Description
This study's purpose was to identity the role of counseling services in mitigating risky sexual behaviors among undergraduate students of main campuses in Nakuru county. Social learning theory by Albert Bandura and person centered theory by Carl Rogers guided the study. The study was carried out among 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th year undergraduate students from main campuses in Nakuru county. The study adopted a correlational research design. The target population was 18570 undergraduate students. The accessible population was 8456 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th year undergraduate students whose sample was 367. Simple random technique was used to select the respondents. The study included a sample of 10 peer counselors and 2 student counselors from Egerton and Kabarak main campuses in Nakuru county who were selected through purposive sampling technique. Data were obtained using questionnaire for undergraduate students, focus group discussions guide for peer counselors and interview schedule for student counselors. Validation of research instruments was done through peer and expert review and also through pilot testing which was done in Mount Kenya University(MKU)- Nakuru Campus. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze quantitative data using SPSS version 25 whereas the qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The analyzed data was presented in tables, graphs and narratives. The researcher considered ethics of confidentiality and informed consent. The findings indicated that counseling services play a key role in mitigating risky sexual behaviors among undergraduate students.
Key Terms: Counseling services, Risky sexual behaviors, Undergraduate students
