Innovation

The Research and Innovation Office (RIO) has the overall responsibility of developing and promoting research and innovations across the University. We aim to support Strathmore Universities staff and students in producing cutting-edge research, innovations and collaborative partnerships that result in opportunities for knowledge translation. Our mandate includes;

  • developing research strategies and policies,
  • ensuring research integrity for both faculty and students,
  • providing grant support services,
  • fostering new collaborations and partnerships,
  • Promoting the university’s inventions,
  • overseeing compliance with research governance requirements.

Key themes that represent our strategic strengths and reflect the diverse scholarly, research and creative activity that is taking place across the institution include:

  • Digital Revolution and Data Science; Sustainability, Climate Innovation and Clean Energy Technologies; 
  • Global Health; Business, Economics, and Management;
  • Legal and Social Science Research;
  • STEM and Development;
  • Family Science Research.

 

Data Visualization Project

Strathmore University, through @iLabAfrica, has collaborated with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) to make available data and visualisations of key publications specifically: The 2009 Census Report, Economic Survey (2001-2014), GDP Report (2001-2014), and Select County Statistical data from the Statistical Abstract Report. The World Bank funded this work. The second phase of this project is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2016.

Project Objectives

The objective is to increase public access to county online statistics by enabling KNBS and by extension County Governments in Kenya to disseminate county datasets that are user friendly, understandable, accurate, timely, detailed, and comparable so as to;

  • Strengthen KNBS’s ability to curate and upload county statistics to its website;
  • Increase public access to County Statistics in user friendly digital format;
  • Improve monitoring of development county projects; and
  • Improve transparency and foster accountability within county and national governments.

The KNBS County Data Visualization Platform

The web and mobile solution offers a workflow operation that helps users to easily navigate through the data offered by the Bureau of Statistics By using filters that sort the available data by year, the user can create a time series trend on the specific datasets selected.

The dashboard view helps combine multiple data sources with different types of visualizations shown on a single page tied together through interactivity. Using the filter panels on each dashboard enables users to further navigate the data with their own criteria, giving them greater control and flexibility. This helps them to dive into the information that is most important to them.

The KNBS portal can be accessed here.

Africa Media Hub (AMH)

The Africa Media Hub founding principles recognize that Economic, Financial and Data journalism can help change the poverty narrative in Africa and by creating a convergence between the private sector, policy makers, media and academia through effective use of Data for making decisions. In addition, the Hub therefore exists to Improve Business and Finance Reporting to provide in-depth data analysis stories and better inform the continent and the world economy.

Areas of focus

  1. Enhancement of Business Journalism
  2. Datafication of social and economic activities in East Africa
  3. Business Intelligence and Data Analytics
  4. Mobilization of dissemination of SBS research in mainstream business media (example: The Edge of the Nation media group.
  5. Training and Capacity building and resources for journalists, communication experts and other professionals.
  6. Research collaboration on the ethical dilemmas of digitizing the finance industry

Value proposition  

The following is Africa Media Hub’s value proposition:

  1. The hub seeks to widen partnerships and networks;
  2. The hub also seeks to help the institute to clearly link its vision on matters related to Data revolution and ground our role of academia;
  3. To digitize its work for easy access and strengthen capacity internally and externally;
  4. To link the institution’s work on the use of technology and data and making it possible for a large portion of low-income people to be visible in areas such as; participation, engagement and decision-making especially in line with SDG’s
  5. Reposition the African Continent by reclaiming the African Narrative;

On-going research projects 

  1. Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa (BMIA)project on Business Journalism
  2. Research on Peace and conflict.
  3. Research and Publication for The Edge magazine of the Nation Media Group
  4. Digital Content and Use
  5. New training areas for research and media.

Senior researchers within the hub

  1. Ms. Rosemary Okello-Orlale
  2. Ms. Christine Mwangi

Sam­sung Research

@iLabAfrica received fund­ing from Sam­sung for research and devel­op­ment for a period of 3 years. @iLabAfrica is the second Sam­sung innov­a­tion lab centre in Africa. The research aims at help­ing stu­dents to come up with new and innov­at­ive products.

IDS Know­ledge Ser­vice Wid­get

@iLabAfrica developed an HTML wid­get to show­case IDS Know­ledge Ser­vices con­tent of tens of thou­sands of them­at­ic­ally organ­ised and hand selec­ted aca­demic research. The wid­get enables web­site admin­is­trat­ors to set its size so it can fit onto a sec­tion of their site. It also allows them to select what top­ics to dis­play on their wid­get. Read­ers can search and sort abstracts accord­ing to dif­fer­ent parameters. An example of the wid­get can be found in our Know­ledge Ser­vices sec­tion below.

DANU Pro­ject

@iLabAfrica developed col­lab­or­ated with an Irish com­pany known as DANU Tech­no­lo­gies, to cre­ate a win­dows mobile plat­form applic­a­tion that chan­nels com­mu­nic­a­tion between con­sumer and ser­vice pro­vider, which was suc­cess­fully imple­men­ted and released to con­sumers in Janu­ary 2013.

Pau­lines Africa E-​Reader and Web Portal

In part­ner­ship with Pau­lines Africa , @iLabAfrica was able to design an E-​reader and web portal to enable users to eas­ily read Gos­pel books via their phones and tab­let. Pau­lines books and audio-​visuals Africa is an activ­ity of the Daugh­ters of St Paul. A reli­gious con­greg­a­tion using the com­mu­nic­a­tions media to spread the Gos­pel.The pro­ject was offi­cially launched in Novem­ber, 2014 at Car­dinal Otunga Centre.  Users can eas­ily down­load books for sale and pay via credit cards and mobile money (Mpesa). Once you pur­chase a book, it will be eas­ily delivered to you via cour­ier. Users can as well down­load books from the book­store To down­load the E-​reader, kindly check here and do visit the Pau­lines Africa Web­site.

 KNBS Data Visualization Pro­ject

Strath­more Uni­ver­sity, through @iLabAfrica, has been col­lab­or­at­ing with the Kenya National Bur­eau of Stat­ist­ics (KNBS) to make avail­able data and visu­al­is­a­tions of key pub­lic­a­tions spe­cific­ally: The 2009 Census Report, Eco­nomic Sur­vey Report (2001−2014), GDP Report (2001−2014), and select County Stat­ist­ical data. The web and mobile solution offers a workflow operation that helps users to easily navigate through the data offered by the Bureau of Statistics. By using filters that sort the available data by year, the user can create a time series trend on the specific datasets selected. The dashboard view helps combine multiple data sources with different types of visualisations shown on a single page tied together through interactivity. Using the filter panels on each dashboard enables users to further navigate the data with their own criteria, giving them greater control and flexibility. This helps them to dive into the information that is most important to them. This has been made pos­sible through fund­ing from The World Bank. You can access the Data Visu­al­iz­a­tion Applic­a­tion here.

WILD

WILD (Wildlife Information Landscape Database) is a data collection application that enables wildlife conservation organisations to aggregate data on poaching, human-wildlife conflicts and illegal human activities among others and share the data with other organisations. This will help the conservation organisations to monitor and evaluate data from a single system with the aim to accomplish their mandate in relation to conservation. The development of WILD has been made possible through the partnership of USAID – PREPARED program and Strathmore University – @iLabAfrica.

Mtetezi

Mtetezi app will be used for data collection in the reporting of incidents and also sending quick response alerts to get help in case of an incident occurring. It is so versatile that it will enable real time tracking of data and weak response as well as document cases that will help put perpetrators behind bars or gather useful statistics that will help in data mining useful data to help reduce and stop the vices as mentioned above. Among other things, it is linked to a robust database that facilitates better data storage through data encryption, manipulation and retrieval client data, better safety of client files and information, easier and faster access to client files by the simple click of a button, unlimited storage space for the large volumes of client data, easy tracking of services offered to clients, automated report generation.

Ripoti

The Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU) is a governance, health and human rights non-profit organisation, whose vision is A Just World Free from Torture. Our work is underpinned by a holistic approach involving litigation, medical and psycho-social rehabilitation of survivors of torture, monitoring government adherence to its human rights obligations and advocacy for policy, legal and institutional reforms. Ripoti app is used for data collection in the reporting of incidents and also sending quick response alerts to get help in case of an incident occurring.  It is so versatile that it will enable real time tracking of data and weak response as well as document cases that will help put perpetrators behind bars or gather useful statistics that will help in data mining useful data to help reduce and stop the vices as mentioned above.

Kenya Police 101

The primary purpose of this application is to highlight the 101 things you wanted to Know about the Police but were too afraid to ask.  This will improve relations between the police and the public. The police are regarded by the public as suppressing them in order to promote the interests of the rich and the powerful. The police are regarded as being extremely corrupt, especially in extracting money from the less well off. Public opinion polls for several years put them at the top of the list of the most corrupt state institutions. We consider that better understanding between the police and the public would come about if both of them have a better understanding of the obligations of the police and the rights of the people. 101 Things focuses largely on the authority of the police and the rights of the people that they must respect. We believe that the full benefits of the pocket book will be achieved if both the public and the police carefully study and follow it.

Africa ICT Policy Database

The Africa ICT Policy Database (AIPD) is designed as an open and free resource for information technology across Africa especially on policies and laws. It is a project of The Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law (CIPIT) based at The Strathmore Law School in Nairobi, Kenya. In setting up AIPD, we are responding to the first challenge through availing in one simplified repository the latest constitutions, conventions, Acts, regulations and other legal documents that have a direct bearing on the expansive information technology ecosystem in Africa’s 54 countries. This in itself is a very ambitious undertaking and will involve extensive partnerships with governments, civil society and libraries to ensure the database is up to date.

SBS Content Delivery

With this application, Strathmore Business School students can enjoy a full learning experience using a tablet. It provides for access to e-learning resources, assignments, notes and course cases, announcements and news. The app has been integrated with Moodle (the open source e-learning system used by Strathmore University) to enable students to access the learning content. The application also has a digital rights management system to safeguard distribution of copyrighted material, assignment reminders and a booked room viewing facility to help learners schedule group meetings and classes.

AI and computational intelligence

Computational Intelligence is a subset of Artificial Intelligence that refers to the ability of a computer to learn a specific task from data or experimental observations. It is commonly considered a synonym for soft computing. Computational intelligence focuses on building models on the basis upon which human beings learn. The field of AI and Computational Intelligence mainly focuses on four computational techniques: fuzzy logic, which enables the computer to understand natural language, Artificial neural networks, which allows the system to learn experiential data by operating like the biological system, evolutionary computing, which is based on the process of natural selection and probabilistic methods which mainly deal with uncertainty. This research group focuses on exploring the four main computational techniques to develop meaningful solutions that can be applied in various fields.

Team Lead: Dr. Vincent Omwenga.

Computer vision

This is a field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that focuses on developing techniques that help computers see, observe and understand the content of digital images. This research area focuses on various methods by which machines can see, observe and understand digital images. These methods include Object Detection, 3D Scene Reconstruction, Image and Video pre-processing, Scene Segmentation, and Video and Image Context Indexing. Some areas where computer vision is applied include Retail Shelf Analysis, RTG Analysis, Automatic Video Tagging, Real Estate Valuation, Security Systems, ID Verification, and Industrial Maintenance.

Team Lead:Eng. Dr. Butime Julius

Control systems

 
A Control System is a collection of mechanical and electrical mechanisms that work together to provide the desired response. Control Systems can be used in basic systems such as flashing the toilet to complex systems such as an electric car. This research area mainly focuses on the two main types of control systems: open-loop control systems and closed-loop control systems. It explores innovative ways of designing controllers in the mechanical and electrical engineering fields. This research area is related to various disciplines such as neural network controls, fuzzy logic controls, Adaptive control, optimal control, and robust control, to mention a few.

Team Lead: Prof. Mbuthia

ICT4D

ICT4D is a field that focuses on using ICT (Information Communication and Technology) knowledge, skills, and principles to develop solutions, especially technical solutions for developing countries. This field broadly deals with; technology research, technology design, development of technology, and mobile phone usage, to mention but a few. Our school’s ICT4D research group mainly aims to develop innovative ideas in technology that can be used to transform the country, continent, and globe at large. To achieve innovation, this group explores technologies such as BlockChain Technology, Machine Learning, Virtual Reality, and Artificial Intelligence, to name a few.

Team Lead: Dr. Omondi.

Information systems

 
An information system comprises computer-based tools that help collect, process, and store information. Information Systems are used in various organizations to ensure efficiency and ease in running various activities. This research group focuses on exploring the integration of various Information Technology solutions and business processes to meet the information needs of business organizations and enterprises. The goal of this research group is to come up with implementable solutions that can enable organizations to meet their objectives effectively.

Team Lead: Prof. Ateya

Information systems security

Information systems security is a field that generally focuses on protecting data or information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, modification, destruction, or disruption. This research group explores the various methods of protecting information confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Various types of security, such as Cryptography, vulnerability management, incidence response, infrastructure security, and disaster recovery, to mention a few, are the primary focus areas for this research group. The Information Systems Security field has various areas of specialization, such as Information Systems Auditing, Business continuity planning, and digital forensic science, to mention a few.

Team Lead: Dr. Ochieng.

IOT and robotics

The internet of things entails sharing and collecting data from various devices connected to the internet. The collection of data is normally done by IoT devices. IoT devices collect data from their surroundings using sensors and actuators and send it to the internet for processing. Examples of IoT devices include smartphones, smartwatches, and refrigerators, to mention a few. On the other hand, robotics entails the inter-collection of mechanical engineering, electronics engineering, computer science engineering, and information science engineering. The main idea of robotics is to develop machines (Robots) capable of handling complex series of actions with more speed and precision. The focal point of this research group is to document and generate reliable solutions by exploring the concepts of IoT and Robotics.

Team Lead: Dr. Owour.

Machine learning

Machine learning primarily entails the ability of a computer to perform a task without explicitly programming it to perform the set task. The idea of machine learning is to develop algorithms that can take in data, gain experience out of the data, and produce more accurate outcomes. This research area mainly focuses on exploring the different types of learning, such as supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning. The aim of exploring these learning fields is to develop innovative solutions to problems in various fields.

Team Lead:

Strathmore Institute of Public Policy and Governance (SIPPG)

Kenya, East Africa and Africa currently present numerous opportunities for global policy research and training. Strathmore University Business School (SBS) Institute of Public Policy and Governance (IPPG) is looking to grow into the leading school in the East African Region over the next decade.

Areas of focus within global policy

  1. Public policy and legislation in the Cooperatives Sector
  2. Public Policy capacity building across sectors
  3. Public policy and negotiations for both government and other stakeholders.
  4. Technology and Innovation Management
  5. Digital learning policy at national level and international comparisons
  6. Sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals

Value proposition

  • Firstly, Kenya is looking to grow into an Economic Powerhouse. The growth plans for the country are anchored in Vision 2030. The country has also demonstrated a strong commitment to the sustainability agenda.
  • Secondly, with regards to the East African Region, the African Continent and the world, Kenya is an engine of economic growth, an anchor of stability and a hotbed of innovation.

Gaps within the policy field

  • However, there are some gaps within the field that will constrain the country’s growth:
  • Firstly, death of Local knowledge on the most important challenges which Kenya and the other East African Countries face.
  • Secondly, inadequate and inappropriate local training in resulting in low capacity of the people responsible for critical decisions in the context of Africa
  • Thirdly, low number of qualified  professionals despite a growing local and global demand in line with requirements of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 (devolution, governance, ethics), Vision2030, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • Therefore, SIPPG seeks to play a crucial role in filling these gaps by way of the envisioned strategy and related activities.

On-going global policy research projects 

  • Landscape, farming and community in Elgeyo-Marakwet, Kenya
  • Building resilience to Climate Change, Mau Complex
  • Prosperity and Innovation in the Past and Future of Agriculture in Eastern Africa: Investigations into farmer led innovation in western Kenya

Senior researchers within the global policy hub

  1. Robert Mudida
  2. Jacqueline McGlade
  3. Bernadette Wanjala
  4. Thomas Kibua
  5. Elizabeth Muthuma

Institute of Healthcare Management

The Institute of Healthcare Management (IHM) continues to play a leading role in research and research capacity strengthening within the Business School. Firstly, it is also involved in the design and execution of world class Academic and Executive training Programmes. Secondly, Institute of Healthcare Management is involved in securing scholarships, PhD training slots, various ongoing and inception-stage research projects and publications. In addition, it secures its mandate through close collaboration with several universities, donors and research institutes both locally and abroad. Apart from these activities, IHM is working with collaborators to find resources to help with the establishment of the Strathmore School of Global Public Healthcare.

Areas of focus

  1. Universal Healthcare in Kenya. Current subtopics include level of preparedness, Availability of essential medicines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  2. Funding utilization Efficiency assessment for Illnesses such as HIV AIDS, Malaria and TB.
  3. African Digital Diagnostics Platform, to significantly improve access and quality of laboratory and diagnostic healthcare services for low-income populations in sub-Saharan Africa
  4. Building knowledge and systems to promote availability of Blood for Transfusion at the points of critical need.
  5. Preparedness of Kenya Healthcare system for the exit of Development Partner (Donor) support.
  6. Sociotechnical Approaches to Road Safety.
  7. Covid-19 Supply Chain challenges.
  8. Availability of essential medicines

Value proposition  

IHM has and will continue to provide solutions to national and international healthcare and development issues through researchconsultancies, seminars, policy development and most importantly student and faculty exchanges.

We will facilitate the establishment of a research Chair in logistics at Strathmore University through strategic partnerships with industry, development partners and relevant healthcare philanthropic organizations. 

On-going research projects

  1. Pathways for innovation in Blood Transfusion Systems in Kenya (PITS Kenya).Funder: NIH (NHLBI). Research to enhance availability of safe blood for patients with severe anaemia and hemorrhagic conditions in LMICs.
  2. Multiple first-line treatment of uncomplicated malaria. Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV)
  3. Systems thinking approach to developing an integrated and patient-centered intervention model for multimorbidity care in primary healthcare  settings in India.  Funder: MRC
  4. A systems approach to examining healthcare sector responses to Cholera epidemics in Kenya HSRI. MRC £195,871 October 2019 July 2021.
  5. Driving Healthcare Progress During Donor Transition in Kenya. Policy dialogue discussion of implications of donor transitions on Kenya’s ability to fund key areas of health service delivery

Senior researchers within the hub

  1. Prof. Gilbert Kokwaro (Hub Leader)
  2. Dr. Frank Wafula
  3. Dr. Pratap Kumar
  4. Dr. Joseph Onyango
  5. Dr. Ben Ngoye

 

Alkira Pro­ject 

In Janu­ary 2012 we col­lab­or­ated with an Aus­tralia com­pany known as Alkira to carry out soft­ware devel­op­ment. we have imple­men­ted the fol­low­ing pro­jects for the team; Med­ic­a­tion Man­age­ment Mod­ule and Facil­ity Man­age­ment Mod­ule. Click here to read more about our col­lab­or­a­tion with Alkira.

 

Integ­rated Dis­ease Sur­veil­lance and Response (IDSR) 

A web and mobile sys­tem for rapid data col­lec­tion for sur­veil­lance of epi­demi­olo­gical dis­eases across the coun­try by the Depart­ment of Dis­ease Sur­veil­lance and Response in the Min­istry of Health (MOH).

 

Early Infant Dia­gnosis (EID) 

A sys­tem for the track­ing of HIV test data for infants at facil­ity level.

 

Mother-​2-​Mothers 

In col­lab­or­a­tion with HP (Hew­lett Pack­ard), we are cur­rently devel­op­ing a Mon­it­or­ing and Eval­u­ation Sys­tem for Mother-​2-​Mothers South Africa to track patients on the PMTCT (Pre­ven­tion of Mother to Child Trans­mis­sion of HIV/​AIDS) programme.

 

Research Centres

  • Strathmore Dispute Resolution Centre (SDRC)

The Strathmore Dispute Resolution Centre (SDRC) is a justice and research centre located within Strathmore Law School focused on promoting and facilitating alternative dispute resolution in Kenya and the wider East Africa. Visit Website    

  • Strathmore Extractives Industry Centre (SEIC)

 The Strathmore Extractives Industry Centre (SEIC) is an autonomous research centre based at the Strathmore University School of Law, for advanced multi-disciplinary university-stakeholder research into the social science areas of oil, gas and mining issues. SEIC seeks to bridge theory and practice in Kenya’s (and the broader East Africa region) extractive sector and support constructive dialogue and collaboration among companies, relevant agencies of government, civil society, and local communities through its key activity of research. Our aim is that research-led co-operation among these varied stakeholders will lead to knowledge promotion of the industry and constructive dialogue on the motivations and objectives of the various economic forces, agents and policy makers that operate in or influence the performance of the extractive sector. Visit Website    

  • Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law (CIPIT)

The Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law (CIPIT) is a part of Strathmore Law School, and is an innovative Centre for evidence-based research and training in intellectual property and information technology law and policy. Our Mission is to help Kenyans in all types of industry and arts effectively use Intellectual Property on a global and local scale. Visit Website    

  • Policy Innovation Centre

Visit website    

  • Strathmore Tax Research Centre (STRC)

The mission of STRC is to carry out research, provide executive (legal) training, host conferences and provide consultancy services in the area of domestic and international tax law, utilising the excellent facilities available at SLS. STRC also contributes to the activities of SLS by supporting the tax law academic programs through the participation of the law students in the Centre’s research projects and by teaching tax law subjects. Additionally, STRC contributes to development of fiscal policy and carry out research into dispute resolution in this area with a view to promoting more efficient, expeditious, and fair ways of resolving these disputes. Housed within an institution of higher learning, STRC is uniquely well-positioned to tap into positive international partnerships and collaborative working for benchmarking, experience sharing and best practice modelling.    

  • Strathmore Centre for Law and Policy

Strathmore Centre for Law and Policy (SCLP) is a research hub housed under Strathmore University Law School. It is a leading Centre for excellence promoting research in governance, regional integration, business, and human rights, litigation, legal education, and integrity systems, with the objective of supporting the Law School in meeting its research goals.

 

Research Institutes

  • Strathmore Institute for Advanced Studies in International Criminal Justice (SIASIC)

The Strathmore Institute for Advanced Studies in International Criminal Justice (SIASIC) is a specialized interdisciplinary research, academic and training institute based at Strathmore Law School.  Visit Website

 

Integrity Program

Integrity Program

 

Press Legal

Strathmore University Press-Legal

 

Strathmore Law Clinic

Narok County Tourism Recovery Project

Enhancing Tourism Recovery and Sustainability of Maasai Mara Game Reserve During and Post-COVID-19

The tourism industry was one of the hardest-hit sectors by the Covid-19. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that the pandemic represented the most difficult time in the era of modern tourism. Strathmore University School of Tourism and Hospitality collaborated with the County Government of Narok and the media to conduct a Tourism recovery project, with a focus on the Masai Mara Game Reserve.

The project was undertaken through fieldwork and stakeholder engagement involving policymakers, the tourism private sector, conservation stakeholders, civil societies and local community representatives from the Mara Triangle, to discuss immediate approaches to enhance tourism resilience in the reserve.

The project employed a novel approach integrating Science and Journalism to engage the stakeholders and to tell the story of tourism recovery and sustainability as a result of the impact of Covid-19 on tourism and conservation. During the workshop, the project will develop strategic and collective approaches to enhancing tourism recovery and sustainability in the Masai Mara Game Reserve.

You may download a copy of the report here: Mara Tourism Recovery Project

 

Center for Tourism and Hospitality Conduct Research on Single Tourist Visa

The Centre for Tourism and Hospitality (CTH) of Strathmore University has been commissioned by the Kenya Tourism Federation (KTF) to conduct a survey on the level of awareness on the Single Tourist Visa (STV), an arrangement that was recently adopted by Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, and the use of National ID by the citizens of the three countries to cross borders.

The project will focus on awareness amongst cross border travelers, as well as policy enforcement institutions and agencies of the government. This study comes in the wake of challenges facing tourism in Kenya and the general expectation amongst the tourism fraternity; that the STV would be part of the solution to the myriad challenges facing the tourism industry in our country.

CTH has put together a team of researchers to carry out the study and has involved select hospitality and tourism students in data collection. A team of three students each were sent to the different borders in Busia and Malaba, and at Mombasa airport and JKIA.

A Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was also conducted which sought to address the following objectives:

  • Establishing the level of awareness amongst the travel and tourism trade and allied fraternity
  • Examining the general expectations in the light of this arrangement
  • Identifying the challenges and barriers to this cause
  • Exploring mitigating frameworks for the challenges and barriers
  • Proposing mechanisms to be used to foster closer engagement between the government, institutions and private sector with regards to STV and use of National ID to cross borders

The FGD participants were representatives from the different hospitality and tourism sectors. They included: the academia, hotel industry, travel and tour companies, private tourism enterprises, government tourism institutions, and county tourism representatives.

The result of the study will be presented to the Kenya Tourism Federation before it is made public.

 

Finance & Accounting/Financial services

The Financial Services Research Hub was formed with the intention of promoting research, finance, innovation and excellence in the different areas of finance and accounting. In line with the overall goal of the Strathmore University Business School, the Financial Services Research Hub seeks to achieve the following objectives:

  1. To coordinate the teaching and research activities relating to the academic programs offered by the finance Hub;
  2. To coordinate the delivery of executive education relating to financial services sector;
  3. To provide consultancy relating to finance and financial services sector;
  4. To partner with financial sector institutions to deliver quality research that meets the emerging needs of the financial services sector;
  5. To partner with other international universities in the delivery of the value proposition of the hub and improve the international repute and recognition of the Hub;
  6. To build capacity in the Hub through training of doctoral and graduate students.

Areas of focus

  1. Accounting
  2. Corporate reporting
  3. Corporate finance
  4. Risk management
  5. Audit

Value proposition

To design and promote top notch financial products and services that are at an international level through excellent research informed by data analytics in the field of finance.

On-going research projects

Case study on Tuskys Supermarket and its finance records.

Senior researchers within the hub

  1. Dr. Freshia Waweru
  2. Dr. David Mathuva
  3. Dr. Mumbi Wachira
  4. Dr. James Mcfie

 

Entrepreneurship and Innovation (E&I)

This is a research centre and knowledge hub for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. In association with Government, professional bodies, business and community groups, it serves to contribute toward entrepreneurship and innovation in Kenya. E&I hub also provides business mentorship, consulting, counselling, coaching and support to entrepreneurs. It focuses attention on the importance of  Entrepreneurship and Innovation through teaching, research, professional and community presentations and publications.

Areas of focus

  1. Executive Education: Enterprise Development Programme, Owner-Manager Programme
  2. Undergraduate training – Practical entrepreneurship, Strathmore Students Enterprise Programme (SEP)
  3. Business Support: Business coaching, mentoring, counselling and consulting
  4. Research: Entrepreneurship and innovation research – in collaboration with industry. Areas of research include but are not limited to entrepreneurship and innovation in agribusiness, international entrepreneurship and Internationalisation of SMEs, start-ups and innovation, gender and entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship.
  5. Publications: conference proceedings, journal articles, entrepreneurship articles, policy briefs, quarterly magazine, books.
  6. Conferences: Annual SME Conference
  7. Networking: Breakfast sessions, alumni activities

Value proposition

  1. Case studies arising from practical research and aimed at solving existing entrepreneurship problems
  • Teaching cases
  • Research cases
  1. Support:
  • on research to our entrepreneurship graduate students
  • students who have entrepreneurship ideas, judges, mentors and start-ups
  1. Relevant high impact research on E&I
  • Research to address policy and practical issues of E&I for Kenya and beyond
  1. Partnerships – SME conferences, SEDC get involved in planning for visibility, IFC, MSEA
  2. Policy briefs from government engagement on E&I policy matters
  3. Industry collaborative activities – Industry high level roundtables, KEPSA, KAM, EPZ, National chambers of Commerce and Industry. Outputs to include agenda papers on research and consultancy activities
  4. Consultancy services, especially for SMEs, together with business coaching and mentoring
  5. Community service:
  • Contribution to community through social entrepreneurship
  • Help organise communities for funding opportunities
  • Linking them up with institutions
    1. Do a needs assessment in a slum area.
    2. Run an intervention project for 2 years.
  • Then with the knowledge we have, we use this as a showcase, we organise a workshop for them to produce case studies, research papers, create impact; identify possible business opportunities for them. 

On-going research projects

Government procurement programs in achieving women’s economic empowerment (Funded by IDRC). The overall objective of the project is to enhance women’s access to and participation in public procurement entrepreneurship opportunities within the framework of Kenya’s Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) initiative targeted at boosting their economic empowerment. The work is being undertaken in collaboration with the State Department of Gender and KEPSA. 

Senior researchers within the hub

  1. Prof. Ruth Kiraka
  2. Dr. Hellen Otieno
  3. Dr. Bernadette Wanjala
  4. Dr. Edward Mungai
  5. Dr. Vincent Ogutu

 

Accordion Content

CTH Conducts Survey on Value of Work in the Home

The Centre for Tourism and Hospitality (CTH) has partnered with Home Renaissance Foundation(HRF) in its international research project, the Global Home Index (GHI).

The Global Home Index’s main objective is to evaluate how the amount of work required to build and care for healthy, thriving home environments is understood and valued throughout the world. Italso aims to raise awareness among survey participants about the value of their own work in the home as a contribution to human development.

The quantitative data for this international research project will be collected via online questionnaire and will be based on the results of theoretical and qualitative studies carried out in 37 countries.

The Global Home Index (GHI) is an initiative of Home Renaissance Foundation (HRF) whose purpose is to bring about change in our understanding of the professional dimension of the work in the home for a well-balanced society.

According to HRF: Domestic work is not merely a collection of services such as laundry, cleaning, and cooking. It is a values system in which science, art, psychology, culture, skills and an aptitude for management all play a part. Work in the home allows the individual to develop in his or her most intimate environment: the home and the relationships that flourish within it. Every individual needs this care whether they are children, elderly, adolescents or men and women with demanding and stressful professions.

Home Renaissance Foundation aims to promote and develop greater recognition of the importance of the work required to create a home which meets the fundamental needs of individual and family and its crucial role in creating a more humane society.

Therefore, Home Renaissance Foundation in collaboration with Strathmore University Centre for Tourism and Hospitality, welcomes you to participate in this Global Home Index research project which will allow you to examine the crucial relationships that you are developing in your own home.

The questionnaire only takes 15 minutes to complete. It will provide an assessment of how well your home is organized, how you are creating a home through excellent relationships with your loved ones and the quality of life you are enjoying at work and at home.

CTH looks forward to your private and confidential responses to the questionnaire, which is being used all over the world. The results obtained will give us a global vision on the topic of “The Home”.

 

Centre for Research on Organizations, Work and Family

The Center for Research on Organizations, Work and Family (CROWF) is a research institution within Strathmore Business School that has the task of developing strategies that help organizations in Kenya improve employee retention, commitment and personality through enabling employee engagement.

Objectives

  1. To conduct research to evaluate the work-family-business interface among persons, families and society in general.
  2. To develop and grow a network of scholars in work-family-business research through academic colloquia and events.
  3. To attend related research meetings and events organized by universities, centers with similar aims.
  4. To encourage and participate with public administrations the drafting and implementation of legislation and policies that facilitate work-family balance.
  5. To communicate and promote human resource management practices which facilitate work and family balance through research forums, practitioners’ seminars (CEO/HR Forums) and specialized courses.
  6. To grow partnerships with industry, academia, government and civil society to see the contribution of the family in work and business and to promote a culture of work-family balance.
  7. To facilitate research to demonstrate the contribution and need of family businesses to the economy. 

Areas of focus

  1. Corporate Family Responsibility studies through running and evaluating the outcomes of Family Responsible Employers Index (IFREI) 4 tool.
  2. Effect of Family Enrichment and Character Education on parenting and developmental outcomes on children
  3. Trends confronting work-family balance.
  4. Development and implementation of the National Policy on Family Promotion and Protection.
  5. National State of Family Research.
  6. Organize academic colloquia and communicate research findings.
  7. Impact of family businesses in the economy and
  8. Promotion of a culture of family businesses. 

Value proposition

By using the practical output gained from various activities and collaborations (e.g. with PFD, Government of Kenya, Executive Education and Family Scholars Colloquia, to assist and engage persons, families and companies see the connection on how the family enables work, organizations, businesses and society in general to thrive by conducting and disseminating research on this.

On-going research projects

  1. Analysis of Program for Family Development on Data on its Family Enrichment Programmes for the period 2013-2019.
  2. Analysis of Program for Family Development Data on its Maisha@UNI Formation in Character Education program for the period 2020.
  3. Revival of the African Research Network on Work and Family (ARNWF)

Senior researchers within the hub

  1. Dr. George Njenga.
  2. Raymond Mutura

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