School of Communication &Multi-Media Journalism
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Item Are men sexually harassed?”: Enacting the discourse of hegemonic masculinity in the evaluation of stories of male sexual harassment on Kenyan talk radio(John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2017) Joy Mueni; Jonathan CliftonSince MacKinnon’s (1979) ground-breaking work in which she coined the term sexual harassment, there has been very little consensus as to what it actually is. Using callers’ stories of male sexual harassment taken from Kenyan talk radio, the purpose of this paper is to analyse the in situ production of an emic definition of (male) sexual harassment. Further, using positioning theory as a methodology, this paper aims (1) to make visible the gendered identity work that defining, or not defining, an event as male sexual harassment occasions and (2) to show how hegemonic masculinity is achieved through stories and their evaluation by the radio host and other callers who talk certain masculinities into being as normative and others as deviant.Item New Media and Political Marketing in Kenya: The Case of 2013 General Elections(International Journal of Arts and Commerce, 2014-08) Joy Mueni; John O. NdavulaThe paper examines the role of new media in political marketing during the 2013 general elections in Kenya. The ways in which politicians market themselves in the political realm have changed dramatically since the emergence of new media. Politicians in Kenya found innovative ways of reaching the masses with their campaign messages through new media platforms. It is however interesting to note that despite the high energy in the new media scene, there is little literature on the role that new media plays in political marketing in Kenya. Thus, the study aims at finding out the relevance of new media in Kenyan elections. Kenya has a national policy framework that supports access to ICTs. The creation of the backbone infrastructure for ICT in Kenya has potentially opened up space for new ways of engaging with the masses through new media. The paper argues that there is a link between these developments in technological infrastructure, and ultimately improved access of the Internet, to increased online political marketing. The framing theory and technological determinism theory were used to formulate a theoretical framework for the study. The paper seeks to determine whether going forward, political parties in Kenya should give due attention to the use of new media for political marketing. The paper argues that a stronger ICT –based political campaign platform will entrench a deeper participatory, democratic culture which is in line with achieving vision 2030 for the country.Item Gendered Identities, Media Narratives, and Violent Extremism in Kenya: Rethinking Peacebuilding in the Gospel of Christ(Journal of Linguistics, Literary and Communication Studies, 2025-12-16) Joy MueniKenya’s struggle with violent extremism is shaped not only by security dynamics but by the narratives through which communities interpret identity, harm, and belonging. This study examines how gendered identities and theological commitments influence Kenyan media and faith-based communication on VE, and identifies practices that support ethical, inclusive, and dignity-affirming public discourse. Anchored in Feminist Media Theory, intersectionality, and Gospel-Anchored Public Theology, the study integrates gender, representation, and theological ethics to illuminate how media and faith actors shape public meaning-making around extremism. A convergent mixed-methods design was employed where Kenyan media guidelines, regional P/CVE policy, African feminist hermeneutics, and public theology literature were synthesised through systematic content analysis. The second phase included primary data collection via an anonymous online survey. Data were analysed thematically and integrated across phases. Findings reveal persistent gendered tropes in VE reporting, yet counter-publics, particularly women’s groups and Muslim youth initiatives are actively producing alternative, dignity-centred narratives. Media practitioners exhibit strong ethical instincts but face institutional gaps, including limited Islamophobia training, weak verification systems, and inadequate duty-of-care protocols. Faith leaders demonstrate commitment to gender justice and restorative communication but express low confidence in applying “do-no-harm” approaches under pressure. Both sectors affirm that ethical, contextualised reporting and theologically informed truth-telling can reduce tension and strengthen social cohesion. The study concludes that integrating gender-aware media ethics with gospel-anchored public theology offers a transformative framework for narrative-justice in Kenya’s VE landscape.Item Parent-Teacher Synergy and Learner Success: Insights for Competency-Based Education in Kenya(2025-12-29) Joy MueniThis study explores the impact of parent-teacher collaboration on learner achievement within Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). Framed in both global and local contexts, it draws on current literature and original research conducted in Kenyan primary schools. A mixed-methods design was employed, integrating surveys and follow-up interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative findings underwent thematic analysis. Methodological rigour was ensured through the use of a validated family–school relationship scale, internal consistency checks, triangulation, and member-checking. Findings highlight that active parental involvement is crucial to academic and social development. While many parents showed strong commitment, challenges such as limited curriculum familiarity, demanding work schedules, poor communication with schools, and negative past experiences inhibited full engagement. Notably, mothers made up two-thirds of participants, reflecting a gendered pattern in educational involvement. Despite high aspirations for their children, parents often felt unprepared to support CBC learning and deferred responsibility to teachers. The study connects these insights to broader frameworks, including Sustainable Development Goal 4 and Kenya’s Vision 2030, emphasizing that reinforcing parent-teacher partnerships is vital to achieving inclusive, equitable, and quality education. The paper concludes with actionable recommendations for stakeholders to embed effective family–school collaboration into CBC implementation, addressing digital learning, community-based education, and support for learners with special needs.Item Influence of Media Training on the Competence of Journalists in Kenya: Perceptions of Standard Group Limited Managers and Senior Journalists(African Journal of Business, Economics and Industry (AJOBEI), 2019) Amukuzi, Marion K.; Githinji, Martin KuriaA number of researches have indicated that training institutions have failed to impart skills and knowledge to students that would be transferred to the industry upon graduation and employment, hence the quality of journalists graduating is wanting. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of media training on the competency of journalists in Kenya. Curricula were sampled from selected Kenyan universities and adequacy of training material investigated. Non-probability sampling procedure involving purposive and snow-ball sampling methods were used to identify the 9 participants comprising media managers and senior journalists in one media organization. Data was analysed thematically and presented in a narrative form in accordance with the themes. According to the SG media managers and senior journalists, journalists trained in Kenya lack practical skills required in the job market. Consequently, media houses are recruiting graduates in other disciplines such as English, Medicine, and Law while others have resorted to re-training the new recruits. It is recommended that media training institutions, regulators and other stakeholders should revamp existing curricula with the view to making them competency based.Item Mechanisms For Public Participation In Health Communication Campaigns: Case Of The Universal Health Coverage In Kenya(African Journal of Science, Technology and Engineering(AJSTE), 2024) Amukuzi, Marion K.Public participation, partnerships, consultation and effective communication are paramount to sustainable public health management. Such interventions are presumed to have a positive impact on health outcomes. Kenya adopted Universal Health Coverage (UHC) as one of the big four priority agenda sand piloted the program was implemented in 2018 in four Counties namely; Isiolo, Kisumu, Machakos, and Nyeri. The Pilot faced numerous problems including lack of adequate information that led to slow uptake and near failure of the program. There was slow response by the public, no guidelines as to what constitutes public participate on and problems related to vastness of the country and ethnic diversity. The objective of this study was to analyze the mechanisms of public participation in health communication campaigns. A systematic review of secondary data was done. Results showed that public participation plan for implementation of UHC in Kenya was not clearly outlined.Item Our Pregnancy, My Choice: A Feminist Critique of Nerea(International Journal of Liberal Arts and Social Science, 2015-08) Mueni, Joy; Omollo, LouiseThe role of media in the fight for the rights of women across the globe is a major interest in contemporary scholarship. While Kenya as a country is making commendable steps towards lifting the status of women through legislation and education, gender equality remains elusive. Feminism has over the years sought to define and defend equal rights of women in social, economic and political spheres. One means to this end is to uncover ways in which dominance and oppression of women are often masked in aspects of our daily lives; through ideology passed down through generations in very subtle ways. This paper therefore uses critical discourse analysis to critique the portrayal of the woman in Nerea, a contemporary music video on abortion. The emphasis is on how patriarchal gender ideologies perpetuate oppressive stereotypical views on the place and role of women in society. This study therefore recommends that depictions of women in media and other social commentary be examined critically. It is often in very covert ways, some intended to achieve the contrary effect that the battle for gender equality is lost.Item Enacting the discourse of hegemonic masculinity in the evaluation of stories of male sexual harassment on Kenyan talk radio(Pragmatic and Society, 2017) Mueni, Joy; Clifton, JonathanSince MacKinnon’s (1979) ground-breaking work in which she coined the term sexual harassment, there has been very little consensus as to what it actually is. Using callers’ stories of male sexual harassment taken from Kenyan talk radio, the purpose of this paper is to analyse the in situ production of an emic definition of (male) sexual harassment. Further, using positioning theory as a methodology, this paper aims (1) to make visible the gendered identity work that defining, or not defining, an event as male sexual harassment occasions and (2) to show how hegemonic masculinity is achieved through stories and their evaluation by the radio host and other callers who talk certain masculinities into being as normative and others as deviant.Item The romance of human leaders? A socio-material analysis of a follower’s account of being inspired(Culture and Organization, 2020-11-09) Mueni, Joy; Clifton, JonathanThe romance of leadership (ROL) has been much discussed amongst leadership researchers, yet few researchers actually analyze the way in which it is talked into being as it is socially constructed in the here-and now of localized interaction. Drawing on the Montreal School’s interactional twist to Actor Network Theory with which to analyze transcripts of interview talk from a socio-material perspective, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the way in which a follower discursively constructs leadership. Findings indicate that, from the follower’s emic perspective, leadership occurs within a network of human and other-than-human actants that inspire her to act and follow the leader. This therefore challenges and nuances the conventional wisdom of leadership research that locates the ROL in the purely human leader. The implication of this for leadership research is clear: if followers construct (transformational) leadership in terms of socio-materiality, then so should leadership researchers.