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The study aims to examine the moderating effect of discretionary accounting choices on the relationship between top management demographic diversity and financial reporting quality among state commercial firms in Kenya based on 248 firm-year observations for 2004 -2015. The study used correlational research design to achieve the sought objectives. It lays a broad foundation for the future research work into the theory and practice of financial reporting quality in commercial state corporations. The findings clearly reveal that, there exist both positive and negative relationship between discretionary accounting choices and financial reporting quality. However, the relationship varies with each financial reporting quality proxy measures. The demographic variables that were statistically significant in explaining FRQ were; age, education, tenure, gender and functional background diversity. Hence, managerial characteristics matter in explaining discretionary accounting choices and financial reporting quality in the companies. Despite the findings showed minimal significant effects on earnings quality and timeliness. Discretionary accounting choices should not be used by the management opportunistically but should be used to enhance quality reporting. The study recommends that stakeholders in commercial state corporations should ensure that discretionary accounting choices is improved to decrease manipulations of accounting information in order to increase the quality of reporting.

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This paper sought to determine economic factors that influence access to secondary educational opportunities in Narok County, Kenya and to suggest strategies to help raise the transition rates of learners from primary to secondary schools. The study employed descriptive survey research design involving both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Study participants comprised head teachers, teachers and students in both primary and secondary schools. Stratified sampling technique was used to select twenty-four (24) primary school head teachers, forty-eight (48) primary school teachers and eight (8) secondary school principals. A total of 68 class eight pupils and 44 form one students were selected using simple random sampling from the sampled schools. Data were collected using questionnaires and an interview schedule. Pilot testing was done with questionnaires to test reliability and validity. To obtain the reliability the test-retest method was employed. Pearson Product Moment was employed to compute the correlation coefficient. A correlation co-efficient of 0.77 was obtained. Qualitative data were analysed inductively through content analysis while SPSS was used to analyse quantitative data. Results were presented in form of tables, figures, frequencies and percentages. It was established that household poverty and opportunity costs of education have influences on completion rates and lead to dropouts from basic schooling. The study recommends the need for the government and private sector employing a long term strategy in expanding secondary education in Kenya. This could include poverty mitigation and reduction in cost of secondary schooling and improvement of basic infrastructure, improvement of the quality of education in the country in order to reduce the opportunity costs and also through provision of more subsidies to improve the level of enrollment in basic education.

The major objective of any firm is to maximize the shareholders wealth. This is evidence through dividend yield and payout ratio and this encapsulate into the dividend policy of a company. The research purpose aimed at examining the influence that dividend policy has on the volatility of share prices among the listed insurance corporations in Kenya. Research design, approach and method: Data was collected from listed insurance corporations over a 10-year period with a total of 49 data points. The Pearson correlation and ordinary regression analysis were employed. The results reveal the existence of a positive link among the study variables. The correlations were found to be substantial at ninety-five percent confidence level. It is worth noting that the model summary shows forty-three-point one percent of changes in the volatility of stock price are explicated by dividend yield and payout ratio. ANOVA statistics which examines whether the analytical model as set out in the study explains variations in the dependent variable concluded that the model is analytically substantial. The outcome revealed a statistically significant positive link between stock price variations and the ratio of dividend payout. Research also established a statistically substantial negative interrelation between volatility of stock prices and dividend return. Results therefore recommend that companies should have dividend policies which are mapped to shareholders wealth maximization objective. The study suggests further studies be undertaken to determine whether there exists an analytically substantial difference between the dividend policies of various sectors in the economy.