MUT Institutional Repository (IR)

MUT IR serves as the home for the intellectual output of MUT academic communities, and will ultimately include digital dissertations, faculty publications, digital special collections, open access publications, open educational resources and much more.

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1. Journal Articles 1433 2. Books and Book Chapters 103 3. Theses & Dissertations 150 4. Conference/ Workshops /Seminar/ Proceedings 88 5. Institutional Memory 43 6. Speeches and Lectures 39 7. Policies / Reports / Statutes 3 8. Projects & Business plan 0 9. Government publications 0 Patents 3

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Access status: Open Access ,
INFLUENCE OF DESTINATION BRAND IMAGE AND STAKEHOLDERS’ ROLE ON WILDLIFE PARKS’ ATTRACTIVENESS IN THE AMBOSELI-TSAVO ECOSYSTEM, KENYA
(Int Journal of Social Sciences Management and Entrepreneurship, 2024-06) Okumu, Paul Omolo; Amwata, Dorothy A.; Bulitia Mathews Godrick; Wandaka K.M. John
Wildlife-based tourism significantly contributes to Kenya's tourism industry, particularly through attractions like the Big Five: elephant, lion, rhino, buffalo, and leopard. In 2019, the tourism sector directly contributed 8.8% to Kenya’s GDP, amounting to KES 790 billion (USD 7.9 billion), and created over 1.1 million jobs, representing 8.3% of the national job market. Despite the extensive protected areas in the Amboseli-Tsavo Ecosystem, visitor numbers remain suboptimal, limiting its socio-economic potential. This study explores how destination brand image and stakeholder roles influence the attractiveness of wildlife parks in this ecosystem. Using an embedded mixed-method research design, data were collected from 440 park visitors, 54 tourism managers, and 28 tourism experts through stratified, convenience, and purposive sampling. Reliability was tested using Cronbach’s Alpha, and data analysis involved descriptive statistics, regression analyses, and thematic analysis. Findings showed that cognitive, affective, and conative images significantly influence park attractiveness, explaining 49.9% of the variance. Park visitors rated the parks highly in terms of beauty, likelihood of revisiting, attractiveness, and overall satisfaction. The study recommends robust monitoring and evaluation to enhance marketing efforts and suggests further research on destination competitiveness and stakeholder collaboration.
Access status: Open Access ,
Functional Group Characteristics and Risk Orientation among Informal Financial Groups in Kirinyaga County, Kenya
(INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS), 2025-08-26) Njeru, Caroline Muthoni; Otieno, Dennis; Machogu, Clifford; Otieno, Richard J.
This study evaluates functional characteristics and risk orientation of non-rotating informal financial groups (IFGs) in Kirinyaga County, Kenya. While rotating informal financial groups have been widely studied, nonrotating groups remain under-explored in spite of their growing significance in enhancing access to financial services. The study employed a mixed-methods approach: descriptive survey of group members and key informant interviews involving community development officers. A target population of 60 non-rotating informal financial groups comprising 806 members that are registered with the County Department of Social Services was adopted. Primary data was collected using questionnaires and responses corroborated with key informant interviews. Before analysis using STATA software, data was coded. Study findings revealed that the institutional design of informal financial groups differed in terms of composition, size, activities and support. Functional characteristics such as manual operations, lending based on social capital, poor record keeping, dependence on external support and limited financial literacy rendered groups vulnerable to financial risks. To reduce risk exposure, enhance sustainability and strengthen informal financial groups as engines of economic empowerment, this study recommends strengthening of institutional design by encouraging fairly heterogeneous groups, hybrid models, designed targeted support, digitization of operations and institutionalized capacity building.
Access status: Open Access ,
Ethical Dilemma Trust and Distrust Among Refugee Host Community in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya
(INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS), 2025-08-28) Otieno, Dennis
This paper explores that complex ethical issues that arise from the coexistence between the refugees and the host communities in Kakuma refugees camp situated in the Northern-Western Kenya and home to about 400,000 asylum seekers drawn from ten countries among them Sudan and Ethiopia. Established in 1992 under the auspices of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the camp hosts the “The Lost Boys” of Sudan, a group of over 30,000 Sudanese children who fled their homes following the civil war in the 1980s undertaking a perilous 1000 miles journey on foot without adult support to Kakuma. Many succumbed to starvation, violence, and natural hazards through the journey. Only half of the original numbers made it to Kakuma where they remain stranded. Of these, 3,600 were later move to the United States of America in 2001. Data from from twelve document drawn from the google search engine reveal chronic displacement, disparity in access to social amenities and community services leading to trauma, and uncertainty, cumulative stress response among refugees settling and adapting to new environments. Drawing on theoretical frameworks such as Elias' Theory of Established-Outsiders and the Refugee Aid and Development (RAD) model, the study analyses examine the issues of equity, justice, dignity, autonomy, and inclusion arising from trust and distrust among displaced refugees settling in a new cultural context under humanitarian. The study then argues that the current segregation status of refugees in Kakuma inadvertently reinforce inequality, isolation of the local community and empowers the refugees hence fueling trust and distrust with the host community. This justifiesthe ethical need for trauma-sensitive, supportive research approaches. Therefore, an inclusive and equitable intervention in refugee host com minty projects would give a win solution promoting human dignity and rights among both populations.
Access status: Open Access ,
Effect of Target Setting on Organizational Performance: A Focus of Murang’a County Government, Kenya
(iBusiness, 2025-09-22) Kibe, Robert Kihoro; Muthoni, Nancy; Omariba, Alice
In an era where public sector institutions worldwide are under increasing pressure to demonstrate efficiency, transparency, and results, performance management frameworks such as target setting have become essential tools for driving organisational effectiveness. Target Setting refers to the process of establishing specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals and objectives within an organisation. In this study, target setting is operationalized as the clarity, alignment, and effectiveness of targets in motivating employees and communication of targets within the Murang’a County Government. Target setting, as a fundamental element of performance contracting, plays a critical role in enhancing accountability and service delivery within government systems. This study investigates the effect of target setting on organizational performance, focusing on Murang’a County Government in Kenya. Organizational Performance on the other hand refers to the effectiveness and efficiency of an organization in achieving its goals and objectives. In this study, organizational performance is operationalized as the extent to which the Murang’a County Government achieves its strategic objectives, enhances productivity, and allocates resources effectively. The rationale for the study stems from the need to strengthen public service delivery in devolved units by examining how structured goal-setting practices influence institutional outcomes. Employing a mixed-methods research design, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from a purposive sample of 358 respondents drawn from managerial, supervisory, and subordinate staff levels. The analysis revealed that involving employees in the development of specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals significantly boosts motivation, ownership, and job performance. Moreover, the alignment of individual targets with institutional objectives was found to enhance transparency and responsiveness in service delivery. The study concluded that strategic and participatory target setting is instrumental in driving improved organizational outcomes in devolved government systems. The findings offer practical implications for public sector performance management and policy formulation aimed at optimizing human resource engagement and institutional efficiency
Access status: Open Access ,
Greening of Hospitality
(Edward Elgar Publishing, 2022-08-25) Irungu, Robert Wachira; Njoroge, Joseph M.
Greening of hospitality refers to adoption of environmental friendly and sustainable practices which include energy management, water conservation, bio-diversity, noise pollution reduction, green building design, organic food, green procurement, waste management, carbon footprint reduction, environmental education, environmental partnership and indoor air quality. A green hospitality facility is one that recognizes the principles of sustainability by providing ecofriendly products or services that supersede demand for non-green products and services. A major step of sustainable hospitality facility is to bring down the impact made on the environment by harmful waste materials and emissions generated from its operations. Encyclopedia of Tourism Management and Marketing