: Construction, Feminine, Ideology, Oral poetry, Perceptions, Interpellation DOI: 10.7176/ADS/74-02 Publication date:June 30th 201

Going the Extra Mile : Reflections on Biblical Studies in Africa and the Contributions of Joachim Kügler

Since 2004, Joachim Kuegler has intentionally focused on promoting and accompanying Biblical Studies in Africa, beginning with a focus on Zimbabwe’s budding biblical scholars that he mentored. Over the years, the work of Joachim has spread to include Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Botswana, South Africa, Kenya, Namibia and Nigeria. Not only did Joachim do the one mile, he went the extra mile in his embrace and support of Biblical Studies in Africa. This volume is a reflection on Biblical Studies in Africa and a celebration of the immense contributions of Joachim Kuegler to this field. The launch of the Bible in Africa Studies (BiAS) Series in 2009 remains one of his greatest contributions, giving visibility and voice to scholars that would have struggled to get one and bringing on board renowned African Biblical scholars whose presence established BiAS as a credible player in Biblical Studies in Africa and beyond. In this volume, only a small number of scholars reflect on Biblical Studies in Africa, while others reflect directly on Joachim’s contributions. This volume is a festschrift in honour of Joachim as he retires from active academic service with the University of Bamberg in July 2024.Joachim Kügler unterstützt und begleitet Biblical Studies in Africa seit 2004 – zunächst mit Fokus auf Zimbabwe, indem er angehende Bibelwissenschaftler:innen aus Zimbabwe förderte. Im Laufe der Zeit weitete Joachim seine Unterstützung auf Bibelwissenschaftler:innen aus Ländern wie Kamerun, Ghana, der Elfenbeinküste, Botswana, Südafrika, Kenia, Namibia und Nigeria aus. Insofern war Joachim nicht nur zeitweise ein Wegbegleiter, sondern ging manche extra Meile, um Biblical Studies in Africa zu unterstützen. Dieser Band blickt auf Biblical Studies in Africa insgesamt und verdeutlicht den immensen Beitrag, den Joachim Kügler in diesem Gebiet leistete. Einer seiner größten Beiträge stellt sicherlich die Initiierung der Reihe Bible in Africa Studies (BiAS) dar, die 2009 ins Leben gerufen wurde und die Bibelwissenschaftler:innen eine Plattform bietet, die sie sonst nicht hätten, und sie in Gespräch mit etablierten afrikanischen Bibelwissenschaftler:innen bringt. In diesem Band wird sowohl auf Biblical Studies in Africa insgesamt geschaut als auch auf die expliziten Beiträge von Joahcim Kügler. Der Band ist eine Festschrift für Joachim anlässlich seiner Emeritierung im Juli 2024