School of Postgraduate Studies

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://irepository.aua.ac.ke/handle/123456789/957

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Revisiting the French Paradox: Deconstructing a Public Health Myth and its Global Commercial Legacy
(Adventist University of Africa, 2025) Tchamba, Gisele
The “French Paradox,” the hypothesis that moderate red wine consumption explains France’s historically low coronary heart disease rates despite a high-fat diet, became a powerful global narrative in the 1990s. While initially a subject of scientific inquiry, its popularization had far reaching consequences: it provided a health-halo marketing tool for the alcohol industry and potentially misled vulnerable populations about alcohol’s risks. This article synthesizes contemporary scientific critique, which attributes any observed benefits to non-alcoholic compounds in wine and highlights profound methodological flaws in early studies, with a public health analysis of the paradox’s commercial legacy. This work extends earlier findings of clinical skepticism regarding alcohol-for-health messaging. Using Kenya as a case study, we examine how such Western health narratives can intersect with aggressive global alcohol marketing in low- and middle-income countries, prompting robust policy responses. The analysis concludes that the French Paradox, as a simplified health claim, ultimately served commercial interests over public health, underscoring the need for independent research and cautious science communication.
Improving Credit Card Fraud Detection with Ensemble Deep Learning-Based Models: A Hybrid Approach Using SMOTE-ENN
(Journal of Computing Theories and Applications (JCTA), 2025-02-12) Lossan Bonde; Abdoul Karim Bichanga
Advances in information and internet technologies have significantly transformed the business environment, including the financial sector. The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated this digital adoption, expanding the e-commerce industry and highlighting the necessity for secure online transactions. Credit Card Fraud Detection (CCFD) stands critical as the prevalence of fraudulent activities continues to rise with the increasing volume of online transactions. Traditional methods for detecting fraud, such as rule-based systems and basic machine learning models, tend to fail to keep pace with fraudsters' evolving tactics. This study proposes a novel ensemble deep learning-based approach that combines Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Gated Recurrent Units (GRU), and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) with the Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique and Edited Nearest Neighbors (SMOTE-ENN) to address class imbalance and improve detection accuracy. The method ology integrates CNN for feature extraction, GRU for sequential transaction analysis, and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) as a meta-learner in a stacking framework. By leveraging SMOTE-ENN, the proposed approach enhances data balance and prevents overfitting. With synthetic data, the robustness and accuracy of the model have been improved, particularly in scenarios where fraudulent examples are scarce. The experiments conducted on real-world credit card transaction datasets have established that our approach outperforms existing methods, achieving higher metrics performance.
Challenges of recommender systems in finance and banking: a systematic review
(IAES International Journal of Artificial Intelligence (IJ-AI), 2025) Lossan Bonde; Abdoul Karim Bichanga
Recommender systems are widely applied in various domains, including e-commerce, marketing, and education. Despite their popularity, recommender systems are not widely used in finance and banking. This paper aims to identify the challenges associated with using recommender systems in finance and banking and recommend directions for future research. Using a systematic literature review (SLR) method, 52 papers were selected and analyzed. A three-step process was used to make the selection. First, a keyword search was made to identify a seed list of sources. A snowball technique with specific inclusion and exclusion criteria was applied to expand the list. Finally, a quick study was made to produce the final list of sources to consider. Through the study of the 52 relevant papers, three main challenges: i) transparency, ethics, and data privacy; ii) handling complex content information and accounting for multiple user behaviors; and iii) explainability of AI models were identified. This study has established the barriers to adopting recommender systems in the finance and banking industry. Specific subjects of concern identified include cold-start problems, personalization, fraud detection, transparency, and data privacy. The study recommends further research leveraging advanced machine learning models and emerging technologies to fill the gap.
Cultivating the Earth: Biblical Insights and Conventional Techniques for Sustainable Crop Production
(Pan-African Journal of Theology, 2025) Oluwatoyin Grace Tayo; Lois T. Akinjobi; Deborah T. Adeoyolanu; Samson O. Afolayan
This paper examines how biblical principles can inform sustainable agricultural practice in response to the growing demand for food systems that are environmentally sound, socially just, and economically viable. It explores the integration of faith-based values with conventional farming techniques to develop holistic solutions for long-term crop production. Drawing on scriptural teachings such as stewardship, rest, equity, diligence, and justice, the study outlines a moral and ethical framework that supports key sustainability goals, including improving soil health, conserving water, promoting biodiversity, and enhancing livelihoods. It reviews existing faith-based agricultural models and aligns them with contemporary environmental strategies, offering a value-based perspective that complements existing frameworks. The paper argues for inclusive and responsible agricultural systems where no group is disadvantaged, and where farm workers, landowners, and communities benefit equitably. It emphasizes the role of faith institutions in fostering land restoration, fair resource distribution, and youth engagement in agriculture as a meaningful and sustainable career path. The study concluded by recommending farmer training rooted in ethical land stewardship and creating structures that uphold both ecological integrity and social justice. Overall, the paper contributes to discussions on sustainable crop production systems by linking biblical ethics with global development priorities.
The Impact of P-biotics on the Future of Sustainable Poultry Production: A Systematic Review of Prebiotics, Probiotics, Postbiotics, and Synbiotics
(Selcuk Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences, 2026) Iyanuoluwa Bamidele Falako; Oluwatoyin Grace Tayo; Godswill Arinzechukwu Iwuchukwu
Antimicrobial resistance linked to the long-term use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in poultry has intensified the search for effective, microbiome-based alternatives that can sustain performance without compromising food safety or animal welfare. This article aims to evaluate how recent advances in p-biotics (pre-, pro-, post-, and synbiotics) are shaping the future of sustainable poultry production. To achieve this, a systematic review was conducted using studies published between 2020 and 2025 on broilers and layers from literature databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect. The PRISMA method was adopted, where 39 articles met the criteria for this review article after several exclusion criteria. The review shows that p-biotics consistently modulate gut microbiota, reinforce intestinal integrity, and enhance immune competence. Notably, the data reveal a consistent 10% to 15% improvement in feed conversion ratios and body weight gain under optimized probiotic and synbiotic regimens, directly addressing the production drops typically seen after antibiotic withdrawal. Probiotics and synbiotics, particularly Bacillus- and Lactobacillus-based formulations and oligosaccharide-containing combinations, promote beneficial microbial populations, suppress enteric pathogens, and, in several studies, improve meat or egg quality and reduce dependence on AGPs. Postbiotic preparations from inactivated bacterial and yeast sources deliver comparable health and performance benefits while lowering the risk associated with live cultures. Evidence also indicates that p-biotics can lessen environmental burden by improving nutrient utilization and reducing nitrogen and phosphorus excretion, aligning poultry systems with broader sustainability targets. Nonetheless, considerable heterogeneity in strains, dosages, delivery routes, and experimental designs limits cross-study comparability and hinders the development of standardized, context-specific recommendations. Moving forward, research priorities must focus on conducting strain-specific field trials to validate efficacy across different poultry types, establishing standardized dosage protocols optimized for distinct commercial feeding phases (starter, grower, and finisher), and investigating the stability and viability of these p-biotics during high-temperature feed pelleting processes.
Pre-Retirement Financial Behavior and Preparedness of Seventh-day Adventist Pastors in Africa: A Study of Graduate Ministerial Students
(Pan-African Journal of Education and Social Sciences (PAJES), 2025) Angela E. Nwaomah; Sampson M. Nwaomah
Retirement is an inevitable end for people engaged in full-time employment. But the quality of life after retirement is a grave concern for many because retirement is not well prepared for. Seventh-day Adventist Church pastors in Africa traditionally rely on church-sustaining benefits for retirement. However, the inadequacy of such provisions has left many pastors in penury at retirement. This study investigated the pre-retirement financial behaviorsand preparedness of Seventh-day Adventist pastors in Africa. It focused on Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) pastors studying at the Theological Seminary of the Adventist University of Africa (AUA), Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive, quantitative research design. A total of 105 pastors participated in the study. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, such as frequency and percentage. The findings revealed positive pre-retirement behaviour but low financial literacy and inadequate financial preparedness for retirement. Therefore, activities and policies that can increase financial education and pension scheme literacy should be implemented in the ministerial education. Furthermore, ongoing educational initiatives and collaborations with financial experts to mentor pastors are worthwhile and beneficial for enhancing pre-retirement behavior and financial preparedness among SDA pastors in Africa.
Exploring Students’ Personality Traits and Attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence and its Adoption in Higher Education Learning Experience
(Pan-African Journal of Education and Social Sciences (PAJES), 2025) Marie-Anne Razafiarivony; Janet Nyaboke Odhiambo
Artificial Intelligence is advancing rapidly, promising efficient and effective learning methodologies in the educational sector, including the higher education sector. In particular, AI has facilitated the customization and enhancement of students’ learning experiences. Apart from technological factors, personality traits play a role in the extent to which students adopt AI. This study investigated how students’ personality traits from a postgraduate institution influence their attitude toward AI and their willingness to adopt new technology. This study employed a thematic qualitative methodology. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted to collect data. The findings suggest that the relationship between personality traits and attitudes toward adopting new AI technology is complex. On one hand, personality traits seem to influence the adoption of AI technology. On the other hand, the perceived usefulness of AI technology also appears to trigger personality traits and encourage them to adopt new technology. Furthermore, self-efficacy and positive experiences indirectly influence the adoption of the technology, whereas negative experiences enhance caution in using the technology without necessarily discouraging its use.
Blending the Traditional Career Management with the New Career Management in Organizations
(East African Journal of Management and Business Studies, 2023-12) Prof. Marie-Anne Razafiarivony, PhD
While organizational career management practices have undergone several changes over the past decades, one way to enhance employees' quality of life is planning and managing career paths. Whereas people perceived the career management concept as a long-term contract between the employing organization and the employee (referred to as traditional career management), today there is the idea that it can be a short-term transactional contract, termed new career management. Although organizations may adopt the new career approach, it may not have taken hold for every industry or organization. Within the same organization, there may exist a need to integrate both the traditional career management approach with the new career management approach in dealing with employees, based on the needs of the latter. This paper summarized characteristics of both career models and proposed ways in which organizations can blend both types of career management, using the theory synthesis design.
Exploring Crisis Leadership Among Humanitarian Field Workers: A Case Study of the Private Relief Agency in Rwanda
(UKR Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (UKRJAHSS), 2025) Nzayikorera, Christophe Gapira; Nwaomah, Angela Ewhonne
Crises are unpredictable in human life. At the global level, natural disasters, health issues, famine, wars, disastrous winds, landslides, and heavy rain always make the news. Rwanda as a country of a thousand hills become a prone zone of disasters. The current research focused on the role of crisis leadership management among humanitarian workers with a case study of the Private Relief Agency. As qualitative research, a face-to-face interview was conducted for data collection. Three participants were selected based on their duties and responsibilities, positions, and firsthand experience in managing crises. Research investigated the way workers behave in critical situations and related decision-making, and how team spirit and morale were enhanced and boosted during crisis times. Findings indicated that good leadership in crisis management focused on effective risk management, resource allocation, decision-making, effective communication, past acquired experiences during crisis times, and the emotional intelligence of the workers during crisis times. The findings proved to be essential for equipping leaders and strengthening workers with the required tools to achieve humanitarian goals. The research found that crisis leadership management is paramount to increasing the performance of the humanitarian workers in Rwanda. The research revealed that the leaders should be good at crisis leadership management and have skills on hand to counteract potential crises.
Developing AI Literacy as a Core Competency for Future Leaders
(International journal of research and innovation in social science (IJRISS), 2025-08) Prof. Musa Nyakora; Monda, Dickson
In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping how decisions are made, problems are solved, and strategies are executed across sectors. As such, developing AI literacy has become a critical core competency for future leaders. This paper explores the concept of AI literacy beyond technical understanding, emphasizing the strategic, ethical, and human-centric dimensions leaders must grasp to thrive in AI-integrated environments. It argues that AI-literate leadership entails the ability to interpret, evaluate, and responsibly integrate AI tools in ways that enhance decision-making, foster innovation, and promote inclusive growth. Drawing from interdisciplinary literature, real-world case studies, and emerging frameworks, the study proposes a holistic model for embedding AI literacy into leadership development programs. The findings underscore the urgency of equipping leaders not only with digital fluency but with a critical mindset capable of navigating the opportunities and challenges posed by AI. Ultimately, cultivating AI literacy is not optional — it is essential for leaders aiming to remain relevant, responsible, and resilient in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The Moderating Role of servant leadership in the Relationship between occupational Stressors and well being among Humanitarian Workers in Gedo Region, Somalia
(INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION (IJRSI), 2025-11-06) Ndebele, Simanga B; Mthombeni, Martina; Angela Nwaomah, Ph.D
Humanitarian work is typically situated in challenging operational contexts defined by volatility and scarcity. Such a harsh environment generates occupational pressures for humanitarian staff that could negatively impact their well-being. Servant leadership is a valuable way of mitigating employee stress; however, its applicability is limited to stable, less volatile settings, unlike humanitarian contexts. Against this background, this study assessed the moderating effect of servant leadership on the relationship between occupational stressors and well-being among humanitarian workers in Gedo Region, Somalia. The study utilized a quantitative cross-sectional survey design to draw a sample of 75 personnel employed by humanitarian organizations in Gedo through simple random sampling. The data was collected using questionnaires and analyzed through frequencies, percentages, and multiple linear regression analysis. The results revealed that occupational stressors had a statistically significant effect on well-being (B= 0.137, p = 0.013) as well as the interaction between occupational stressors and servant leadership (B = 0.582, p < 0.001). Therefore, it was concluded that servant leadership moderates the effect of occupational stress on employee well-being as the p-value was statistically significant at the threshold of 0.05%. These findings suggest that humanitarian agencies should invest in servant-leadership development as a strategy for sustaining workforce resilience.
Exploring the Awareness, Readiness and Challenges of Utilization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools for Library Users with Visual and Hearing Impairment in Nigerian Universities
(Ghana Library Journal, 2025-06-05) Nwaomah, Angela Ewhonne , Ph.D.; Omeluzor, Saturday U. , Ph.D.
This study explores the awareness, readiness and challenges of utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) tools among information providers for library users with visual and hearing impairment in Nigerian universities. The research employed a descriptive survey design with a sample population consisting of university librarians known as information providers at the federal, state and private universities across all the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria. Due to the larger number of universities (170) across Nigeria, a convenience sampling method was used to select ten universities from each of the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria and one from the Federal Capital Territory, giving a total of 61 universities. The finding showed that a higher percentage above 50% of the respondents was aware of AI tools. The result indicated the readiness of the respondents to adopt AI in delivering library and information services to users with visual and hearing impairment. The significant number of enthusiastic respondents indicated an inspiring future of AI adoption and utilization in academic libraries in Nigeria. Despite their awareness and readiness, there were certain challenges facing the utilization of AI for people with visual and hearing impairment in Nigeria university libraries. However, respondents were optimistic and resilient about AI’s utilization for users with disabilities.
Unified admission policies in private universities: Panacea for quality assurance in the Nigerian educational system
(Babcock University Press, 2012) Nwosu, Jonathan C.; Nwaomah, Angela E.
Managing organizational change in the private sector: lessons from Babcock university management information system
(Babcock journal of management and social sciences, 2012-01) Nwaomah, Angela E.
Change, it is commonly said, is inevitable and so it is constant part of life. But organizational changes are not easily welcome by employees, despite the good intentions that may have caused them. This paper therefore studies on organizational changes, the University management information system (UMIS), introduced in the recent times for more efficient student records management. The paper shows that employees received these changes differently. It concludes by suggesting ways Babcock University leadership can successfully introduce and implement changes.
Combating examination malpractice in Nigerian Higher Institutions: a challengbe to religious educationists
(Insight: journal of religious studies, 2009-06) Nwosa, Jonathan C.; Nwaomah, Angela E; Nwogwugwu, Ngozi A.
An Evaluation of Machine Learning Techniques for Crop Detection from Garden Images
(IEEE Xplore, 2023) Samson O. Ooko; Grace Kwagalakwe; Lossan Bonde
Agriculture is a major driver for different economies across the globe. With the continued advancement in technology, there is a move towards precision agriculture. A major area of research interest is the detection of crops by use of computer vision. Such can help in controlling pests and diseases and thus increase yields. However, given the wide range of techniques applied, there is a need to evaluate them to recommend the most suitable for the detection of different crops. This study was thus aimed at evaluating both traditional Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) techniques for the detection of banana and cassava crops from a set of garden images. First, a crop classification model was built using the traditional machine learning model with feature extraction algorithms being applied before training using K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) and Naïve Bayes. Another crop classification model was also built using deep learning (CNN) on an annotated dataset. The performance of both models was evaluated with deep learning giving the best result. Deep learning is thus recommended as the best model for crop detection.
Tiny Machine Learning (TinyML) Based Self Diagnostic Kit for Respiratory Diseases
(IEEE Xplore, 2023) Samson O. Ooko; Jimmy Nsenga
The World Health Organization (WHO) 2022 statistics show that over 3 million deaths globally result from chronic respiratory diseases yearly. Interestingly 90% of these deaths are reported from middle- and low-income countries. This may be attributed to the poor health care systems with few medical experts to enable early diagnosis and treatment of the diseases. There is therefore a need for cheap and accessible solutions to help solve the problems. The use of the latest technologies of Machine Learning (ML) and Internet of Things (IoT) provide capabilities that can enable cheap and convenient detection and monitoring of respiratory diseases. However, existing solutions are cloud-based and thus depend on the availability of internet connectivity to function. This poses privacy, security, and even connectivity challenges, especially in Africa. The concept of using an emerging ML technique for inferencing on resource-constrained devices known as Tiny ML was used as a solution enabling the development of a self diagnostic kit. The system captures breath Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) the collected data will be processed on the device and a Tiny ML algorithm used to detect if the sample is infected or not. The designed prototype was used to collect from healthy and unhealthy volunteers. The collected data was then used to train the prediction model. The ML model predicts respiratory diseases with an accuracy of 95.4% using less than 20% of the device resources. The proposed solution will reduce the dependency on medical experts and healthcare facilities and enable early detection of respiratory diseases.
Use of Machine Learning for Realtime Water Quality Prediction
(IEEE Xplore, 2023) Samson Otieno Ooko; Elaine Kansiime Pamela; Grace Kwagalakwe
Water is an essential resource that is a foundation not only for people’s lives but also for economic development. According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2021, over 2 billion people across the globe use water from contaminated sources leading to life-threatening diseases with over 485,000 deaths as a result of waterborne diseases being reported annually. There is therefore a need for tools and techniques that can be used to ensure water quality. Traditional water quality index calculations consume time and are often prone to errors. In the recent past use of Machine Learning (ML) in predicting water quality has generated interest among researchers as a real-time solution. From the reviewed literature, existing models only consider a few chemical properties of water while ignoring others. In addition, there is a need to compare the performance of different models. This study thus presents a supervised learning model for predicting water quality. Our hypotheses were that (i) most of such parameters are all important and none can be ignored and (ii) with supervised learning one can predict water quality based on its physio-chemical properties. Open data sets are explored as inputs with different models being evaluated. The results show that the Random Forest algorithm gives the best results with a 79 percent accuracy. The use of this model will go a long way towards ensuring water quality and thus reducing related diseases and fatalities.
Effectiveness of Spiritual and Moral Leadership in the Administration of Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Run Schools in Bulawayo Province, Zimbabwe.
(International journal of research and innovation in social science (IJRISS), 2024-06) Yamukelani Humprey Ngwenya,PhD; Musa Nyakora ,PhD
The growing occurrence of moral decline in church-sponsored schools highlights the need for research on its impact on school administration. This study aimed to examine school administrators’ views and experiences regarding spiritual and moral leadership and how it influences school management. The research employed a qualitative interpretive approach to investigate school administrators’ views concerning spiritual and moral leadership and its impact within a school setting. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews, transcribed verbatim, translated to English, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The study focused on administrators from Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) schools in Bulawayo Province, with a sample size of twenty (20) selected from four purposively chosen schools. The majority of participants highlighted key qualities of spiritual and moral leadership, including being centered on God, integrity, setting a good example, and serving others. Subsequently, the study identified specific traits associated with effective spiritual and moral leadership practices in schools, such as achieving high-quality outcomes, fostering disciplined learners, ensuring sufficient resources, and maintaining excellent infrastructure. The findings of this study strongly indicate that by adopting the highlighted attributes, educational leaders in SDA-run schools could decrease moral decline. Within the school environment, the impact of spiritual and moral leadership is demonstrated through achieving high-quality outcomes, fostering disciplined learners, ensuring ample resources, and maintaining top-notch infrastructure. These findings were crucial for school administrators and researchers as they heightened awareness about spiritual and moral leadership practices. Additionally, it was expected that these findings would influence the values and practices of future school leaders.
Frontline Leadership in Communicating Organizational Policies and Its Mediating Influence on Employee Commitment in Nonprofit Organizations in Monrovia, Liberia
(Pan-African Journal of Education and Social Sciences (PAJES), 2024-12-24) Frank O. Bannor; Dr. Derrick O. Deya; Josephine Ganu, PhD
This study examined the influence of frontline leadership communication on employee commitment within nonprofit organizations in Monrovia, Liberia. Four key questions guided the research: (1) perceptions of leaders’ communication and transparency, (2) commitment levels, (3) the relationship between communication, transparency, and commitment, and (4) the mediating role of transparency. Data from 388 respondents show that employees perceive communication and transparency positively. A strong positive correlation (r=0.891, p < 0.001) was found between these factors and commitment, which predicted 82.5% of the variance. The Sobel test confirms that transparency mediates this relationship (z = 7.403, p < 0.001). This highlights the importance of strategic communication in enhancing employee commitment. Recommendations include broadening the study’s scope to determine if the findings are applicable across various cultural and organizational contexts.

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