Baseline Assessment on Youth Involvement In Homa Bay County

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Rapid Assessment Baseline Survey on Radio
Listening, Knowledge Level on Adolescent and
Young People in Homa Bay County
Submitted to:
Inspiration Kenya
and
UNICEF-KCO (Kenya Country Office)
Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) Survey
By
Frank Otieno Odhiambo
P O Box 9474-00300, Nairobi
Phone: +254718231767
E-mail: frank.odhiambo@yahoo.com
July, 2014

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Rapid Assessment Baseline Survey on Radio Listening, Knowledge Level on Adolescent and
Young People in Homa Bay County was carried out in cooperation with Inspiration Kenya,
UNICEF and the Homa Bay County government. The consultant is grateful for feedback on the
KAP Survey questionnaire and methodology from them. The consultant would like to express his
gratitude to Inspiration Kenya and UNICEF- KCO for entrusting him with the study. Special
thanks to Ms Roseline Mutemi of UNICEF- KCO, Peter Quest, Tom Makisa and Poppins Misoi of
Inspiration Kenya for providing insight to the consultant during the various stages of this study.
Finally, I would like to thank the Homa Bay County government for allowing this study to be
conducted within its jurisdiction. Without their endorsement, this study would have not been
undertaken.

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ABBREVIATIONS
AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
FGDs Focus Group Discussions
FP Family Planning
HIV Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus
KCO Kenya Country Office
KIIs Key Informant Interviews
PLWHAs Persons Living with HIV and AIDS
RH Reproductive Health
STIs Sexually Transmitted Infections

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.......................................................................................................................... ii
ABBREVIATIONS...................................................................................................................................... iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................ iv
LIST OF TABLES consider moving this to its own page.............................................................................. vi
LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................... vii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY........................................................................................................................... ix
BACKGROUND ..........................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Objectives of the KAP Study .........................................................................................................1
METHODOLOGY.......................................................................................................................................2
2.1 Sampling Technique.......................................................................................................................2
2.2 Study Area .....................................................................................................................................2
2.3 Survey Sample Distribution............................................................................................................3
2.4 Training and quality control ...........................................................................................................4
2.5 Fieldwork.......................................................................................................................................4
2.6 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................................4
FINDINGS ...................................................................................................................................................5
SECTION I: BACKGROUND INFORMATION ...................................................................................5
Gender of respondents...........................................................................................................................5
Age ........................................................................................................................................................5
Marital status..........................................................................................................................................5
Parental Status........................................................................................................................................6
Highest level of education......................................................................................................................6
Period of stay in Sub- County.................................................................................................................7
Main source of livelihood in the county..................................................................................................7
SECTION II: COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT.....................................................................................8
Involvement in community activity, event or organization......................................................................8
Period of community participation.........................................................................................................8
Main reason for community involvement...............................................................................................8
How often have community members been involved in community organization?.................................9
Has there been a change in participation?.............................................................................................10
Main reason for not participating in community initiatives ...................................................................11
Level of satisfaction with participation in community initiatives ...........................................................11
Involvement in decision making...........................................................................................................12
Do you know the governor?.................................................................................................................12
SECTION III: KEY HEALTH INDICATORS......................................................................................13
3A: Reproductive Health..........................................................................................................................13
Respondents’ reported age for sexual debut .........................................................................................13
RH issues faced by the youth ...............................................................................................................14
How knowledgeable are you about RH issues?.....................................................................................14
Knowledge of possible infections through sexual intercourse...............................................................15

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Family planning (FP) Methods .............................................................................................................16
Attitudes towards RH issues.................................................................................................................19
3B: HIV and AIDS ..................................................................................................................................20
Knowledge of ways to contract HIV and AIDS ...................................................................................20
Knowledge of ways of preventing HIV and AIDs................................................................................21
Ways of preventing mother to child HIV and AIDS transmission ........................................................21
Sexual activity.......................................................................................................................................22
Number of sexual partners in last 12 months .......................................................................................22
How frequently respondents use a condom..........................................................................................23
HIV and AIDS testing .........................................................................................................................24
Attitudes and Beliefs on HIV and AIDS ..............................................................................................25
3C: Early Marriages..................................................................................................................................26
Attitudes on early marriage...................................................................................................................27
3D: Education..........................................................................................................................................28
3E: Drug Abuse.......................................................................................................................................29
Attitudes regarding drug abuse.............................................................................................................30
SECTION IV: SOURCE OF INFORMATION.....................................................................................31
Main source of information..................................................................................................................31
Type of media owned by household.....................................................................................................32
Main source of power ..........................................................................................................................32
How often community has listened to the radio in the past month.......................................................32
What days do you listen to the radio? ...................................................................................................33
At what times are people most likely to listen to the radio?...................................................................34
The most popular radio station ............................................................................................................35
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.....................................................................................36
Conclusions and Recommendations.........................................................................................................36

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1.1: Distribution of sample across the sub-counties............................................................................................3
Table 2.1: Gender of the respondents......................................................................................................................5
Table 2.2 Marital status of the respondents.............................................................................................................6
Table 2.3: Parental Status...................................................................................................................................6
Table 2.4: Community involvement........................................................................................................................8
Table 2.5: Frequency of involvement in community activities........................................................................................9
Table 2.6: Reason for not participating in community activities..................................................................................11
Table 2.7: Knowledge of the county governor...........................................................................................................12
Table 2.8: Do adolescents face RH issues?............................................................................................................14
Table 2.9: Knowledge on possible infections............................................................................................................15
Table 2.10: Knowledge of FP Methods.................................................................................................................16
Table 2.11: Respondent is using FP Methods........................................................................................................17
Table 2.12: Reason for not using FP methods........................................................................................................18
Table 2.13: Attitudes towards RH issues.............................................................................................................19
Table 2.14: Respondent has heard of HIV and AIDS...........................................................................................20
Table 2.15: Ways of contracting HIV and AIDS.................................................................................................20
Table 2.16: Reported HIV and AIDS prevention measures ....................................................................................21
Table 2.17: Ways of preventing mother to child HIV and AIDS transmission............................................................21
Table 2.18: Respondent has had sexual intercourse in the last 12 months....................................................................22
Table 2.19: Did respondent used condom in last sexual encounter?.............................................................................23
Table 2.20: Reason for not using a condom ...........................................................................................................23
Table 2.21: Has respondent taken a HIV and AIDS test? ....................................................................................24
Table 2.22: Reason for not taking HIV test.........................................................................................................24
Table 2.23: Attitudes and knowledge on HIV and AIDS......................................................................................25
Table 2.24: Possible complications.......................................................................................................................27
Table 2.25: Attitudes on early marriage...............................................................................................................28
Table 2.26: Attitudes on education and schooling...................................................................................................28
Table 2.27: Type of drug consumed......................................................................................................................29
Table 2.28: Knowledge and Attitudes towards drugs ...............................................................................................30
Table 2.29: Main source of information................................................................................................................31
Table 2.30: Type of media owned by household ......................................................................................................32

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Homa Bay County Map (Source: Strategic Plan for Homa-Bay County 2013-2023)....................3
Figure 2: Age of the respondents ..............................................................................................................5
Figure 3: Highest level of education of respondents..................................................................................6
Figure 4: Period of stay in Sub- County.....................................................................................................7
Figure 5: Main source of livelihood...........................................................................................................7
Figure 6: Period of community participation.............................................................................................8
Figure 7: Main reason for community involvement...................................................................................9
Figure 8: Change in community participation..........................................................................................10
Figure 9: Satisfaction with participation in community initiatives ............................................................11
Figure 10: Adolescent and youth involvement in decision making.............................................................12
Figure 11: Respondents’ responses on the name of county governor ........................................................13
Figure 12: Appropriate age for sexual debut..............................................................................................13
Figure 13: RH risks faced by adolescents ..................................................................................................14
Figure 14: Respondents self-reported knowledge-ability on RH issues ......................................................15
Figure 15: Knowledge of STIs ..................................................................................................................16
Figure 16: Reported family planning methods...........................................................................................16
Figure 17: Family planning methods used by respondents.........................................................................17
Figure 18: Comparison between FP method knowledge versus use...........................................................17
Figure 19: Where respondents accessed FP services..................................................................................18
Figure 20: Age at sexual debut ..................................................................................................................22
Figure 21: Number of sexual partners in last 12 months ...........................................................................23
Figure 22: Frequency of condom use ........................................................................................................23
Figure 23: Period since last HIV test.........................................................................................................24

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Figure 24: Best times to get engaged females versus males ........................................................................26
Figure 25: Best times to get married females versus males.........................................................................27
Figure 26: Frequency of drug consumption...............................................................................................30
Figure 27: Main source of power...............................................................................................................32
Figure 28: How often respondents listened to the radio in the past month................................................33
Figure 29: Days respondents listen to the radio.........................................................................................33
Figure 30: Days respondents are most likely to listen to the radio .............................................................34
Figure 31: Popular times for listening to the radio by adolescents and youth.............................................34
Figure 32: Radio programs most popular amongst adolescents and youth in the county............................35
Figure 33: Most popular radio station in the county..................................................................................35

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The study was conducted in Homa Bay County and was commissioned by Inspiration Kenya in
partnership with UNICEF KCO. Its primary objective was to conduct a rapid assessment baseline
survey on the knowledge, attitudes and practices on several key health indicators amongst adolescent
and young people in Homa Bay County. It also aimed to assess radio listenership within the county
to inform a participatory radio programming, a joint initiative between Inspiration Kenya and
UNICEF- KCO, to effectively target key messages to the youth. The findings of the study would be
useful by serving as a baseline for assessing the impact of future programming within the county.
The study adopted the multistage cluster sampling with the household as the sampling unit, selected
randomly. Adolescents and young adults were selected from within the household, one
representative for each, using the Kish grid. The survey used both qualitative and quantitative
methods including questionnaire surveys, focus group discussions and key informant interviews.
FGDs comprised between eight and twelve participants. KIIs targeted two parents, a community
health worker and an education expert. A total of 364 individual surveys were conducted. The
research team was trained on data collection, after which data was collected. Entry and cleaning was
done, after which analysis was done based on descriptive and inferential statistics.
Key areas of the study included community participation, reproductive health, HIV and AIDs, early
marriages, drug abuse and radio listenership. Findings showed that while there was very low
community participation amongst the youth, they were similarly not being actively involved in
community development and county development decision making as stakeholders.
The findings seemed to indicate that girls should not only make their sexual debut earlier than males,
but also that they should be engaged and married much earlier than their male counterparts.
Respondents reported very low family planning methods use, in spite of there being a much higher
level of knowledge of the FP methods. Perceptions on reproductive health also show a worrying
trend. For example, several people thought it was not possible for a girl to get pregnant at first
sexual intercourse. Adolescents and youth showed a great awareness of HIV and AIDS, ways of
contracting the virus and preventing infection. Most of them however make their sexual debut at a
very young age, with most having their first sexual experience below the age of sixteen. Findings also
indicate that half of the respondents had not tested for HIV and AIDS within the last three months.
Radio was the most popular source of information, with most of the respondents listening to the
radio every day. Saturday was reported as the most likely day for the youth to listen to the radio.
Amongst the most popular programmes included radio talk shows. A participatory radio programme
would therefore need to be initiated on Saturdays and conducted in a talk show format in order to
attract a large audience of adolescents and youth.

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BACKGROUND
Following the post-election violence witnessed in Kenya after the 2007 general elections in which
more than a thousand people lost their lives, hundreds of thousands were displaced and close to one
hundred billion of the country’s economy was destroyed bringing the economy down from 6.7% to
2.3%, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MOYAS) in conjunction with UNICEF – KCO
(Kenya Country Office) commissioned a participatory study of adolescents and young adults aged
between ten and thirty years. The study provided a series of diverse snapshots into the lives and
aspirations of young people throughout Kenya. In line with the National Youth Policy and the
Convention on the rights of the Child, more than one thousand youth took part in a situational
analysis.
One of the outcomes was the birth of a network of youth which was registered as Inspiration
Kenya. The organization has been credited with having a constructive influence on the final content
of the SITAN (Situation Analysis) Report with its recommendations. Key recommendations
proposed in the report meant to help youth in their quest to improve their social, political and
economic lives included the following;-
a) Joint programming on youth to help them develop their livelihoods based on their talent and
creativity
b) Representation of youth and adolescents in all key levels and institutions that affect their
lives, and participation in community development
c) Facilitation of young people to give their views and participate in development
d) The removal of wealth disparities and an end to endemic corruption, tribalism, and impunity
among the political elite for equitable development
In view of the above recommendations, a number of interventions and methodologies of
implementation were proposed. A participatory community radio was proposed, to be modelled as a
means of promoting participation of adolescent and young adults in development. Homa bay county
in the Nyanza region of Kenya was proposed as the appropriate location to model the proposed
community youth participatory radio.
1.1 Objectives of the KAP Study
The main objectives of the KAP baseline study was:-
 To document the prevailing situation on effective participation and level of engagement of
adolescents and young adults in community development, before the start of the community
radio programs.
 To assess and document the knowledge, attitude and practice on key health indicators
(HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, sexuality, drug abuse, child marriages, and
schooling/education)
 To enlist sources of information for adolescent and young people in Homa bay and make
recommendation on the credible sources and mechanisms

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METHODOLOGY
2.1 Sampling Technique
Multistage cluster sampling was used in this study, which targeted adolescents and youth between
the ages of 10 and 30 years, from three hundred and sixty four households in the eight sub-counties.
Adolescents and youth were the target of the study and were selected because it is the focus group
for the participatory radio initiative in Homa bay County, a joint initiative of Inspiration Kenya and
Unicef KCO. Three hundred and sixty four (364) households, from a population of 206,2551
households in the county represented a confidence level of 95% and a 5.1% margin of error. Three
villages were chosen at random in each of the eight sub-counties, following which a household
listing was done to establish the number of households in each. Households to be sampled were
chosen at random in each of the villages, using a random number table. The sampling unit for the
survey was the household. For each household, only one respondent was selected. Where
households had more than one more than one eligible respondent, the person to be interviewed was
selected using the Kish Grid, a random number table used to select respondents within households.
The main tool for the survey was the questionnaire.
Four FGDs were also conducted in Mbita and Homa bay sub-counties which consisted of only
adolescents between 10 and 19 years old, to get their perspectives on key health indicators. The
FGD meetings comprised between 8 and 12 participants. Key Informant Interviews were also
conducted in Mbita and Homa bay sub-counties and targeted two parents, a Community Health
Worker and an education expert. All FGDs and KIs were recorded for the purpose of transcription
and analysis. An Interview Schedule was also developed for both the KIs and FGDs. For both the
quantitative and qualitative data collection, informal consent was obtained from the participants or
their representatives.
2.2 Study Area
This study was conducted in Homa Bay County. There are eight sub-counties in the county
including Homabay; Mbita; Ndhiwa; Karachuonyo; Kasipul; Kabondo; Rangwe and Suba
subcounties. Figure 1 below shows the study area.
1
Strategic Plan for Homa-Bay County 2013-2023

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Figure 1: Homa Bay County Map (Source: Strategic Plan for Homa-Bay County 2013-2023)
2.3 Survey Sample Distribution
According to the county’s strategic plan2
, the county has a total population of 963,794 living in
206,255 households. Table 1.1 shows the sample size distribution across the eight sub-counties in
this study.
Table 1.1: Distribution of sample across the sub-counties
Sub County Sample size
Homabay 46
Mbita 46
Ndhiwa 46
Karachuonyo 46
Kasipul 45
Kabondo 45
Rangwe 45
Suba 45
Total 364
2
Strategic Plan for Homa-Bay County 2013-2023

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2.4 Training and quality control
Training of enumerators took two days beginning on the 31st May and 1st June, with one
enumerator hired for each sub-county. Two team leaders were also trained and oversaw the
collection and verification of the data that was collected. Training sessions included a briefing on the
background of the study, research ethics, sampling, questionnaire administration and logistics for
data collection. A pilot was subsequently conducted within Homa bay sub-county in households on
the 3rd of June, 2014, after which few changes were made to the questionnaire.
2.5 Fieldwork
Data collection was scheduled to take seven (7) days from the 4th of June to the 10th of June, 2014.
Field work started as scheduled but ended on the 11th of June 2014, one day later than earlier
scheduled. The actual data collection process involved orientation, segmentation and listing of
households within the villages and household data gathering in the eight sub-counties. The targeted
number of households was 364 households. To ensure data integrity, research supervisors
conducted sit-ins with the enumerators in addition to call backs to respondents to verify that the
listed households were visited. All surveys were verified for completeness and accuracy and
approved by the supervisors.
2.6 Data Entry and Analysis
Following completion of field work, the collected data was screened for enumerator recording errors
and follow ups made with the concerned interviewers. The data was then entered on MS Excel and
screened again for accuracy, consistency and outliers. Data was then exported to Stata (Version 11)
for analysis. Analysis was based on descriptive statistics, where frequency tables, bar graphs, pie
charts and line graphs were used to represent the data. The study results were presented by sub-
themes including background information on the study participants, community participation, key
health indicators and sources of information. Inferential statistics were also made based on the
findings of the study.

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FINDINGS
SECTION I: BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Gender of respondents
Out of the 364 respondents who participated in this study, 42.66% were female compared to
57.34% male. This is illustrated in Table 2.1 below
Table 2.1: Gender of the respondents
Gender Frequency (%)
Male 57.34
Female 42.66
Total 100
Age
Majority of those interviewed in the study were young people within the county, with 22% of the
respondents being between the ages 19-20 years. 18% of the respondents were between 15-18 years
old, 12% between 12-14 years old and about 2% who were less than 12 years old. Only about 44%
of those who were interviewed were between 21-30 years old.
Figure 2: Age of the respondents
Marital status
Table 2.2 below shows the marital status of the respondents. As shown, most of the respondents
were single (69%). Married respondents constituted 25% of the sample size while 3.62% were living
with their partners (cohabiting). Only about 1% of the population was separated/ divorced, with
another 0.5% being widowed.

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Table 2.2 Marital status of the respondents
Marital Status Frequency (%)
Single 69.08
Married 25.35
Living with partner 3.62
Separated/ Divorced 1.39
Widow/ Widower 0.56
Total 100
Parental Status
Respondents were asked to provide information on their parenting status. As shown in Table 2.3,
67% indicated that they were not parents, 14% indicated that they were single parents while 19%
were parents with spouses.
Table 2.3: Parental Status
Highest level of education
Most of the respondents interviewed in this study had completed secondary education (31%), with
another 17% having not completed secondary school education. 17% indicated that they had
competed primary school education, 23% had not completed primary school education while about
1% had no formal education. Only about 8% of the respondents had college education or higher.
Figure 3: Highest level of education of respondents
Parental Status Frequency (%)
Not a parent 67.59
Single Mother 9.14
Single Father 3.32
Parent but with a spouse 19.94
Total 100

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Period of stay in Sub- County
A majority of the respondents surveyed in the study indicated that they were long-term residents of
the sub-county, with 42% of them having lived in their sub-counties for between 11-20 years and
14% for 21 years or more. 20% of the respondents have lived in their sub-county for between 6-10
years, with only 21% having lived in their sub-county for five or fewer years.
Figure 4: Period of stay in Sub- County
Main source of livelihood in the county
The main source of livelihoods for households in the county was the ‘jua kali industry’ (another term
for the informal sector (37%)), while a third of the respondents reported relying on casual labour to
fend for their families. About 11% were formally employed, 6% relied on petty trading for their
livelihoods with 3% relying on other sources of livelihoods like ‘scavenging’ and remittances among
others. Interestingly, 9% of the respondents indicated that they had not had a source of income in
the last month.
Figure 5: Main source of livelihood

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SECTION II: COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Involvement in community activity, event or organization
When asked whether they had been involved in any community organization, activity or event, only
a third of the respondents indicated that they been involved in any. Two thirds of those interviewed
said they had not been involved in community organization, activity or event of any kind.
Table 2.4: Community involvement
Community involvement Frequency (%)
Yes 31.84
No 68.16
Total 100
Period of community participation
Those who had participated in community organization, activity or event were then asked how long
ago they had been involved in the community activities. A third of the respondents had only been
involved in the community for less than 1 year. However, a majority of the respondents (38%) said
they had been involved for between 1-2 years, 22% had been involved for between 3-5 years while
6% of them had been involved in community activities for more than 5 years. This is shown in
Figure 6 below.
Figure 6: Period of community participation
Main reason for community involvement
When asked what their main reason for community involvement was, two thirds of the respondents
said that it was because they had strong interest in community activities. Peer groups and friends
also played a big role in community involvement with one in every five respondents indicating that
they had been involved in community activities because of peer influence. Other reasons for

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involvement in community activities included hearing about community initiatives at work/church
(7.32), hearing an advert in the media (2.44%) and; political leaders rally calls (3.25%)
Figure 7: Main reason for community involvement
How often have community members been involved in community organization?
Religious organization, activities and events seemed to attract the most participation amongst the
respondents with only a third of the respondents indicating that they had not been involved in
religious initiatives in the past year. Community welfare and development organizations were also
popular amongst the respondents with only 35% indicating that they had not been involved in their
activities in the last year. Other popular activities were social clubs/groups and; sport or physical
recreation groups both with 54% indicating they participated in them at least once in the last year;
arts, theatre/ musical/ craft/ talent or heritage groups where just under of half the respondents had
been involved in in the past year and; financial welfare/ poverty alleviation groups and agricultural
activities where 43% had been involved in the past year.
Interestingly, one of the least popular community activities were the county governance activities,
where only 16% of the respondents suggested that they had been involved in the last year. Also least
popular were professional activities where only 14% had been involved, though this could be
associated with the very few proportion of respondents with college education or higher.
Table 2.5: Frequency of involvement in community activities
Activity More
than
once a
week
Once a
week
Every
two
weeks
At least
once a
month
At least
every
three
months
Once or
twice a
year
Never
Arts, theatre/ musical/
craft/ talent or heritage
group
4.44 13.33 6.67 14.44 2.22 7.78 51.11

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Community welfare/
development organizations
2.3 20.69 3.45 25.29 8.05 4.6 35.63
Environmental or animal
welfare group
2.2 2.2 3.3 6.59 1.1 12.09 72.53
Financial Welfare/ Poverty
Alleviation Group
3.26 6.52 7.61 11.96 6.52 6.52 57.61
Human/ Civic and civil
rights group
4.6 1.15 1.15 3.45 2.3 10.34 77.01
Health promotion group 1.19 2.38 3.57 2.38 7.14 9.52 73.81
Professional group or
association
2.38 3.57 1.19 1.19 2.38 2.38 86.9
Religious or spiritual group
or organization
3.26 52.17 6.52 5.43 1.09 1.09 30.43
Social club/group 7.78 17.78 15.56 8.89 2.22 1.11 46.67
Sport or physical recreation
group
7.53 17.2 4.3 12.9 3.23 8.6 46.24
County governance activities 1.14 7.95 0 0 1.14 5.68 84.09
Agriculture 7.07 5.05 7.07 7.07 4.04 12.12 57.58
Has there been a change in community participation?
When asked if there had been any change in their participation in community activities in the past
year, a majority of the respondents (54%) reported that their participation had increased, 31%
reported that there was no change in their participation in community initiatives while only 14%
indicated that their participation had declined. These figures suggest that although the proportion of
the community being involved in community participation is relatively low, those participating are
reporting an increase in participation in community activities.
Figure 8: Change in community participation

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Main reason for not participating in community initiatives
Most respondents attributed their lack of participation in community initiatives to the lack of time to
attend (30%). Age barrier was the second inhibiting factor for community participation with over
18% of the respondents not participating in community initiatives due to their perceived age
differences. 15% cited lack of knowledge of existing community initiatives as the main reason for
not participating, with another 12% stating that financial constraints were a major barrier to
community. Inconvenient timing, language barrier and not feeling as part of the community only
accounted for just over 6% of the respondents’ main reason for not participating in community
development.
Table 2.6: Reason for not participating in community activities
Reason for not participating in community activities Frequency (%)
Limited finances/ money 12.04
No knowledge of existing initiatives 15.71
Lack of time to attend 30.37
Lack of interest 17.28
Inconvenient timing of the initiatives 2.62
I do not fit into/ feel part of the community 2.09
Age barrier 18.85
Language barrier 1.05
Total 100
Level of satisfaction with participation in community initiatives
Most of the respondents indicated that they were at least satisfied with their level of participation in
community initiatives. 68% of them indicated they were at least satisfied with their participation,
while only one out of four respondents indicated that they were dissatisfied. 10% were neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied with their participation in community initiatives.
Figure 9: Satisfaction with participation in community initiatives

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Involvement in decision making
Figure 10 below shows involvement in decision making by the target group. As shown, participation
in decision making by adolescents and youth was lowest in county development, where only 3% of
the respondents indicated that they are involved. In community development, adolescents and youth
participation in decision making was also significantly low with only one in every five people
indicating they were involved. Adolescents and youth seemed to be more actively involved in
decision making at the family level with two thirds of them indicating that they were involved in
decision making at that level.
Figure 10: Adolescent and youth involvement in decision making
Do you know the governor?
Respondents were also asked whether they knew who the Homa Bay governor was. Table 2.7 shows
the responses. 13% of the respondents reported not knowing who the governor was, with about
86% reporting they knew the occupant of the position.
Table 2.7: Knowledge of the county governor
Knowledge of the county governor Frequency (%)
Yes 86.32
No 13.68
Total 100
Interestingly, 5% of those who reported to know the governor were unable to name the current
governor. Nevertheless, 95% of the participants were able to correctly name the current county
governor for Homa Bay County. Responses were as shown in Figure 11.

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Figure 11: Respondents’ responses on the name of county governor
SECTION III: KEY HEALTH INDICATORS
3A: Reproductive Health
The study assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices of adolescents and youth regarding
reproductive health (RH) issues.
Respondents’ reported age for sexual debut
Most respondents reported that the appropriate age for sexual debut was 15-18 for both males
(40%) and females (48%) with the next reported appropriate age for sexual debut being between 19-
20 years for both male (29%) and female (25%). Interestingly, more respondents reported that
females should have their sexual debut at 18 years or younger (58% of respondents) compared to
their male counterparts (47%).
Figure 12: Appropriate age for sexual debut

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This perception was supported by the FGDs and KIIs where the participants suggested that females
should start to have sexual intercourse at an earlier age. Some of the reasons given included that they
mature faster than the males; are able to handle themselves; have very active hormones and; have
properly developed bodies among other reasons. Girls were also reported to associate their early
development of sexual organs such as the breasts to sexual maturity, thereby causing them to start
sexual activity early.
Another interesting reason that came up from the FGDs for early sexual debut for girls and boys
was the fact of showering from the lakeside. One of the young people reported that sharing the slots
allocated for men and women to shower at lake is a huge contributing factor for early sexual debut.
This, it was mentioned, exposes both genders to nudity thereby contributing to the young people’s
urge to engage in sexual intercourse.
RH issues faced by the youth
Table 2.8: Do adolescents face RH issues?
Do adolescents face RH issues Frequency (%)
Yes 90.99
No 9.01
Total 100
Most of the respondents agreed that adolescents are faced by RH challenges. This is shown in Table
2.8. Some of the RH risks they identified by the respondents were STIs including HIV and AIDS
(85%), unwanted pregnancies (68%), unsafe abortions (28%), sexual violence (16%) among others.
Figure 13: RH risks faced by adolescents
How knowledgeable are you about RH issues?
Most respondents reported being either somewhat knowledgeable (46%) or very knowledgeable
(31%) on RH issues. Only about 6% of the respondents indicated that they were very

24. Page | 15
unknowledgeable on matters RH, with another 9% reporting being somewhat unknowledgeable. 6%
were unsure of their level of RH issues knowledge
Figure 14: Respondents self-reported knowledge-ability on RH issues
Knowledge of possible infections through sexual intercourse
Most respondents (95%) reported that they knew the infections that could arise through sexual
intercourse.
Table 2.9: Knowledge on possible infections
Knowledge on possible infections Frequency (%)
Yes 94.85
No 5.15
Total 100
When asked some of the possible infections that could arise from sex, almost all respondents (99%)
reported HIV and AIDS. However, there was relatively low understanding of other STIs like
gonorrhea and syphilis (both 66%). Very few respondents knew infections such as Herpes and
genital warts (both 10%) and Hepatitis B (1%) were sexually transmitted.

25. Page | 16
Figure 15: Knowledge of STIs
Family planning (FP) Methods
20% of those sampled in the survey reported having no knowledge of FP methods, whatsoever.
Table 2.10: Knowledge of FP Methods
Knowledge of FP Methods Frequency (%)
Yes 80.00
No 20.00
Total 100
Nevertheless, for the 80% who reported knowledge, the pill was the most popular FP method
(84%), followed by condoms (74%) and injections (68%). Only a few people indicated the rhythm
method (8%) and abstinence (17%) as FP methods.
Figure 16: Reported family planning methods
Excitingly, only 34% of the people reporting knowledge of FP methods actually used them.

26. Page | 17
Table 2.11: Respondent is using FP Methods
Respondent is using FP Methods Frequency (%)
Yes 34.39
No 65.61
Total 100
With regards to the use of FP methods, the condom was the most commonly used amongst the
respondents (61%) followed by injections (30%). Interestingly, although the pill was a widely known
FP method, only a small proportion of the adolescents and youth reported using them with only
13% of the respondents saying they did. The rhythm (2%) method and abstinence (1%) were other
methods that were being used by the respondents but in very low measures.
Figure 17: Family planning methods used by respondents
Figure 18: Comparison between FP method knowledge versus use
Those using FP methods mostly visited the pharmacy (54%) to access those services, with clinics
(31%) being the second most preferred service provider. Herbalists/traditionalists and other sources
accounted for 15% of the sources of FP services.

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Figure 19: Where respondents accessed FP services
The main reason cited by the respondents for not using FP methods was the lack of knowledge of
available FP methods (15%). 11% reported the fear of the side effects of the FP methods as a reason
for not the services while 8% said they wanted children and therefore had no reason to use FP
methods. Another 7% said they were leaving it to nature. Other reasons for non-usage of FP
methods were that husbands opposed their use (3%), it went against religious views (3%), the
services are too expensive (2%), and because of health concerns (2%). Interestingly, 13%
acknowledged they did not have any reason for not using FP services, indicating that there is a
knowledge gap on access to FP services.
Table 2.12: Reason for not using FP methods
Reason for not using FP methods Frequency (%)
Wants children 8.81
Lack of knowledge 15.55
Husband opposed 3.11
Too expensive 2.07
Fear side effects 10.88
Health concerns 1.55
Hard to get method 0.52
Opposes birth spacing 0.52
Leave it to nature 7.25
Religious 3.11
Husband absent 8.29
Difficult get pregnant 0.52
Don’t Know 13.99

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Attitudes towards RH issues
The study found very interesting figures on the attitudes of the youth in Homa Bay County towards
sex and reproductive health issues. An overwhelming 62% of the respondents thought it was not
possible for a girl to get pregnant at first sexual intercourse. Similarly interesting is that while 37%
indicated that girls should be expelled from school when they get pregnant, only 28% thought a
similar penalty should be meted on the boys who made them pregnant. 63% of the respondents
were of the opinion that girls only agreed to have sex because of presents and money. 47% indicated
it was normal for girls to have sex before marriage, with an equally high figure (48%) suggesting it
was normal for boys as well. 40% indicated that boys put girls under pressure to have sex.
Attitudes on family planning and contraceptive use were similarly surprising with only 34%
suggesting it was possible to get pregnant after using family planning methods. 41% of the
respondents thought contraceptive pills were only meant for women, not girls. 44% of the young
people thought that condoms are not appropriate for the youth because it encourages them to have
sex.
Table 2.13: Attitudes towards RH issues
Attitude Strongly
Agree
Agree Neither
Agree nor
Disagree
Disagree Strongly
Disagree
It is normal for girls to have sex before
marriage
18.66 28.13 8.64 26.18 18.38
It is normal for boys to have sex before
marriage
18.94 29.25 8.08 27.58 16.16
Boys put girls under pressure to have sex 12.61 26.89 15.69 27.73 17.09
It is not possible for a girl to get pregnant
at first sexual intercourse
11.76 20.17 15.13 31.37 21.57
Girls agree to have sex because of presents
and money
19.15 43.66 10.14 17.75 9.3
Contraceptive pills are for adult women
and not girls
18.59 21.97 14.65 30.42 14.37
Condoms are not good for the youth
because it encourages them to have sex
17.42 26.12 8.99 33.15 14.33
Girls should be expelled from school when
they get pregnant
16.62 20 6.76 36.34 20.28
A boy who impregnates a girl should be
expelled from school
10.7 17.75 5.92 42.54 23.1
It is not possible to get pregnant after
using family planning methods
14.29 22.69 28.85 21.01 13.17

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3b: HIV and AIDS
Almost all respondents (98%) reported having heard of HIV and AIDS. This is shown in Table
2.14.
Table 2.14: Respondent has heard of HIV and AIDS
Respondent has heard of HIV and AIDS Frequency (%)
Yes 98.89
No 1.11
Total 100
Knowledge of ways to contract HIV and AIDS
Respondents displayed a good understanding of the various ways of contracting HIV and AIDS,
with a very high proportion (98%) reporting sexual relations as a possible way of acquiring the STI.
Other reported ways of contracting HIV and AIDS cited by the respondents included sharing sharp
objects (73%), blood transfusion (55%), infection from mother to child at birth (35%) and
breastfeeding (19%).
Despite showing a relatively high understanding of some of the ways to contract HIV and AIDS,
there still exist misconceptions from amongst the young people on other ways of contracting the
virus. For example, 27% reported that it was possible to acquire HIV by kissing an infected person
while (6%) reported that it was possible to contract the virus by sharing utensils with infected
persons. Other misconceptions that were reported included acquiring HIV and AIDS through
mosquito bites or other insect bites (4%) and causal contact with infected persons (3%).
Table 2.15: Ways of contracting HIV and AIDS
Ways of contracting HIV and AIDS Percent
Sexual relations 98.33
Sharing sharp objects 72.98
Sharing utensils 6.13
Kissing an infected person 27.3
Blood transfusion 55.43
Mother to Child at birth 34.82
Mosquito bites or other insect bites 4.46
Breast milk 19.22
Casual contact with infected persons 3.34
Don’t Know 0.56

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Knowledge of ways of preventing HIV and AIDs
Abstinence was the most common HIV prevention measure mentioned by the respondents. They
also cited having protected sexual intercourse, being faithful to one partner; avoiding sharing sharp
objects and avoiding contaminated blood as other ways of HIV prevention. Avoiding commercial
sex workers (16%) and casual sex (8%) were also mentioned. Only a few respondents did not know
HIV prevention measures (5%) or mentioned avoiding casual contact with infected persons (2%) as
a prevention measure.
Table 2.16: Reported HIV and AIDS prevention measures
Ways of avoiding HIV and AIDS Percent
Don’t Know 4.76
Abstinence 77.03
Being faithful to one partner 48.18
Avoiding contaminated blood 36.41
Using condoms during sexual intercourse 58.26
Avoiding sharing sharp objects 43.42
Avoiding commercial sex workers 16.53
Avoiding casual sex 7.56
Avoiding casual contact with infected persons 2.24
Ways of preventing mother to child HIV and AIDS transmission
Respondents similarly showed a fairly low level of awareness of the ways of preventing mother to
child HIV and AIDS transmission. 52% cited delivery at a health facility as one way, while only 25%
mentioned exclusive breastfeeding. Other mother-to-child HIV prevention strategies mentioned
included pre-natal HIV and AIDS Testing (22%) prophylaxis (16%), timely access to effective
antiretroviral therapy (6%) and avoiding unwanted pregnancies among HIV-infected women (5%).
27% of the population did not know any mother-to-child HIV prevention strategies.
Table 2.17: Ways of preventing mother to child HIV and AIDS transmission
Ways of preventing mother to child HIV and AIDS transmission Percent
Don’t Know 26.76
Pre-natal HIV/AIDS Testing 22.25
Timely access to effective antiretroviral therapy 5.91
Avoiding unwanted pregnancies among HIV-infected women 4.51
Exclusive breastfeeding 24.79
Delivery at health facility 52.39
Prophylaxis 16.62

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Sexual activity
55% of those surveyed reported that they had had sexual intercourse in the last 12 months. Also, the
reported age at sexual debut was 15.83 years, meaning that most people were engaging in teenage
sex.
Table 2.18: Respondent has had sexual intercourse in the last 12 months
Frequency (%)
Yes 55.00
No 45.00
Total 100
Surprisingly, 68% of respondents had their first sexual intercourse at 18 years or less, with 12% of
those said even having their sexual debut at 12 years or less.
Figure 20: Age at sexual debut
Number of sexual partners in last 12 months
Most people (75%) reported having only one sexual partner in the last year, meaning that about 25%
of the young people in the county have more than one sexual partner, a risky sexual behaviour.

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Figure 21: Number of sexual partners in last 12 months
How frequently respondents use a condom
The frequency of condom use was relatively low amongst the young people. Only 42% reported
using condoms every time they had sexual intercourse, also a risky sexual behaviour. Of the 58%
who did not use condoms each time they had sex, 26% of them said they never used a condom.
Figure 22: Frequency of condom use
Respondents were also asked whether they used condoms during their last sexual activity. Table 2.19
below shows the responses. More than 40% of the respondents did not use a condom during their
last sexual intercourse.
Table 2.19: Did respondent used condom in last sexual encounter?
Frequency (%)
Yes 59.50
No 40.50
Total 100
The main reasons for not using condoms were that they did not like them (22%), they used other
contraceptive methods (18%), their partners declined to use condoms (16%) and that they did not
have condoms at the time (7%). Interestingly 22% either mentioned that they did not think it was
necessary to use a condom in their last sexual activity or they had no reason for not using it (11%
each).
Table 2.20: Reason for not using a condom
Reason for not using condom Percent
I do not like using condoms 22.12
I use other contraceptives 18.27
My partner declined to use it 16.35
I did not have condoms at the time 6.73

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I don’t think it’s necessary 10.58
No reason 10.58
Other 15.38
HIV and AIDS testing
HIV and AIDS testing prevalence was relatively high in the county with 74% reporting that they had
taken a test before.
Table 2.21: Has respondent taken a HIV and AIDS test?
Frequency (%)
Yes 74.16
No 25.84
Total 100
However, a more than half of the respondents (51%) indicated that they had last taken an HIV test
more than three months ago, the window period for which markers of HIV are undetectable.
Consequently, only less than half of the population could be confident of their HIV status.
Figure 23: Period since last HIV test
Those who had had never taken the test gave varied reasons for not taking it. 48% said they had not
taken the test since they were not at risk of acquiring HIV, while 27% said they had not been
exposed to the virus and were therefore confident of their status. Other reasons for non-testing
were the lack of knowledge of the testing facilities available (10%) and respondents took necessary
precaution during sexual intercourse and were confident if their status (6%). @% of the respondents
blamed unfriendly service providers and non-cooperative spouses for not ever being tested.
Table 2.22: Reason for not taking HIV test
Reason for not taking HIV test Percent

34. Page | 25
I take necessary precaution and therefore confident of status 6.17
No knowledge of testing facility available 9.88
Unfriendly service providers 1.23
I have not been exposed to the virus/ confident of my status 27.16
My spouse does not approve of it 1.23
I am not at risk 48.15
Other 6.17
Attitudes and Beliefs on HIV and AIDS
Attitudes on PLWHAs were fairly positive in the county. 96% of the respondents suggested that
PLWHAs should not be stopped from sharing utensils with others, with a similar proportion saying
that PLWHAs should be allowed to eat and sleep with others.
Knowledge on HIV infection was fairly low with only 40% indicating that one couldn’t contract the
virus by mere kissing. Similarly, only 70% knew that a child could contract HIV and AIDS through
breastfeeding from a positive mother. Nevertheless, only 4% indicating that it was possible to get
infected by shaking hands with infected persons.
Table 2.23: Attitudes and knowledge on HIV and AIDS
Attitudes and Knowledge Strongly
Agree
Agree Neither
Agree nor
Disagree
Disagree Strongly
Disagree
It is not possible to talk to
parents/children about sex, love STIs and
HIV/ AIDS
16.67 16.39 6.94 38.33 21.67
People with HIV/AIDS should not be
allowed to eat/ sleep with people
1.1 1.93 0.83 27.62 68.51
People with HIV/AIDS should not be
allowed to share utensils with people
1.38 2.76 0.83 29.01 66.02
I can contract HIV and AIDs by shaking
hands with a positive person
1.93 1.93 3.87 32.32 59.94
I can contract HIV and AIDs by kissing a
positive person
7.73 27.35 24.03 17.96 22.93
A child can contract HIV and AIDS
through breastfeeding from a positive
mother
25.48 44.6 10.25 8.31 11.36
FGDs conducted within the county also revealed interesting beliefs amongst adolescents and young
people living in the county. For example, there is widespread belief that having sexual intercourse
while inside the lake prevents people from acquiring HIV even if having sexual intercourse with an
infected person. A similarly dominant belief amongst the youth was that having sexual intercourse
with virgins is safe.

35. Page | 26
In yet another FGD meeting, one of the youths mentioned that in their community, it was a belief
that taking a cold shower after having sexual intercourse with an infected person can help prevent
HIV transmission, since the cold shower washes away the virus. Another mentioned that even for a
HIV positive person, there was no virus in the semen, and that the HIV virus was only in the blood.
There were mixed reactions on the same, with others opposing the belief, while several other
supporting it. One of the most interesting beliefs that came up during the FGDs was that three
weeks after circumcision, having sexual intercourse with a HIV negative person and then
absconding showering for three days makes one immune. The participant’s comment was as follows;
“Another popular belief in our communities is that, following circumcision, after three weeks
when you have sexual intercourse with a HIV negative person and then not shower for three
days, you become immune and cannot contract the virus even if you have unprotected sex with a
positive person”
These beliefs could be some of the factors leading to a high prevalence of HIV and AIDS in the
county, as they help to promote unsafe sexual behaviour.
3c: Early Marriages
Respondents were asked the appropriate time for both males and females to get engaged. Figure
below shows the responses. Most respondents think that the best time for engagement is between
the ages of 15 years and 18 years for both females (28%) and males (21). Only a handful of
respondents thought that children should be engaged at 14 years or younger (3% for females and
1% for males). Interestingly, more respondents thought females should be engaged a younger age
than their male counterparts (56% think females should be engaged at 20 years or younger
compared to only 44%)
Figure 24: Best times to get engaged females versus males
Most respondents however reported that both males and females should be married at a much later
time, with 31% reporting that females should be married at 25 years or older and 61% reporting that
males should be married at the same age. However, just like for engagement, most respondents

36. Page | 27
suggest that females should be married at a much younger age than the males, with 68% reporting
females should be married at 24 years or younger, compared to only 40% for the males.
Figure 25: Best times to get married females versus males
Some of the complications that respondents indicated could arise because of pre-mature pregnancies
included maternal deaths (64%), pre-mature births (26%), bleeding (21%), spontaneous abortion
(19%) and stillbirths (15%). Others mentioned were mental/ physical disabilities in the child (8%)
and overweight newborns (9%). Interestingly, one out of every ten respondents interviewed said no
complications could arise as a result of pre-mature pregnancies.
Table 2.24: Possible complications
Possible complications Percent
There are no complications 10.34
Maternal deaths 63.51
Pre-mature birth 26.15
Overweight newborns 9.77
Spontaneous abortion 19.25
Stillbirth 14.66
Low birth weight 11.78
Bleeding 20.98
Mental/ physical disabilities in the child 7.76
High levels of child bleeding 1.44
Other 5.17
Attitudes on early marriage
The perception about girls being a source of wealth is relatively prevalent in the county. 33% of
those interviewed at least agreed that girls are a source of wealth to the family, with another 11% of
them being unsure. However, most respondents at least disagree that early marriage saves a girl from

37. Page | 28
the embarrassment of early pregnancy with a similar proportion similarly disagreeing that a girl child
should be married early so that they can get a burial place.
Table 2.25: Attitudes on early marriage
Attitudes Strongly
Agree
Agree Neither
Agree
nor
Disagree
Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Early marriages saves a girl from the
embarrassment of early pregnancy
2.81 14.33 2.25 32.3 48.31
Girls are a source of wealth to the family 6.2 27.32 11.55 21.41 33.52
A girl needs to get married early in order to
save their parents from poverty
0.85 7.61 5.07 34.93 51.55
A child should be married early so that they
can get a burial place
1.13 5.07 3.38 31.83 58.59
Some of the beliefs mentioned in the FGDs regarding early marriage included that it is a taboo for a
girl who gets pregnant before marriage to be taken care of by her father. In this case, the parents,
especially the fathers decline to host the pregnant girls in their homes thereby forcing them to be
married off for cultural reasons. Another reason for girls being married off at an early age is that
they are considered not to belong to their current families since they will depart to the husband’s
family. One youth mentioned
“Girls are perceived as wealth to the family hence are sold off. They do not belong here. They belong
to the other side; their husband’s side.”
3d: Education
Attitudes on education and schooling of the girl child similarly seemed particularly positive. For
example, an overwhelming 96% of the respondents at least disagreed with the perception that girls
are supposed to stay at home and do housework, while boys attend school. Also encouraging was
that 95% acknowledged that indeed there was a benefit of taking a girl to school and that it was not
a waste of money. However, only about 72% of the respondents at least agreed that girls can
perform well in Mathematics and the sciences. Also, a relatively high proportion of the respondents
(22%) thought that the boy child is the breadwinner and as such must be given the best
opportunities right from the start.
Regarding the boy child, most respondents (91%) at least agreed that in spite of the several income
generating opportunities available for male adolescents, it was important for them not to quit school
for the purposes of taking up jobs to generate income.
Table 2.26: Attitudes on education and schooling
Attitudes Strongly Agree Neither Disagree Strongly

38. Page | 29
Agree Agree
nor
Disagree
Disagree
There is no benefit of taking a girl child to
school. It is a waste of money
3.06 1.94 0 29.72 65.28
Girls are supposed to stay at home and clean,
while boys attended school
0.56 1.4 1.12 29.69 67.23
No matter how much education you give to a
woman, she will one day end up as a house
wife and all her needs will be catered for
2.79 7.8 3.62 32.03 53.76
The boy is the breadwinner; therefore he
must be given the best opportunities right
from the beginning, including the best
education
4.48 17.37 8.4 31.93 37.82
It is better to educate a boy because after all,
most girls are very foolish
1.4 3.35 2.51 30.17 62.57
There is no need to take girls to school
because they get themselves pregnant and
drop out anyways
0.86 3.16 0.57 35.06 60.34
Girls generally do not have much interest in
schooling
1.12 3.07 8.38 29.89 57.54
Boys have no reason to stay in school because
they can make enough money working (from
fishing/ mining etc.)
1.4 4.19 2.79 37.15 54.47
Girls cannot perform well in Mathematics and
Sciences
6.96 11.14 9.75 25.91 46.24
3e: Drug Abuse
Respondents were asked if they used drugs and alcohol. 91% of them indicated that they used none
of alcohol, tobacco, local brew or bhang. 5% reported using alcohol, 2% said they consumed local
brew, with another 1% each saying they used bhang and tobacco products.
Table 2.27: Type of drug consumed
Type of Substance Percent
Alcohol 5.21
Tobacco products 0.98
Local brew (Changaa, busaa) 1.95
Bhang 1.63
None 91.21
Out of those who reported consumption of drugs and substances, 28% said they only used the
drugs occasionally, 25% reported using them rarely, while 7% reported using them several times a
week. 39% reported using drugs at least once daily.

39. Page | 30
Figure 26: Frequency of drug consumption
Attitudes regarding drug abuse
When asked about their understanding of the risks associated with drug abuse, adolescents and
young people felt that they had at least a good understanding (89% agreed or agreed strongly).
However, while only about 11% were either unsure of their level of knowledge or had very little
knowledge, 41% were either unsure or did not think that drug abuse increases the risk of diabetic
ulcers, while another 28% were either unsure or did not think that drug abuse increases the risk of
heart attack, suggesting that knowledge on the hazards of drug abuse might not be as impressive as
reported by the respondents. There was also relative uncertainty amongst the respondents on the
role of drug abuse in promoting bladder cancer, with 40% saying they were either unsure or did not
think drug abuse would lead to bladder cancer. Only just over a half of the respondents thought
that drug abuse can lead to impotence, further underlining the possibility of respondents overstating
their knowledge on the effects on drug abuse. Equally, a good number of the respondents (37%)
were unsure whether quitting smoking by an alcoholic who was six months into recovery from
alcohol would threaten their sobriety. Nevertheless, there was agreement amongst respondents that
drug abuse increases the risk of contracting HIV and AIDS with 78% indicating they at least agreed
with the statement.
Table 2.28: Knowledge and Attitudes towards drugs
Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Strongly
Agree
Agree Neither
Agree
nor
Disagree
Disagree Strongly
Disagree
I know very well the hazards of drug abuse. 49.15 39.77 4.55 4.55 1.99
HIV increases the risk of developing drug
abuse-related illness
11.27 39.44 19.72 12.68 16.9
Drug abuse increases the risk of contracting
HIV and AIDS
33.15 44.38 6.18 8.99 7.3
Drug abuse increases the risk of heart attack 15.97 56.02 9.52 3.64 14.85

40. Page | 31
Drug abuse increases the risk of diabetic ulcers 13.48 45.22 20.22 4.49 16.57
Drug abuse increases the risk of impotence 10.7 41.69 22.82 8.17 16.62
Drug abuse increases the risk of bladder
cancer
12.75 47.03 20.11 4.53 15.58
Drug abuse increases the risk of poor wound
healing
9.89 43.79 21.75 7.63 16.95
If a patient has been in recovery from
alcoholism for less than 6 months, quitting
smoking would threaten their sobriety
18.66 25.36 37.61 11.08 7.29
My friends are concerned about drug abuse 29.69 42.3 17.93 7 3.08
Drug abuse is a personal decision which does
not concern me
11.05 24.65 12.75 29.75 21.81
I know where to refer people for help with
drug abuse cessation
37.25 34.73 13.17 5.88 8.96
SECTION IV: SOURCE OF INFORMATION
Main source of information
Radio was highlighted by the respondents as the main source of information by adolescents and
youth in the county with seven out of every ten respondents indicating they used it as their main
source. Television was fairly popular as well amongst the youth with about 12% indicating that they
relied on the TV set as their main source of information. Interestingly yet unsurprisingly, the mobile
phone was the third most preferred information source amongst the respondents at about 6%.
Other sources of information included word of mouth (3%), newspapers and the internet (each at
1%). The least common source of information amongst the youth was the notice boards (less than
1%)
Table 2.29: Main source of information
Main source of information Percentage
Radio 73.96
Television 12.47
Newspaper 1.66
Mobile Phone 6.65
Internet/ World wide web 1.94
Notice boards 0.28
Word of mouth 3.05
Total 100

41. Page | 32
Type of media owned by household
Regarding the type of media device owned, an overwhelming 89% of the respondents owned a
working radio, 18% of them owned a television set, and 26% owned a mobile phone while only
about 2% owned a computer or tablet.
Table 2.30: Type of media owned by household
What media does your house own? Percentage
Radio 89.52
Television 18.13
Mobile Phone 26.35
Computer (Laptop/ Desktop/ Tablet) 1.98
Note: Totals more than 100% since this was a multiple choice question
Main source of power
The main source of power for most households was batteries (71%), 13% used electricity while 7%
used solar energy. Another 7% indicated that they did not have a source of power for their
households.
Figure 27: Main source of power
How often community has listened to the radio in the past month
From the study, the average time respondents take listening to the radio on a normal day is reported
as 3.36 hours. With most respondents relying on the radio as their primary source of information, it
was unsurprising that most of them (65%) listened to the radio every day in the past month. 19%
listened to the radio every other day while 11% listened to the radio at least once a week. Only 3%
of the respondents said they listened to the radio only once in the past month.

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Figure 28: How often respondents listened to the radio in the past month
What days do you listen to the radio?
Respondents mostly listened to the radio on Saturday (89%) and Sunday (85%) over all the other
days, while there was least listenership on Tuesday (73%) and Thursday (72%). Nevertheless, the
data showed that there was fairly good radio listenership every day in the county.
Figure 29: Days respondents listen to the radio
Similar trends are evident with respect to the days respondents are most likely to listen to the radio
with a vast majority of the respondents (54%) indicating that they were most likely to listen to the
radio on Saturday over any other day. Sunday (24%) and Friday (7%) were fairly popular as well.
Tuesday and Thursday (each with 1%) were the least likely days for respondents to listen to the
radio. This is illustrated in figure

43. Page | 34
Figure 30: Days respondents are most likely to listen to the radio
At what times are people most likely to listen to the radio?
Most of the respondents (24%) mentioned 2:00-4:00PM as the time they were most likely to listen to
the radio. 18% indicated that they were most likely to listen to the between 8:00- 10:00pm in the
evening. Other popular times for listening to the radio were between 12:00pm-2:00pm (12%),
between 8:00am- 10:00am and between 10:00am- 12:00pm (both 10%). The least popular times for
listening to the radio, according to the respondents was between 10:00pm- 12:00am (1%) and
between 6:00am - 8:00am (5%).
Figure 31: Popular times for listening to the radio by adolescents and youth
What radio programs do you enjoy listening to most?
Radio talks (77%) were the most enjoyed programs by the youth, followed by news (55%) and music
(54%). Plays/ drama were similarly fairly popular amongst the youth with 47% indicating they
enjoyed listening to them over the radio. The least popular radio programs amongst the youth were
documentaries (4%), greetings (11%) and quiz shows (14%).

44. Page | 35
Figure 32: Radio programs most popular amongst adolescents and youth in the county
The most popular radio station
Ramogi FM was the most popular radio station amongst the youth in the county with 39% of the
respondents indicating it was their favorite, followed by QFM (25%), Citizen Radio (9%), Radio
Maisha (5%), Radio Jambo (4%) and Sunset FM (4%). The least popular radio station was Sayare
FM (0.5%)
Figure 33: Most popular radio station in the county

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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Conclusions and Recommendations
 Age barrier was a huge inhibiting factor for community participation over 18% of the
respondents not participating in community initiatives. More community activities should
therefore be targeted at the youth to ensure their inclusivity in community development
 The youth are not involved in community development and county development decision
making. The county government as well as community leaders should therefore work
towards incorporating adolescents and youth in decision making at both the community and
county level.
 Most youth do not use family planning services. The main reason for the lack of use of FP
methods is because of lack of knowledge by the youth of available FP methods. A similarly
good proportion does not know why they are not using FP services. As such, one of the
focuses of the radio programmes could be to provide more awareness on family planning
services available in the area, as well as possible places they could access them
 Despite showing a relatively high understanding of some of the ways to contract HIV and
AIDS, there still exist misconceptions from amongst the young people on other ways of
contracting the virus. Misconceptions such as acquiring HIV by kissing an infected persons,
sharing utensils with infected persons, mosquito bites or other insect bites and causal contact
with infected persons still exist amongst the youth and therefore, there should be more focus
on increasing awareness, especially since these misconceptions could lead to stereotyping of
PLWHAs
 The frequency of condom use was also very low amongst the young people. With only less
than half of the population using condoms every time they had sexual intercourse and more
than a quarter of them not using condoms at all, the youth are exposed to several
reproductive health risks. Awareness programmes would be essential to aid in the promotion
of behavior change amongst the youth towards adopting safer sexual practices.
 A vast majority of the youth are most likely to listen to the radio on Saturday and Sunday
over any other days, while the most popular time for listening to the radio is between 2:00-
4:00pm and between 8:00- 10:00pm in the evening. Educational radio programmes should
therefore be targeted on these days and time in order to reach the widest audience of youth
 Radio talks were the most enjoyed programs by the youth. Radio programming targeted at
the adolescents and youth should therefore be designed into radio talks in order to attract
listenership and participation from them. Discussions should be designed to include talks on
key health indicators including HIV and AIDs, reproductive health, early marriages,
education and drug abuse.