Influence of Peer Counselling Strategies on Gender-based Violence among Students in Selected Private Tertiary Institutions in Thika Sub-county, Kiambu County, Kenya

Statement of the Problem: Peer-counselling plays an important role in minimizing instances of gender-based violence among students. However, in Thika Sub-county, cases of gender-based violence among students in private tertiary institutions have been on the rise. Purpose of the Study: To assess the influence of peer counselling strategies on gender-based violence among students in private tertiary institutions in Thika Sub-county, Kiambu County, Kenya. Methodology: The study adopted mixed methodology and thus applied concurrent triangulation research design. Target population comprised 58 deans of students, 113 college counsellors and 2356 peer-counsellors totaling 2527 respondents from which a sample of 345 respondents (13.6%) was obtained using Yamane’s Formula. Stratified sampling was applied to create five strata based on zones in Thika Sub-county. From each zone, five deans of students and five college counsellors from five colleges were sampled using purposive sampling. However, from each zone, simple random sampling was applied to select 59 peer counsellors to avoid bias. This sampling procedure realized a sample size of 25 deans of students, 25 college counsellors and 295 peer counsellors. A questionnaire was used to collect data from peer counsellors whereas an interview guide was used to collect data from deans of students and college counsellors. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically along the objectives and presented in narrative forms. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively using frequencies and percentages and inferential statistics such as linear regression analysis with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS-Version 23) and presented using tables. Findings: The study found that cases of gender-based violence among students in private tertiary colleges have been on the rise for the last five years (2018 to 2022). However, introduction of peer counselling strategies has not, to a great extent, reduced instances of GBV among students. Recommendations: Private colleges should continue training students as peer-counsellors to help model behaviour patterns of their peers. They should continue planning and organizing counselling sessions for students to enable them generate solutions to their behavioural problems without depending on any significant adult.