Humanities and Social Sciences
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- ItemExploring and investigating corruption in the UPND government in Lusaka district.(The University of Zambia, 2024) Locha, PrudenceThis study aimed to exploring corruption in the UPND New Dawn Government in Lusaka District, Zambia. The study used a sample of 100 respondents who were selected using purposive sampling technique. The research design combined both qualitative and quantitative methods, involving content analysis for qualitative data and simple statistical quantification to present quantitative data. Nevertheless, the bulk part of this research method was anchored on qualitative methods. Quantitative technique was used to justify the extent of UPND’S corruption since other methods have proven inconsistent towards fighting political corruption. The study's findings uncovered an increase in the presence of corruption by the UPND New Dawn Government, despite being a government that had promised to fight corruption in a transparency and accountable manner. This study explored, investigated and identified various factors that facilitate corruption such as: political patronage, poverty, inequality, weak institutions, ineffective anti-corruption measures, and a culture of impunity among public officials. Key informants also emphasized the lack of transparency and weak oversight institutions as factors contributing to corruption. These findings resonated with Treisman's (2000) research, which identified the role of social and economic heterogeneity, specifically ethnic fractionalization, facilitating the increase in corruption. The study highlighted the complex dynamics at play in the context of political patronage, poverty, and the ineffectiveness of anti-corruption measures. While public perception indicated a significant level of corruption in the UPND government, key informants suggested that stringent anti-corruption measures had resulted in lower levels of corruption. These measures included a clear legal framework to combat corruption, whistleblower protection, enhanced oversight, and independent anti-corruption agencies. Challenges in the fight against corruption included a lack of funding and resources, political interference, whistleblower vulnerability, and limited education and awareness. These challenges were in line with the findings of Maiga (2023), highlighting the negative impact of corruption on human capital development. The socio-economic and cultural effects of corruption were also examined. Economic drain, poverty, income inequality, and inefficient resource allocation were identified as socio-economic consequences. Culturally, corruption led to the normalization of unethical behavior, erosion of trust, and an impact on social cohesion. These findings underline the far-reaching effects of corruption on society and underscore the importance of addressing this issue comprehensively. Macre’s Game theory was applied for determining different strategies in perpetuating corruption by the UPND government in Lusaka. It was used for offering valuable tools for solving strategy problem of how corruption can be reduced. The game theory was used to determine the level of accomplices for corruption crime, were there is not enough evidence for a felony conviction. The argument was that perpetrators of political corruption take the actions simply as a game and not a felony, hence its increase by the actors in the UPND government. Methodologically, the study used a mixed research technique, even though the larger part of it was explorative approach thus involving interviews, focused group discussions, storytelling and observations. In conclusion, the study revealed that while there are measures in place to combat corruption in the UPND New Dawn Government, challenges persist. Addressing these challenges and promoting a culture of transparency and accountability is essential. Corruption not only undermines economic development but also erodes cultural values and social cohesion. It is recommended that efforts to combat corruption include strengthening oversight institutions, promoting ethical leadership, and simplifying legal processes. Public awareness campaigns and measures to reduce poverty and inequality should be prioritized.
- ItemAssessment of the psychosocial impacts of COVID-19 among healthcare practitioners at two major hospitals in Lusaka district.(The University of Zambia, 2023) Chisanga, KundaThe present study assessed the psychosocial impacts of COVID-19 among healthcare practitioners in selected hospitals in Lusaka District. A survey research design was adopted in this study where 207 respondents were sampled from both UTH and Levy Mwanawasa Hospitals using simple random sampling. Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and the Participants Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were used for data collection. Being a descriptive statistics analysis, organized data was analyzed by means of frequency distributions and percentages to describe the characteristics of the healthcare practitioners and presented in tables, pie and bar charts. The analysis of data was done using SPSS version 26. Further, the data was analyzed using descriptive statistics like mean and standard deviation. Furthermore, bivariate and multivariate analysis were performed to assess precautionary measures which improved the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 among healthcare practitioners. The results revealed that the majority of the participants reported fearing the disease and its consequences, especially death due to COVID-19. Further, the study showed that 60.9% of the participants reported to be depressed, 70.1% were stressed and 76.8% experienced anxiety. The level of severity of depression categorized as none, mild, moderate, severe and extreme severe stood at 15.5%, 5.3%, 12.6%, 33.3% and 33.3%, respectively. With respect to the severity level of stress, the majority were severely stressed followed by those who were moderately stressed (None 21.2%, mild 9.2%, moderate 23.2%, severe 40.6%, and extreme severe 5.8%). In addition, the results of the study revealed that most of the respondents severely developed symptoms of anxiety followed by those with moderate symptoms of anxiety. The findings of the study also showed that the respondents agreed that positive attitudes from colleagues, hand washing and wearing of face mask, observing social distancing protocols, avoiding social gatherings, exercising regularly, were commonly reported as ways of coping with the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, precautionary measures such as handwashing, exercise regularly, leisure activities in free time and seek help from a psychologist were significantly associated with improved psychosocial impact of COVID-19 among healthcare practitioners in a multiple logistic regression model. Thus, the study recommended the need for the Government through the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to put in place measures to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of healthcare practitioners. In conclusion, many health workers experienced stress, anxiety and depression during the COVID-19. This calls for mitigation measures because continued anxiety and depression can affect their work of taking care of the patients.
- ItemPrevention of teenage pregnancies in the face of COVID-19 in Zambia : a study of Chama rural district.(The University of Zambia, 2021) KalumbaL, LloydThis study entitled: “Preventing Teenage Pregnancies in the Face of COVID-19 in Zambia” was conducted in the rural district of Chama in Eastern province. It aimed at exploring the strategies put in place by the Zambian government to prevent teenage pregnancies in the face of COVID–19. To achieve the objectives of this study, a non-experimental research design and phenomenology methods were used in order to have a complete and comprehensive examination of the situation of teenage pregnancies in the face of COVID -19 wave of attack in Zambia. The approach for obtain ing data adopted was the qualitative. The results generated were non-quantitative and so, it was not subjected to rigorous quantitative analysis. The population of the study included management and staffs from the DEBS Office, management and staff/school teachers from selected schools, management and staff from the MCDSS under the departments of Community Development as well as Social Welfare in Chama district, VSU, WVI, the United Church of Zambia, and the local traditional leadership within the two selected chiefdoms. Teenage girls and boys aged between thirteen and nineteen (13-19) and drawn from the respective secondary schools within the two chiefdoms of Kambombo and Chikwa were also included as respondents. The study results confirmed that COVID-19 was driving many families into poverty, increasing risks that force children into child labour, teenage pregnancies and child marriages. It further revealed that lack of willingness by the Ministry of Health to acknowledge adolescents’ sexual health needs largely contributes to teenage pregnancies’ escalation. Contraceptives materials are not easily accessible to adolescents in many places of Chama District. In some few cases where adoles cents obtained contraceptives, the teenagers lacked the agency or the resources to pay for them. Yet again, the results revealed that during the lockdown, most teenagers in Chama lacked knowledge on where to obtain contraceptives and how to correctly use them. Further, teenagers faced stigma when trying to obtain contraceptives and were often at higher risk of discontinuing use due to perceived side effects, and due to changing life circumstances and reproductive intentions. Restrictive laws and policies regarding the provision of contraceptives based on age or marital status also posed an important barrier to the provision and uptake of contraceptives among teenagers in Chama District during the COVID-19 lockdown, all contributing to teenage pregnan cies escalation. The main strategies by government to prevent teenage pregnancies in the face of COVID –19 included the prevention of child labour and early marriages through the peer education for teenag ers in schools; provision of psychosocial counselling and support to teenagers; promotion of contraceptive materials and family planning services; prevention of coerced sexual relationships and promotion of child’s rights through activities conducted by peer educators on adolescents in schools. It was also established that the strategies put in place were not effective due to a number of factors including the hurdles faced in addressing the needs. On the other hand, the study has generally indicated that measures undertaken to tackle teenage pregnancies in the face of COVID – 19 were not effective due to school closures and travel re strictions. Further, measures undertaken were not strictly tailored to address the specific teenage girls’ needs which arose during the lockdown and COVID –19 wave. This study recommends that in order to address the above highlighted impediments to preventing teenage pregnancies in the face of COVID – 19, the government of the Republic of Zambia puts in place practical measures through policy, legal frameworks, programmes and projects to enhance the livelihood potential of the incapacitated rural households of Chama District to fight the scourge of teenage pregnancies.
- ItemExploration of higher education qualifications on women’s participation and appointment to decision making positions in public administration in Lusaka, Zambia.(The University of Zambia, 2024) Nsana, SharonThe success of development efforts depends on making women equal partners in all matters of the economy. Higher education, to be certain, by itself, is not a panacea but a necessary condition for the advancement of women in society. Through higher education, the journey towards participation in decision making power begins. Access to education is considered an important determinant of women’s appointment to decision making positions in public administration. This is because women’s increased education is positively associated with autonomy of decision making in different sectors of society. As such, women’s decision-making power increases when they are empowered with higher education. The main objective of this study was to explore the role that higher education qualification plays on women’s appointment to decision making positions in public administration. The sample for the study included 25 participants who were interviewed from various ministries in Lusaka. Both secondary and primary data were gathered for the study. Primary data was gathered using semi-structured interview guides and secondary data was obtained from documents such as journals, reports as well as websites. The research design used was a case study design. Non-probability sampling technique, using purposive and snow ball sampling methods were employed in the study. Data were analysed using thematic analysis by employing reflexive thematic analysis. Findings of the study revealed that despite women acquiring higher education qualification in Zambia, their appointment to decision making positions in public administration has not been achieved fully. Factors such as horizontal and vertical segregation were found to affect women mostly at institutional level and also were the reasons for the low numbers of women in decision making positions. Therefore, the study recommended that various stakeholders need to prioritize the importance of women’s participation and appointment by enacting and implementing laws, policies and regulations. Women also should be empowered with training and upgrading skills to better participate in decision making.
- ItemVillage banking and their influence on the welfare of women in Kaunda square stage one, Lusaka district.(The University of Zambia, 2024) Katowa, VincentThis study aimed to investigate the role of village banking in contributing to women's economic welfare in Kaunda Square Stage One. The research had three objectives: to establish the economic benefits that women gain from village banking, to determine the challenges that hinder village banking's contribution to women’s economic welfare, and to identify community strategies that can enhance the effectiveness of village banks in contributing to women's economic welfare. The study used mixed methods, and simple random sampling was used to select respondents interested or engaged in village banking activities. A total of 90 participants were selected, and data was collected through questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Qualitative data was analyzed using key themes, while quantitative data was analyzed descriptively by using percentages and frequencies/counts. The study found that village banking has a positive influence on the income levels of the participants. With the availability of income, participants were able to access medical services, and the right quantity and amount of food, engage in entrepreneurship activities, and keep their children in school, which improved their well-being. The study also found that challenges such as short payback periods, loan default, and improper record-keeping decreased the influence that village banking had on their well-being. However, the study found that by ensuring financial training, clear village banking rules and regulations, and regular meetings, village banking's contribution to the participant's welfare could be enhanced. The impact of village banking on the women of Kaunda Square Stage One cannot be overstated. By providing them with access to financial resources and credit, this initiative empowers them to establish or grow their own businesses, which in turn can lead to greater financial stability for themselves and their families. The study recommends that participants should prioritize their education and not just their children to ensure self-development. The study also encourages the government to provide support to village banking groups with vocational training in tailoring and hairdressing since participants lacked the expertise to sustain a profitable business over time. The paper further recommends that the government establish monitoring mechanisms to ensure that village banking groups adhere to responsible lending practices to reduce default rates and prevent the breakdown of village banking systems. The paper suggests conducting further research to explore the effects of village banking after the village banking cycle ends.