This study sought to assess rural people‘s level of satisfaction with motorcycle taxi transport services, taking Rongo Sub-County, Kenya as a typical case. This awareness is crucial to transport planning, particularly in the pursuit of an equitable mobility system in rural Kenya, Africa and beyond. The main data collection tool was a semi-structured questionnaire which was complemented by a key informant interview schedule, focus group discussions guide and an observation checklist. The study found that while the satisfaction of the respondents ranged from neutral to satisfied there was a strong difference between groups. Most of the respondents were satisfied with the MT services, largely due to the physical attributes of the MT. Negative reasons were mainly related to MT riders‘ mannerism, unprofessional driving, and poor safety. Nonetheless, almost all respondents recognised the importance of motorcycle taxi transport in realising their needs of accessing locations and activities within and outside Rongo Sub-County. This paper strongly recommends that rural transport needs and options should be understood from the point of view of rural people (differentiated by age, gender, occupation and income) in order to provide better rural transport services that meet different needs.

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Background The concept of gender responsive delivery of government services may be defined as a holistic effort to include women in need identification, design, implementation and evaluation of all government activities and development interventions. Gender responsive service delivery involves three key components: 1) deliberate efforts to identify historical, socio cultural and economic factors that contribute to the marginalization and exclusion of women; 2) involving both women and men in need identification, design, implementation and evaluation of development projects; and 3) involving both men and women in the management of service delivery by ensuring that qualified men and women occupy decision-making positions. This study was conducted in Siaya County, Kenya. Siaya County is located in the Western part of Kenya, along Lake Victoria, which is the third largest fresh water lake in the world. It is bordered by Busia, Kakamega, and Kisumu Counties to the North and NorthWest , NorthEast , and SouthEast respectively, and Homabay County across the Winam Gulf to the South and SouthWest. Siaya County is divided into Gem, Ugunja, Ugenya, Alego-Usonga, Bondo and Rarieda sub-counties, which are also parliamentary constituencies. The constituencies are further divided into 30 County assembly wards. The County covers a surface area of 3,535 square kilometers with an estimated population of 950,000, out of which approximately 495,000 are female, with an estimated density of 372 persons per square kilometer. The County is predominantly populated by the Luo community. Agriculture is the backbone of the county's economy and the main source of livelihood. The main agricultural activities include fishing, smallholder rain-fed cultivation and livestock production. The main objective of the study was to establish the gender responsiveness of the services offered by Siaya County government. Specifically, the study conducted a gender analysis of the socioeconomic challenges in Siaya County, including food insecurity, unemployment/ underemployment, water, sanitation and health; and a gender analysis of the County budget. 2. Methodology Data for this study was collected from 132 main respondents who included 97 women whose ages ranged between 18 and 67 years. Data from the main respondents was complimented by information from key informants, drawn from among senior County government officials, and community own resource persons (COPRs), among them teachers, chiefs and gender activists. Data from the main respondents were collected through a questionnaire and focus group discussions (FGDs). This was complemented by key informant interviews and secondary data. Qualitative data were

Introduction Apart from being the leading cause of neonatal death (Ouyang et al., 2013) and maternal mortality among women in the reproductive age (Say et al., 2014), adverse pregnancy outcomes also affect the general health of the newborn (Filippi et al., 2006). Adverse pregnancy outcomes are also responsible for morbidities and debilitating disabilities such as Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), obstetric fistula and infertility (World Health Organization, 2015a). They can also negatively impact the social and economic standing of women and their families (Filippi et al. 2006; World Health Organization, 2015a). According to World Health Organization (2006; 2015b), pregnancy outcomes can be greatly improved if expectant women have adequate maternal health knowledge (MHK). Women with adequate MHK are more likely to attend the recommended minimum of four AnteNatal Care (ANC) clinics during pregnancy, deliver in health facilities under the supervision of trained healthcare practitioners, and receive Post-Natal Care (PNC) from skilled healthcare practitioners for 24 to 48 hours after delivery. Similarly, even if morbidity does occur despite the preventive action, it can be successfully managed if women have adequate MHK since they are likely to be seek treatment from skilled healthcare practitioners in a timely manner, at the onset of any illness, or as soon as any injury occurs, during pregnancy or the post-partum period (World Health Organization, 2006). Developing countries, of which Kenya is part, continue to report adverse pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriages, still-births, and neonatal and maternal deaths (World Health Organization, 2016). In 2015, more than five million miscarriages, approximately four million still-births, three million neonatal deaths, and more than 300,000 maternal deaths occurred in developing countries, (World Health Organization, 2017). More than two thirds of the adverse pregnancy outcomes occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa (World Health Organization, 2015c). For instance, developing countries accounted for approximately 99 percent of the global maternal deaths, with sub-Saharan Africa alone accounting for roughly 66 percent, followed by Southern Asia at approximately 22 percent. Similarly, more than 4.2 million miscarriages occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa (World Health Organization, 2016).