George Morara Nyabuga - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by George Morara Nyabuga
Worcester Papers in English and Cultural Studies, 2006
The Internet is the fabric of our lives. If information technology is the presentday equivalent o... more The Internet is the fabric of our lives. If information technology is the presentday equivalent of electricity in the industrial area, in our age the Internet could be likened to both the electrical grid and the electric engine because of its ability to distribute the power of information through the entire realm of human activity. (Castells 1) The Internet will … serve multiple functions as the world's favourite public library, school classroom and medical database, post office and telephone, marketplace and shopping mall, channel of entertainment, culture and music, daily news resource for headlines, stocks and weather, and heterogeneous global public sphere.
Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa
This article explores the recent trends in information technology, specifically the Internet,and ... more This article explores the recent trends in information technology, specifically the Internet,and what role it can play in the development and sustainability of democracy in Africa.It examines what role it can play in revitalising the public sphere and how it can influencepolitical decisions in the continent. However, I argue that even though the Internet hashad profound effects on people’s lives, contributing significantly to communication andinformation sharing, its real potential is yet to be realised in Africa. This means in effect,that although it might have contributed to various sociological phenomena, it couldpotentially be dangerous to the growth of democracy in Africa because it is still in thehands of a few, especially those in power.120 Communicare 23(1) - July 2004George
Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa
This article explores recent events in Zimbabwe, the violence and intimidation thatmarred the 200... more This article explores recent events in Zimbabwe, the violence and intimidation thatmarred the 2002 presidential elections and the war Robert Mugabe, the country'spresident since independence in 1980, waged against whoever was opposed to orchallenged his leadership - especially white farmers and journalists - in the run-up tothe crucial polls. I opine that even though Mugabe won 56 per cent of the country's vote, his leadershiplacks legitimacy because a sizeable number of people, especially in the oppositionareas, were denied the right to exercise their democratic right to cast their vote.Although I argue that his purge against critics is unjustifiable and evil, I also writeabout the need to fight injustices subjected to his people. I posit that Mugabe's contempt and assault on the media will continue, especially after he signed into law the controversial Access to Information Act aimed at curtailingcriticism by the press.
Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2022
Decolonising Political Communication in Africa, 2021
The promulgation of a new Constitution in August 2010 opened a new chapter in Kenya’s political h... more The promulgation of a new Constitution in August 2010 opened a new chapter in Kenya’s political history. The constitution set in motion various actions, one of the most critical being the creation of county governments, effectively devolving power and attendant decision-making to the grassroots. Whilst the counties have faced myriad problems since the March 2013 general election, there is an overarching view that they have helped deliver political and economic goodies and development. The optimism is, however, dimming due to poor governance. Moreover, the media that is supposed to help advance transparency, accountability, constitutionalism and democracy seems emasculated due to various reasons including intolerance to press freedom, and the journalists’ inability and/or unwillingness to hold county governments and their leadership to account. This article critically examines the media’s coverage of the devolution process, and interrogates its capacity and efficacy in promoting acco...
Journal of Agricultural Extension, 2021
This study ascertained the socioeconomic determinants of farmers’ knowledge on soil and water con... more This study ascertained the socioeconomic determinants of farmers’ knowledge on soil and water conservation technologies in Dry zones of Central Highlands of Kenya involving 400 farming households. Results showed that the majority of the farmers had inadequate knowledge on the use and benefits of soil and water conservation technologies. The socio-economic factors that influence knowledge levels of the knowledge-intensive technologies were education level, gender, perceptions on soil fertility, farmer group membership, access to training, farm size, access to credit, number of livestock kept and access to farm equipment. This implies that there is the need to come up with an all-inclusive policy that can be employed in improving farmer’s level of knowledge through the use of more innovative methods of information dissemination. This can be done by strengthening the existing farmer groups, enhancing extension services, and also formulating gender-friendly policies.
Heliyon, 2021
Integrated soil fertility and soil water conservation technologies are possible solutions to the ... more Integrated soil fertility and soil water conservation technologies are possible solutions to the low per capita food production in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Nonetheless, the rate of adoption of these technologies by smallholder farmers has stagnated over the years despite being recommended. This has been attributed to the existence of wide communication gaps among researchers, extension agents, and farmers. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the influence of communication factors on the adoption of the selected technologies among smallholder farmers in the drylands of Tharaka-Nithi County. We used a cross-sectional survey design and collected data using an interview schedule from 400 randomly selected farming households. Binary logistic regression was employed for data analysis. Results showed that accessibility of extension agents after introducing the technology significantly influenced the adoption of combined organic and inorganic fertilizers (p ¼ 0.056), mulch (p ¼ 0.051), and Zai pit (p ¼ 0.058). Similarly, practical orientation significantly influenced the adoption of combined organic and inorganic fertilizers (p ¼ 0.001), mulch (p ¼ 0.010), and Zai pit (p ¼ 0.003). Information repetition significantly influenced the adoption of combined organic and inorganic fertilizers, mulch, and Zai pit at p-value 0.003, 0.001, and 0.001, respectively. Training was essential for mulch and Zai pit technologies at (p ¼ 0.030) and (p ¼ 0.001) respectively, while farmer group membership significantly influenced adoption for combined organic and inorganic fertilizers (p ¼ 0.045) and Zai pit (p ¼ 0.057) technologies. Extension agents should increase their interactions with farmers after the introduction of technologies. Equally use of demonstrations should be encouraged during the dissemination of these technologies among the farmers as they enhance the chances of adoption of the technologies.
African Media and the Digital Public Sphere, 2009
CHAPTER 3 " Misclick" on Democracy: New Media Use by Ke... more CHAPTER 3 " Misclick" on Democracy: New Media Use by Key Political Parties in Kenya's Disputed December 2007 Presidential Election George Nyabuga and Okoth Fred Mudhai While the use of" new" media by key political parties and presidential candidates has intensified in ...
Oxford Bibliographies Online Datasets
The focus of this article is Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, although countries including Rwanda, Bu... more The focus of this article is Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, although countries including Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and to some extent Southern Sudan can be considered to be part of the larger East Africa. The former three countries have followed different but somewhat similar political trajectories, experimenting at some point with one-party, centralized political systems. Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania also share a common colonial background, their people straddle common borders, and they shared common services from the colonial period until 1977, when the East African Economic Community collapsed. The countries in 1999 revived the East African Community and expanded it to include Burundi and Rwanda. A political federation is expected to be established in 2017. Although Uganda has had a troubled political trajectory, with coups and a military dictatorship (especially under Idi Amin Dada between 1971 and 1979), Kenya and Tanzania have been relatively stable, ...
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2019
This study examines current open contracting narrative in the media in Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania... more This study examines current open contracting narrative in the media in Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania. Of particular interest is whether the media can advance an understanding of contracting issues among various stakeholders, including citizens, businesspeople and organisations, and civil society in the countries. Unfortunately, the media in the three countries has hardly demonstrated serious engagement with issues relating to open contracting because of numerous factors including lack of information on, and sometimes interest in issues relating to public contracts. Commercial, ownership and sometimes political pressures, editorial policies, lack of financial and other support for investigative journalism, newsroom dynamics including targets, corruption, among other issues, also contribute to lack of media interest in public contracts and their contents. The study argues that the term open contracting is not globally understood, and the media has not offered the information necessary to enhance its understanding and how it is applied in the countries as they seek to promote openness, transparency, responsibility and accountability in public contracting and deal with corruption and abuse of public office, and misuse, misappropriation, theft and mismanagement of public resources, undue influence, cronyism, self-interest and rent-seeking.
The Mapping Digital Media project examines the global opportunities and risks created by the tran... more The Mapping Digital Media project examines the global opportunities and risks created by the transition from traditional to digital media. Covering 60 countries, the project examines how these changes affect the core democratic service that any media system should provide: news about political, economic, and social affairs. The new constitution of Kenya, promulgated in August 2010, is considered a major positive development in ensuring the free flow of information. It provides for freedom of media as a right and fundamental freedom. Section 34 guarantees the independence of electronic, print, and all other types of media. The government has also pledged to enhance Kenya's technological infrastructure by investing in the roll-out of fiber optic cable throughout the country and working on "digital villages" to enable people in remote parts of the country to access broadband internet. Stiff competition in the mobile phone market has also lowered access costs and there is a significant increase in news diversity as a direct result of the convergence of internet, television, and radio on mobile platforms. In online journalism, the virtues associated with ethics—accuracy, honesty, truth, impartiality, fairness, balance, respect for autonomy of ordinary people—are barely respected, largely because there is no effective way of policing this, and there are no legal penalties. Concentration of ownership has increased in the last five years and transparency in ownership of media has improved only slightly over the past five years. The government controls media licensing—a process that is shrouded in secrecy, so that it is difficult to establish who owns which media house. The overall framework of policy and law is not yet adequate for digitized media in Kenya. The national ICT policy of 2006 committed the government to support and encourage pluralism and diversity. While this led to a proliferation of channels, it did not do much for content diversity due to the level of concentration of media. A lack of resources to bui [...]
African Media and the Digital Public Sphere, 2009
CHAPTER 3 " Misclick" on Democracy: New Media Use by Key Political Parties in Kenya... more CHAPTER 3 " Misclick" on Democracy: New Media Use by Key Political Parties in Kenya's Disputed December 2007 Presidential Election George Nyabuga and Okoth Fred Mudhai While the use of" new" media by key political parties and presidential candidates has intensified in ...
Networking Knowledge: Journal of the MeCCSA Postgraduate Network
This paper argues that despite positive developments in the Kenyan media, the gains achieved have... more This paper argues that despite positive developments in the Kenyan media, the gains achieved have been eroded by numerous factors and actors. It posits that whilst the government is largely culpable of battering press freedom, journalists are partly to blame for promoting commercial interests at the expense of journalistic values.
Perspectives on Political Communication in Africa
Worcester Papers in English and Cultural Studies, 2006
The Internet is the fabric of our lives. If information technology is the presentday equivalent o... more The Internet is the fabric of our lives. If information technology is the presentday equivalent of electricity in the industrial area, in our age the Internet could be likened to both the electrical grid and the electric engine because of its ability to distribute the power of information through the entire realm of human activity. (Castells 1) The Internet will … serve multiple functions as the world's favourite public library, school classroom and medical database, post office and telephone, marketplace and shopping mall, channel of entertainment, culture and music, daily news resource for headlines, stocks and weather, and heterogeneous global public sphere.
Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa
This article explores the recent trends in information technology, specifically the Internet,and ... more This article explores the recent trends in information technology, specifically the Internet,and what role it can play in the development and sustainability of democracy in Africa.It examines what role it can play in revitalising the public sphere and how it can influencepolitical decisions in the continent. However, I argue that even though the Internet hashad profound effects on people’s lives, contributing significantly to communication andinformation sharing, its real potential is yet to be realised in Africa. This means in effect,that although it might have contributed to various sociological phenomena, it couldpotentially be dangerous to the growth of democracy in Africa because it is still in thehands of a few, especially those in power.120 Communicare 23(1) - July 2004George
Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa
This article explores recent events in Zimbabwe, the violence and intimidation thatmarred the 200... more This article explores recent events in Zimbabwe, the violence and intimidation thatmarred the 2002 presidential elections and the war Robert Mugabe, the country'spresident since independence in 1980, waged against whoever was opposed to orchallenged his leadership - especially white farmers and journalists - in the run-up tothe crucial polls. I opine that even though Mugabe won 56 per cent of the country's vote, his leadershiplacks legitimacy because a sizeable number of people, especially in the oppositionareas, were denied the right to exercise their democratic right to cast their vote.Although I argue that his purge against critics is unjustifiable and evil, I also writeabout the need to fight injustices subjected to his people. I posit that Mugabe's contempt and assault on the media will continue, especially after he signed into law the controversial Access to Information Act aimed at curtailingcriticism by the press.
Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2022
Decolonising Political Communication in Africa, 2021
The promulgation of a new Constitution in August 2010 opened a new chapter in Kenya’s political h... more The promulgation of a new Constitution in August 2010 opened a new chapter in Kenya’s political history. The constitution set in motion various actions, one of the most critical being the creation of county governments, effectively devolving power and attendant decision-making to the grassroots. Whilst the counties have faced myriad problems since the March 2013 general election, there is an overarching view that they have helped deliver political and economic goodies and development. The optimism is, however, dimming due to poor governance. Moreover, the media that is supposed to help advance transparency, accountability, constitutionalism and democracy seems emasculated due to various reasons including intolerance to press freedom, and the journalists’ inability and/or unwillingness to hold county governments and their leadership to account. This article critically examines the media’s coverage of the devolution process, and interrogates its capacity and efficacy in promoting acco...
Journal of Agricultural Extension, 2021
This study ascertained the socioeconomic determinants of farmers’ knowledge on soil and water con... more This study ascertained the socioeconomic determinants of farmers’ knowledge on soil and water conservation technologies in Dry zones of Central Highlands of Kenya involving 400 farming households. Results showed that the majority of the farmers had inadequate knowledge on the use and benefits of soil and water conservation technologies. The socio-economic factors that influence knowledge levels of the knowledge-intensive technologies were education level, gender, perceptions on soil fertility, farmer group membership, access to training, farm size, access to credit, number of livestock kept and access to farm equipment. This implies that there is the need to come up with an all-inclusive policy that can be employed in improving farmer’s level of knowledge through the use of more innovative methods of information dissemination. This can be done by strengthening the existing farmer groups, enhancing extension services, and also formulating gender-friendly policies.
Heliyon, 2021
Integrated soil fertility and soil water conservation technologies are possible solutions to the ... more Integrated soil fertility and soil water conservation technologies are possible solutions to the low per capita food production in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Nonetheless, the rate of adoption of these technologies by smallholder farmers has stagnated over the years despite being recommended. This has been attributed to the existence of wide communication gaps among researchers, extension agents, and farmers. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the influence of communication factors on the adoption of the selected technologies among smallholder farmers in the drylands of Tharaka-Nithi County. We used a cross-sectional survey design and collected data using an interview schedule from 400 randomly selected farming households. Binary logistic regression was employed for data analysis. Results showed that accessibility of extension agents after introducing the technology significantly influenced the adoption of combined organic and inorganic fertilizers (p ¼ 0.056), mulch (p ¼ 0.051), and Zai pit (p ¼ 0.058). Similarly, practical orientation significantly influenced the adoption of combined organic and inorganic fertilizers (p ¼ 0.001), mulch (p ¼ 0.010), and Zai pit (p ¼ 0.003). Information repetition significantly influenced the adoption of combined organic and inorganic fertilizers, mulch, and Zai pit at p-value 0.003, 0.001, and 0.001, respectively. Training was essential for mulch and Zai pit technologies at (p ¼ 0.030) and (p ¼ 0.001) respectively, while farmer group membership significantly influenced adoption for combined organic and inorganic fertilizers (p ¼ 0.045) and Zai pit (p ¼ 0.057) technologies. Extension agents should increase their interactions with farmers after the introduction of technologies. Equally use of demonstrations should be encouraged during the dissemination of these technologies among the farmers as they enhance the chances of adoption of the technologies.
African Media and the Digital Public Sphere, 2009
CHAPTER 3 " Misclick" on Democracy: New Media Use by Ke... more CHAPTER 3 " Misclick" on Democracy: New Media Use by Key Political Parties in Kenya's Disputed December 2007 Presidential Election George Nyabuga and Okoth Fred Mudhai While the use of" new" media by key political parties and presidential candidates has intensified in ...
Oxford Bibliographies Online Datasets
The focus of this article is Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, although countries including Rwanda, Bu... more The focus of this article is Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, although countries including Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and to some extent Southern Sudan can be considered to be part of the larger East Africa. The former three countries have followed different but somewhat similar political trajectories, experimenting at some point with one-party, centralized political systems. Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania also share a common colonial background, their people straddle common borders, and they shared common services from the colonial period until 1977, when the East African Economic Community collapsed. The countries in 1999 revived the East African Community and expanded it to include Burundi and Rwanda. A political federation is expected to be established in 2017. Although Uganda has had a troubled political trajectory, with coups and a military dictatorship (especially under Idi Amin Dada between 1971 and 1979), Kenya and Tanzania have been relatively stable, ...
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2019
This study examines current open contracting narrative in the media in Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania... more This study examines current open contracting narrative in the media in Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania. Of particular interest is whether the media can advance an understanding of contracting issues among various stakeholders, including citizens, businesspeople and organisations, and civil society in the countries. Unfortunately, the media in the three countries has hardly demonstrated serious engagement with issues relating to open contracting because of numerous factors including lack of information on, and sometimes interest in issues relating to public contracts. Commercial, ownership and sometimes political pressures, editorial policies, lack of financial and other support for investigative journalism, newsroom dynamics including targets, corruption, among other issues, also contribute to lack of media interest in public contracts and their contents. The study argues that the term open contracting is not globally understood, and the media has not offered the information necessary to enhance its understanding and how it is applied in the countries as they seek to promote openness, transparency, responsibility and accountability in public contracting and deal with corruption and abuse of public office, and misuse, misappropriation, theft and mismanagement of public resources, undue influence, cronyism, self-interest and rent-seeking.
The Mapping Digital Media project examines the global opportunities and risks created by the tran... more The Mapping Digital Media project examines the global opportunities and risks created by the transition from traditional to digital media. Covering 60 countries, the project examines how these changes affect the core democratic service that any media system should provide: news about political, economic, and social affairs. The new constitution of Kenya, promulgated in August 2010, is considered a major positive development in ensuring the free flow of information. It provides for freedom of media as a right and fundamental freedom. Section 34 guarantees the independence of electronic, print, and all other types of media. The government has also pledged to enhance Kenya's technological infrastructure by investing in the roll-out of fiber optic cable throughout the country and working on "digital villages" to enable people in remote parts of the country to access broadband internet. Stiff competition in the mobile phone market has also lowered access costs and there is a significant increase in news diversity as a direct result of the convergence of internet, television, and radio on mobile platforms. In online journalism, the virtues associated with ethics—accuracy, honesty, truth, impartiality, fairness, balance, respect for autonomy of ordinary people—are barely respected, largely because there is no effective way of policing this, and there are no legal penalties. Concentration of ownership has increased in the last five years and transparency in ownership of media has improved only slightly over the past five years. The government controls media licensing—a process that is shrouded in secrecy, so that it is difficult to establish who owns which media house. The overall framework of policy and law is not yet adequate for digitized media in Kenya. The national ICT policy of 2006 committed the government to support and encourage pluralism and diversity. While this led to a proliferation of channels, it did not do much for content diversity due to the level of concentration of media. A lack of resources to bui [...]
African Media and the Digital Public Sphere, 2009
CHAPTER 3 " Misclick" on Democracy: New Media Use by Key Political Parties in Kenya... more CHAPTER 3 " Misclick" on Democracy: New Media Use by Key Political Parties in Kenya's Disputed December 2007 Presidential Election George Nyabuga and Okoth Fred Mudhai While the use of" new" media by key political parties and presidential candidates has intensified in ...
Networking Knowledge: Journal of the MeCCSA Postgraduate Network
This paper argues that despite positive developments in the Kenyan media, the gains achieved have... more This paper argues that despite positive developments in the Kenyan media, the gains achieved have been eroded by numerous factors and actors. It posits that whilst the government is largely culpable of battering press freedom, journalists are partly to blame for promoting commercial interests at the expense of journalistic values.
Perspectives on Political Communication in Africa