Foreword

The first article on Exploring the Intercommunal Conflict Mitigation Strategies: The Case of the Pokomo and the Orma in Tana Delta, Kenya, examines the conflict mitigation strategies used in Tana Delta and assess their effectiveness in peacebuilding and conflict management. The second article is a Systematic Review of the Implications of Alternative Rites of Passage on Youth Transitions; it utilizes systematic review methodology to assess gaps in literature on implications of alternative rites of passage on youth transitions.  The third article - Impact of Social Media as a Political Activism Tool During the June 2024 Youths’ Protests in Kenya, examines the impact of Facebook, X and TikTok as a political activism tool during the protests. The fourth article, Financial Incentives and Youth Participation in the Gig Economy: Evidence from Embakasi Sub-County, Nairobi County, Kenya, examined the influence of financial incentives on youth participation in the gig economy in Embakasi Sub-County, Nairobi County, Kenya.  The fifth article, Health Funding Models for Maternal Health in European Countries: Challenges and Best Practices for Kenya, examines how five European countries, Germany, Sweden, France, Romania, and Italy, fund maternal healthcare, using the Control Knob Framework to assess which financing approaches perform best and where weaknesses persist.  The sixth article, Social Media Coordination as a Strategic Messaging Platform for Political Advocacy in Kenya: A Case Study of Kenya's Gen Z uprising in 2024, examines the role of coordinated social media as a strategic messaging platform in the 2024 Gen Z uprising in Kenya, specifically focusing on the anti-Finance Bill protests that fundamentally transformed political mobilization patterns in the country.  The seventh article - The Symbiotic Curriculum: A Conceptual Framework for Integrating the SDGs Through Transformative Eco-Pedagogy, introduces ‘the symbiotic curriculum’, a conceptual framework designed to foster an integrated and holistic engagement with the SDGs. The framework is grounded in a synthesis of Freire's critical pedagogy, Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, and Mezirow's transformative learning theory.  The eighth article, The Effects of Digital Learning on International Schools’ Curriculum in Kenya, is a desktop review that reconceptualizes Sustainable Development Goal 4 (quality education) by examining digital learning’s impact on Kenyan international schools’ curricula. The ninth article, The Influence of Executive Leadership Communication on the Development of Internal Organizational Culture: A case study of ICEA LION Group Kenya, investigates how leadership communication influences internal organizational culture within ICEA LION Group, Kenya.   The tenth article, Influence of Environmental Corporate Social Responsibility on the Performance of Commercial Banks in Nairobi County, Kenya, investigates the influence of the environmental CSR initiatives on the performance of Commercial Banks in Nairobi County, focusing on non-financial metrics like customer growth rate, retention rate, and market share.  The eleventh article, The Role of Digital Corporate Communication in Enhancing Customer Engagement and Building Trust: A Case Study of Kenya Power and Lighting Company, examines  the types of digital platforms used by KPLC and the influence they have on customer engagement on the Company’s products and services, to find out the impact of the digital communication strategies used by KPLC on customer satisfaction, and to assess the digital communication reach of KPLC communication channels and the influence it has on customer experience.  The twelfth article on Motivations for Religious Content Selection among Nairobi Youth, examines the motivations behind the selection of religious radio content among youth in Nairobi County.  The thirteenth article, Miscommunication and Missed Opportunities: Rethinking Conflict Resolution through Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, examines how miscommunication, rhetorical strategies, and ignored warnings escalate conflict.  The fourteenth article, Reimagining Sustainable Futures: Integrating AI-Driven Solutions and Inclusive Communication Strategies for Accelerated Progress toward the SDGS, examines how strategic communication, emerging media technologies, and AI governance can influence future education, employment, and sustainable development. The fifteenth article, A Literature Review on the Risks of Drug and Substance Abuse among Students, Youth, and Adolescents, evaluates empirical evidence on the prevalence, patterns, and impacts of substance use among adolescents and youth.  The sixteenth article, Economic and Socioeconomic Status of Widows in Low-and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review of Empirical Evidence and Policy Implications, presents a scoping review focused exclusively on the economic and socioeconomic status of widows in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs).  The seventeenth article, Multilevel Governance, Localization, Stakeholders’ Engagement, and Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in Oromia, Ethiopia, examines the interplay of multilevel governance, localization, and stakeholder engagement in shaping SDG implementation in Oromia, with a focus on the People Pillar (Goals 1–5).  The eighteenth article, The Utility of a Community Radio in Mitigating Drought Effects. A case study of Jangwani Radio in Marsabit County, examines how Jangwani Radio serves the local community by providing early warning information and how the station helps the community adapt to drought conditions, via programs that support drought management and mitigation efforts. The nineteenth article, World War Effects on African Christianity in Contemporary Africa, examines the consequences of the closely spaced World Wars on African Spirituality and their effect on later characteristics of the churches formed.  The twentieth article, Transformational Leadership and Employee Green Behaviour: A Systematic Review of Literature, seek to synthesize existing literature on how transformational leadership influences employee green behaviour, thereby providing clearer insights that will guide future research and practice.  The twenty-first article - Innovative Business Leadership Strategies and Sustainable Development in Kenya’s Manufacturing Sector, examines how innovative business leadership strategies, such as transformational, participatory, technology-driven, and sustainability-oriented leadership strategies moderated by organizational culture, influence sustainable development in Kenya’s manufacturing sector.  The twenty-second article, Leveraging Multidimensional Communication Strategies to Enhance Research Visibility and Uptake in Advancing Sustainable Development Goals in Higher Education Institutions: A Case Study of KCA University, examines the role of multidimensional communication in enhancing the dissemination and visibility of research output at KCA University, a private higher education institution in Kenya. The twenty-third article, Rethinking Autonomy in Entrepreneurial Orientation: Implications for MSME Growth and Sustainable Development in Kenya, investigates how Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) influences the growth of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Kenya, with particular attention to the autonomy dimension. The twenty-fourth article, Inflation and Wage Equity among Government Employees in East Africa: A Cross-National Dynamics Analysis, examines the relationship between wage equity, measured by the Wage Equity Index (WEI), and inflation (INFL) across five East African countries, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and South Sudan, over the period 2013 to 2024. The twenty-fifth article -  Influence of Resource Allocation on the Performance of Chicken Farming Projects in the Mwala Sub-County, Machakos County, aimed at determining the influence of resource allocation on the performance of chicken farming projects in the Mwala Sub-County, Machakos County.  The twenty-sixth article, Innovative Management Practices on the Growth of Building Construction Firms in Machakos County, Kenya, seeks to interrogate the role of Innovation practices that influence the growth of building construction firms in Machakos County, Kenya.  The focus of the study was to examine how technology, product, and process innovation management practices influence the growth of building construction firms in Machakos County.