https://www.journals.eanso.org/index.php/ijar <p>This is a peer-reviewed journal aimed at addressing research from a global perspective through cross-disciplinary integration and management under one journal. Like all other EANSO Journals, IJAR is highly indexed, has an Editorial and Advisory Board and uses DOI as the primary identifier for Articles. This journal strictly published research papers that are a result of thorough research processes with both findings and discussions.</p> East African Nature and Science Organization en-US International Journal of Advanced Research 2707-7802 https://www.journals.eanso.org/index.php/ijar/article/view/3633 <p>Sustainable conflict management is vital as conflicts lead to loss of lives, forced displacement of people, loss of lives, livestock stolen, and widespread property destruction. In the Saku constituency, access to grazing land and water sources is a continuous cause of conflict. This study aimed to investigate sustainable conflict management options over land and water resources in Saku Constituency, Marsabit, Kenya. The study was guided by Paul Lederach's conflict transformation theory. Employing a mixed-method design, the study targeted a total population of 15,696 households, representing various stakeholders, such as community members, government officials, religious leaders, and civil society representatives. The study sample size was 375 households.&nbsp;&nbsp; Questionnaires and interviews were used for data collection, which was tested for reliability and validity prior to administration. The research quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, whereas content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. For conflict management, the study identified measures such as enhanced capacity building on peace and conflict transformation, collaborative approaches, sustainable resource management practices, adequate access to information, and respecting the rights and interests of all parties. Thus, the study recommends measures on conflict prevention, including improved security patrols, interventions from the National Government, policymakers, and professionals in conflict management, and application of conflict management options, which include enhanced capacity building on peace and conflict transformation</p> Muhammed Abdullahi Guracha Ahmed Maalim Mohamed David Karienye ##submission.copyrightStatement## http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 2025-09-12 2025-09-12 8 2 1 11 10.37284/ijar.8.2.3633 https://www.journals.eanso.org/index.php/ijar/article/view/3673 <p><strong>Purpose</strong>: This article aims to unlock the potential of action research by providing a comprehensive, literature-based guide for students and lecturers. It emphasises how action research bridges theory and practice across disciplines, enabling learners and educators to address real-world problems in meaningful, context-specific ways. <strong>Rationale</strong>: Given the growing emphasis on reflective, participatory, and contextually grounded research methodologies, action research is increasingly relevant in fields such as education, healthcare, and the social sciences. Its capacity to promote critical thinking, collaboration, and reflection contributes significantly to both personal and professional development for students and educators alike. <strong>Methodology</strong>: This article is grounded in a literature analysis of key academic sources related to action research. It explores the historical development, principles (including participation, iteration, and reflection), and various types of action research such as participatory, collaborative, and practitioner research. It also outlines the action research cycle, problem identification, planning, action, observation, and reflection with illustrative examples. <strong>Findings</strong>: Action research fosters deeper engagement, critical inquiry, and collaborative learning. While it presents challenges such as concerns about validity, reliability, and generalizability, strategies to address these are also well-documented in the literature. Best practices for ethical engagement, rigorous data collection, and effective supervision are identified, particularly in the context of higher education. <strong>Implications for Theory, Research, and Practice:</strong> The article underscores the transformative potential of action research in advancing educational practice and research. For theory, it contributes to the discourse on participatory and practice-based methodologies. For research, it supports context-sensitive approaches that value stakeholder input. For practice, it guides students and lecturers in implementing action research effectively, enhancing their capacity to engage in continuous improvement and innovation.</p> Waninga Willy, PhD Atabo Hellen Kulwenza Rachael Alemu Timothy Wekoye Cornel Weswa Nandokha Charles Nambogwe Evalyn Nandutu Rebecca Nansubuga Mercy Sharon Musundi Ben Fredrick Nadunga Beatrice ##submission.copyrightStatement## http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 2025-09-18 2025-09-18 8 2 12 43 10.37284/ijar.8.2.3673 https://www.journals.eanso.org/index.php/ijar/article/view/3680 <p>This study examined factors contributing to various levels of access to sanitation among households in the informal settlements of Kaptembwo, Githima, and Rhonda in Nakuru Town West Constituency. The key parameters assessed included the location of sanitation facilities, sanitation technologies in use, levels of satisfaction with sanitation technologies, and household expenditure on sanitation. The study employed a survey research design. The target population included households of the three informal settlements, totalling 3,400, with a sample size of 393 respondents determined using the Yamane (1967) formula. Data were collected using the key informant schedule, questionnaires and the guide for the focused group discussions. The data collection instruments were pre-tested with 30 households in the informal settlements in Nakuru East Constituency. All ethical issues were addressed adequately. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analysed. Findings revealed that most respondents (68.9%) had sanitation facilities within their compounds, indicating that physical proximity was not a major hindrance to access. However, the majority of sanitation technologies were found to be of poor quality, with 30.8% of households using pit latrines not connected to any sewer, septic tank, or composting chamber, while 26.1% used flush systems discharging into open drains or unknown locations. Satisfaction with sanitation technologies was generally low, with 62.5% of respondents expressing either no satisfaction or minimal satisfaction due to outdated, poorly functioning, or inadequate facilities. Regarding expenditure, more than half of households (54.5%) reported spending less than KSh 500 per month on sanitation, suggesting limited investment in improved technologies. The findings indicate that although sanitation facilities are physically accessible, poor technologies, low satisfaction, and limited household investment significantly constrain the realisation of improved sanitation in these informal settlements.</p> Zaitun Kanenje Dickson Mudhune Ombaka, PhD Henry Kipkpgei Rono, PhD ##submission.copyrightStatement## http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 2025-09-19 2025-09-19 8 2 44 57 10.37284/ijar.8.2.3680 https://www.journals.eanso.org/index.php/ijar/article/view/3719 <p>Accurate rainfall forecasting is crucial in activities such as agricultural planning, water resource management, and flood preparedness, so failure to accurately forecast rainfall might undermine these activities. This study aimed to improve the accuracy of daily rainfall prediction in Hai district, Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania, a region characterised by a bimodal rainfall pattern, by comparing rainfall prediction accuracies of Traditional Machine Learning (TML) and Deep Learning (DL) models. The 25-year daily rainfall dataset for Hai district was first pre-processed by cleaning, normalisation, and splitting into training (first 60%), validation (next 20%), and test (last 20%) sets. TML models (K-Nearest Neighbours (KNN) through its variant KNN Regressor and Support Vector Machine (SVM) through its variant Support Vector Regressor (SVR)) were developed, trained, and their performances compared with developed and trained DL models (Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Gated Recurrent Units (GRU)). Each model’s test performance was evaluated using the Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) metric. The findings revealed that the DL models, LSTM and GRU, achieved test RMSE scores of 6.35 mm and 6.49 mm, respectively, while the TML models, KNN and SVM, achieved test RMSE scores of 6.61 mm and 10.42 mm, respectively. The study demonstrated that DL models are more effective for accurate rainfall forecasting than TML models in regions with complex rainfall patterns. The insights gained will guide the development of more reliable, location-specific weather prediction systems, ultimately supporting informed decision-making in agriculture, environmental management, and flood risk reduction in Tanzania and other regions facing similar climatic challenges</p> Gift Johnson Swai Isakwisa Gaddy Tende Christian Budoya ##submission.copyrightStatement## http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 2025-09-26 2025-09-26 8 2 58 76 10.37284/ijar.8.2.3719 https://www.journals.eanso.org/index.php/ijar/article/view/3721 <p>Road infrastructure is critical for socio-economic development in rural Tanzania, yet the Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA) faces severe funding constraints, with annual budgets covering only 30% of required maintenance needs. In Makete District, TARURA manages 700km of district roads with funding of 1.2-2.8 billion Tanzanian Shillings, far below the 5.5 billion required for optimal maintenance. The current allocation system lacks systematic prioritisation, relying on subjective decisions that fail to optimise limited resources in this challenging mountainous terrain. This study developed a maintenance fund allocation prioritisation model for district roads in Makete District. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from 80 stakeholders through structured questionnaires and field observations. Relative Importance Index (RII) analysis identified seven critical factors: Traffic Volume (0.913), Road Physical Condition (0.905), Connectivity to Essential Services (0.905), Maintenance Cost-Effectiveness (0.903), Geographical Challenges (0.903), Economic Importance (0.900), and Rainfall and Drainage Requirements (0.898). A multiple linear regression model was developed with strong statistical validity (R² = 0.782, p &lt; 0.001): Y = 0.11 + 0.12(RC) + 0.21(TV) + 0.12(CES) + 0.13(MCE) + 0.14(GC) + 0.24(EI) + 0.13(RDR). Model validation across six road segments demonstrated consistent, rational prioritisation rankings aligned with infrastructure needs. The study successfully transformed subjective maintenance fund allocation into an objective, data-driven process that balances technical, economic, social, and environmental considerations. This research provides TARURA with a practical decision-support tool for efficient resource allocation and offers a methodology adaptable to other rural districts facing similar infrastructure management challenges</p> Frank John Kapesa Jubily Musagasa, PhD ##submission.copyrightStatement## http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 2025-09-26 2025-09-26 8 2 77 89 10.37284/ijar.8.2.3721 https://www.journals.eanso.org/index.php/ijar/article/view/3773 <p>Social services professionals are agents of change in any society. For many years, people with albinism in Tanzania have faced many injustices and malicious acts like murder, kidnapping, rape, cutting, and selling their body parts. In Tanzania, due to their condition, they have been placed under the category of “people with disability”. It has fallen to social services professionals to be their saviours and protectors, helping them voice their problems and other issues. This study aims to examine the attitudes of social services professionals, their roles, and the precautionary measures taken towards protecting people with albinism in the Dar es Salaam region. In this study, 30 participants were contacted, but only 24 responded, and these were 6 social services professionals from the government, 6 from the non-governmental organisations, 10 people with albinism who acted as volunteers, 1 journalist, and 1 social service professional from an embassy. A qualitative research design was adopted through a semi-structured interview guide. The analysis of these participants’ opinions was carried out with NVivo 12 software. The results of the analysis reveal that social services professionals have more positive attitudes, like acceptance, respect, defence, support, and love, than negative attitudes, which include unhelpfulness, pessimism, and unfairness towards people with albinism. Promoting education, advocacy, and awareness-raising were some of the roles and precautionary measures used towards protecting people with albinism. From the findings, recommendations to the government, non-governmental organisations, social workers, and people with albinism were to bring changes to the education and health sectors. It was realised that self-awareness concept on people with albinism and the challenges facing social services professionals should be examined as an area for further research; this will positively stress and broaden the compassion about people with albinism and how to support them</p> Halima Shekuwe Rehema Shekuwe Ninza Mbaza ##submission.copyrightStatement## http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 2025-10-06 2025-10-06 8 2 90 112 10.37284/ijar.8.2.3773