Foreword

The first article on Corporate Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility and Performance of Commercial Banks in Kenya assessed the association among corporate governance, CSR and performance of commercial banks in Kenya. Precisely, the study sought to establish the mediating role of corporate social responsibility in the association between corporate governance and performance of commercial banks in Kenya.  The second article - Children’s Health Outcomes Associated with Access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH): A Systematic Review of Empirical Gaps Related to Diarrhoea in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, critically examines empirical research linking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) access to child health outcomes across LMICs, aiming to identify key empirical gaps related to diarrhoea, child development and stunting, and acute infections.  The third article is on Effects of Insecurity on Community Well-Being: A Case Study of Peri-Urban Communities, Marietta and Marombo, Near St. Paul’s University in Kiambu, Kenya, investigates the effects of insecurity on community well-being in the peri-urban areas of Marietta and Marombo near St. Paul’s University in Kiambu County, Kenya. It highlights a research gap in the study of peri-urban communities adjacent to universities, contrasting global contexts of insecurity, such as Syria’s civil war, with local urban crime in Kenya. The fourth article, Foundational Literacy, Numeracy and Life Skills for Sustainable Development Education in Fragile Contexts with a Focus on Kenya’s Education System, examines the essential role of foundational learning, including literacy, numeracy, and life skills, as an entry point into meaningful Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).  The fifth article, Innovative Business Leadership Strategies for Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World, explores innovative leadership strategies that will support organizations to drive sustainable development but remain resilient and adaptive in a dynamic global environment. It emphasizes a purpose-driven, systems-oriented strategies that embed environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into the central operations and decision-making of the business.  The sixth article, Opportunity Recognition and Sustainable Competitive Advantage of Small and Medium Food Manufacturing Enterprises in Kenya, sought to ascertain the sustained competitive advantage of Kenyan food manufacturing SMEs impacted by entrepreneurial awareness, opportunity identification, opportunity recognition, and internal communication.  The seventh article, Perceived Influence of Personal Guidance and Counseling Services on Dropout Risk Factors in Public Secondary Schools in Mbeere North, Embu County, Kenya, explores the influence of personal G&C services on the risk factors associated with dropout rate among students in public secondary schools in Mbeere North, Embu, Kenya, as perceived by the participants.  The eighth article, Secondary School Education Preservice Teachers’ Experiences with Context-Based Structured Reflective Practice: A Case Study at St. Paul’s University, Kenya, looked at secondary school preservice teachers’ experiences with a Context-based Structured Reflective Practice (CBSRP) model.  The ninth article, explored the intersection of strategic communication and emerging technologies in advancing sustainable development goal (SDG) progress, specifically focused on inclusive education (SDG 4).  The tenth article, The Role of Government Policies in Interoperability Standards for Laboratory Information Systems: A Bibliometric Analysis Literature Review, focuses on the role that government policies play in guiding LIS interoperability standards.  The eleventh article, A Scoping Review of the Contribution of Microfinance on Women Empowerment in Low and Middle-Income Countries, assessed the extent to which microfinance contributes to women’s empowerment by synthesizing empirical evidence, identifying gaps, and proposing directions for future research.  The twelfth article on the Influence of Stakeholder Feedback on Image Management of Organizations: A Case Study of the Nakuru County Government, aimed at identifying and categorizing distinct forms of stakeholder input used by the Nakuru County Government in its image management efforts, evaluating the degree of integration of stakeholder input in the Nakuru County Government’s image management strategies and assessing the correlation between stakeholder feedback trends and public perception of the Nakuru County Government’s image for the past five years. The thirteenth article, Re-imagined SDG Framework (Equity-First, Tech-Enabled) Business Leadership, addresses emerging business leadership strategies in mapping organizational goals against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with specific focus on marginalized communities such as women, unemployed youth, underprivileged children, and persons abled differently.  The fourteenth article, Holistic Pathways to Resilience: Integrated Approaches to Sustainable Development in Western Kenya, examines the role of integrated approaches in advancing sustainable development in Western Kenya, with a focus on the interconnections between education, equity, ecological justice, peace, and mental well-being.  The fifteenth article, Aligning Internal Communication and Innovative Leadership Strategies for Successful Mergers and Sustainable Growth, examines how the synergy between internal communication and innovative leadership strategies can enhance merger success and sustainable growth in the financial sector.  The sixteenth article, Influence of Supplier Performance as a Mediator on the Relationship of Project Completion in Kenya, discusses the mediating variables of the relationship between stakeholder involvement and project completion in the healthcare sector, which is the performance of the supplier.  The seventeenth article, Influence of Stakeholder Engagement on Completion of Funded Healthcare Projects in Kenya, sought to fill in the research gaps of prior studies which often viewed stakeholder engagement as a symbolic aspect and not a systematic process of governance, by considering the effect of stakeholder engagement on the completion of funded healthcare projects in Kenya.  The eighteenth article,

Influence of Human Resource Competency on Implementation of Electronic Logistics in FMCG Manufacturing Firms in Nairobi County, assessed the influence of human resource competency on the implementation of electronic logistics in FMCG manufacturing firms in Nairobi.  The nineteenth article, The Influence of Selected Positioning Strategies on the Growth of Local Sales among Tea Manufacturers in Kenya, study analysed the influence of selected positioning strategies on the growth of local sales among tea manufacturers in Kenya, within the framework of sustainable development and innovative business leadership.    The twentieth article, The Impact of Distribution (Place) Strategies on the Growth of Local Sales among Tea Manufacturers in Kenya, examined the impact of place (distribution) strategies on the growth of local sales among tea manufacturers in Kenya.  The twenty-first article, Determinants of Relapse in Addiction Clients Soon After Rehabilitation: A Case Study of Selected Rehabilitation Centres in Nairobi, investigated the determinants of relapse in addiction clients soon after rehabilitation in selected rehabilitation centres in Nairobi.   The twenty-second article, Effect of Strategic Communication on the Performance of Constituency Development Funds in Narok North, Kenya sought to establish the effect of strategic communication on the performance of constituency development funds in Narok North, Kenya.  The twenty-third article, From Eden to Ethics: African Theological Perspectives on Genesis 1–3, Artificial Intelligence, and the SDGS, explores Genesis 1–3 as a theological framework for assessing ethical boundaries in artificial creation amidst advances in AI and biotechnology. It addresses a critical gap by integrating African theological perspectives into contemporary technology ethics, thereby enriching Sustainable Development discourse with faith-based moral insight.  The twenty-fourth article, Imago Dei and Artificial Creation: An Old Testament Theology of Humanity from Genesis 1: 26–27 and Psalm 8 for Sustainable Development, examines how the biblical concept of imago Dei can inform ethical discernment and theological reflection in the age of machine intelligence.  The twenty-fifth article - Linguistic Equity for Sustainable Development: A Critical Analysis of Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Language Policy and Sustainable Development Goals in Kenya, employs a qualitative documentary research methodology to conduct a critical analysis of the intersection between language policy, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Kenya.

 Editor