Ibrahim Kingori Njoki v DCI Revisited - Rights of Ex-Convicts to Gainful Employment

A government has the monopoly of power to punish offenders who are deemed to disrupt the good order in society This it does through a judicial process that culminates in a lawful punishment Such punishment is meant to be proportional to the wrong done Ordinarily once a person has served the punishment such a person would be deemed to have paid the debt to society However this is not the case with respect to ex-convicts and employment Many countries keep criminal records which are used to exclude ex-convicts from employment The Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Kenya has the mandate of collecting storing and disclosing criminal convictions 2 Modern developments in the protection of human rights has seen a paradigm shift towards accommodating ex-convicts in employment Different countries have adopted varied measures towards this end It is not in doubt that the age old practice of excluding ex-convicts from employment violates their right to dignity privacy and labour relations Such violation in turn endangers society through recidivism Governments the world over endeavour to ensure that a criminal is properly prepared for re-integration into societ

Isolation and characterization of high-efficiency Rhizobia from Western Kenya nodulating with common bean

Common bean is one of the primary protein sources in third-world countries. They form nodules with nitrogen-fixing rhizobia, which have to be adapted to the local soils. Commercial rhizobial strains such as Rhizobium tropici CIAT899 are often used in agriculture. However, this strain failed to significantly increase the common bean yield in many places, including Kenya, due to the local soils’ low pH. We isolated two indigenous rhizobial strains from the nodules of common bean from two fields in Western Kenya that have never been exposed to commercial inocula. We then determined their ability to fix nitrogen in common beans, solubilize phosphorus, and produce indole acetic acid. In greenhouse experiments, common bean plants inoculated with two isolates, B3 and S2 in sterile vermiculite, performed better than those inoculated with CIAT899 or plants grown with nitrogen fertilizer alone. In contrast to CIAT899, both isolates grew in the media with pH 4.8. Furthermore, isolate B3 had higher phosphate solubilization ability and produced more indole acetic acid than the other two rhizobia. Genome analyses revealed that B3 and S2 are different strains of Rhizobium phaseoli. We recommend fieldwork studies in Kenyan soils to test the efficacy of the two isolates in the natural environment in an effort to produce inoculants specific for these soils

An incidental case of uterus didelphys and fibroids: Right sided myomectomy and left hemi-hysterectomy

Congenital anomalies of the uterus occur due to agenesis or lack of fusion of the Mullerian ducts. The incidence of these anomalies is largely  unknown since they are unlikely to be diagnosed in asymptomatic women. Uterine didelphys or double uterus occurs when the two Mullerian ducts  fail to fuse resulting in duplication of the uterus and cervix. This report discusses a case of a 38-yearold woman who had presented with a longstanding history of abnormal uterine bleeding and cyclical pain. She had had two successful vaginal deliveries prior to presentation to our unit. Sonographic findings revealed large uterine myomas and was consented for open myomectomy. Intraoperatively she was found to have two uteri, both of which had intramural fibroids and two cervices. Keywords: didelphys uterus, fibroid

Predominance of CCR5 tropism in non-b HIV-1 subtypes circulating in Kisii County, Kenya

Introduction: The chemokine receptors CCR5 and CXCR4 are considered as the main receptors during HIV infection, replication, transmission and subsequent AIDS progression. CCR5 antagonists are drugs designed to inhibit viral entry by binding to these chemokine receptors. However, characterisation of HIV-1 co-receptor usage before rolling out of CCR5/CXCR4 antagonists has not yet been done in the country.Objective: To determine the HIV-1 co receptor usage among HIV-1 infected individuals and predict possible use CCR5 antagonistic drugs.Design: A cross sectional study Setting: Comprehensive HIV care clinics of Kisii Teaching & Referral Hospital, Kenya.Methods: A total of seventy-two (72) blood samples were obtained from both drug naïve (32) and experienced (40) study participants. Viral DNA was extracted using QIAamp MinElute Virus kit and partial HIV-1 V3 region was amplified and directly sequenced. Coreceptor usage predicted using insilico Geno2pheno (coreceptor) with a false positive rate of 15%.Results: Sixty-one individuals (77.8%) were infected with HIV-1 subtype A1, twelve (18.1%) HIV-1 subtype D and four (4.1%) were HIV-1 subtype C. CCR5-using variants were found in 52 (72.2%) while 20(27.8%) participants were infected with CXCR4–using variants. There was no significant difference in co-receptor usage a cross gender, HIV subtypes, disease staging or impact of treatment or CD 4 counts that was observed.Conclusions and recommendation: The detected high level of circulating R5 strains suggests the likelihood of a successful implementation and use of CCR5 antagonists in Kenya where HIV-1 A1 is the most predominant

Environmental lead pollution and contamination in food around Lake Victoria, Kisumu, Kenya

Exposure to lead (Pb) through food, water, or contaminated air has adverse health impacts that are particularly severe in children. Many countries have outlawed the use of leaded petrol, and enacted policies and regulations limiting lead pollution, and lead levels in foods. However, African countries, including Kenya, have generally been slow in adopting policies and regulatory structures concerning lead pollution. The main objective of this study was to determine lead contamination levels in the environment around Kisumu (Kenya). Lead content in samples of tap water and other surface water ranged from 140 to 260, and 140 to 690 (μg/g), respectively. All the tap water samples had lead content above10 μg/g, the maximum WHO limit for lead in drinking water. The lead content in vegetables and fish ranged between 0.0 to 2.9 and 1.0 to 3.3 (μg/g), respectively. All the fish samples had lead levels above the WHO maximum limit of 0.2 (μg/g). Lead content in soil samples ranged from 0.2 to 3.9 (μg/g). These results indicate that there is considerable risk of lead poisoning from drinking water and eating some foods from these sites.Key words: Lead, pollution, environment, food safety

Sugarcane in Vitro Culture Technology: Applications for Kenya’s Sugar Industry

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) is one of the most important crops in Kenya and has wide range of economic importance. The sugar industry contributes up to 15% to the Country’s agricultural gross domestic product and an estimated 25% of the population depends on the industry for their livelihood. However, the industry has been facing several challenges including declining yields due to use of poor quality planting materials. There is an increasing pressure to enhance the productivity of sugarcane in order to sustain profitable sugar industries in Kenya, while there are several diseases attacking sugarcane and reducing its quality. Seed multiplication of newly released varieties of sugarcane is one of the major constraints in Kenya as it takes 6-7 years to produce sufficient quantity of improved seed material. In vitro culture offers a practical and fast method for mass propagation of disease-free clonal materials. Successful protocols for shoot tip culture, callus culture, embryo culture, virus free plant production and somatic embryogenesis have already been established. Thus in vitro technology can be used to enhance productivity of sugarcane in Kenya. Keywords: Sugarcane,Somaclonal variation, in vitro culture, Meristems, Micro-propagation, callu

Infant feeding knowledge and practices among lactating mothers in Kwale County, Kenya

Background: Lactating mother’s knowledge on infant feeding and its practices are key determinants of children’s nutritional status and future food habits. In Kenya, stunting rates among children below five years is 26 %. Objective: To assess infant feeding knowledge and practices among lactating mothers in Kwale County where stunting stands at 29%.Design: A cohort study. Setting: Maternal and Child Health clinics or respective households.Subjects: Lactating mothers who were part of the baseline survey.Results: One hundred and ninety-seven lactating mothers were interviewed. Most mothers (65.3%) had knowledge of breastfeeding within the first hour and majority (91.8%), gave colostrum to the newly born. Majority (84%) had no knowledge on expressing a mother’s milk for later use. Complementary feeds had been introduced by 48.2% of which more than a quarter gave before six months. Maize meal porridge was the common weaning food in addition to mother’s milk. There was a significant relationship between: breast feeding advice given during antenatal care and use of colostrum (r = 0.165, N = 197, p = 0.021); breastfeeding initiation and pre-lacteal feeding (r = - 0.264, N = 197, p = 0.0001); parity and place of birth (r = 0.184, N = 197, p = 0.001) as well as pre- lacteal feeding and use of colostrum (r = - 0.289, N = 197, p = 0.0001).Conclusion: There was poor knowledge of preservation of mother’s milk and dietary diversity during complementary feeding. There is need for an intervention to empower mothers on best practices for optimal growth and development of infants

Sugarcane in vitro culture technology: Opportunities for Kenya’s sugar industry

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) is one of the most important crops in Kenya and has wide range of economic importance. The sugar industry contributes up to 15% to the country’s agricultural gross domestic product and an estimated 25% of the population depends on the industry for their livelihood. However, the industry has been facing several challenges including declining yields due to use of poor quality planting materials. There is an increasing pressure to enhance the productivity of sugarcane in order to sustain profitable sugar industries in Kenya, while there are several diseases attacking sugarcane and reducing its quality. Seed multiplication of newly released varieties of sugarcane is one of the major constraints in Kenya as it takes 6-7 years to produce sufficient quantity of improved seed material. In vitro culture offers a practical and fast method for mass propagation of disease-free clonal materials. Successful protocols for shoot tip culture, callus culture, embryo culture, virus free plant production and somatic embryogenesis have already been established. Thus, in vitro technology can be used to enhance productivity of sugarcane in Kenya. Despite several advantages of applying micro-propagation technique in sugarcane such as quick multiplication of newly released varieties, rejuvenation of old deteriorated varieties; production of disease free seed; easy transportation of seed material; elimination of viruses; high cane productivity and sugar yield etc., this technique is not gaining popularity up to the desired extent. There are several constraints like the high cost of production and appearance of some variants in micropropagated population among others. The present article describes the status, challenges and opportunities of in vitro technology for the sugar industry in Kenya. Though, some problems have now been resolved to considerable extents which have been described in this review however, some constraints still require intensive research work to be resolved so that a safe and efficient exploitation of this technique can be ensured in sugarcane seed production programmes for enhanced yields and quality.Keywords: Sugarcane, somaclonal variation, in vitro culture, meristems, micro-propagation, callu

Rhizobia contribute to salinity tolerance in common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Rhizobia are soil bacteria that induce nodule formation on leguminous plants. In the nodules, they reduce dinitrogen to ammonium that can be utilized by plants. Besides nitrogen fixation, rhizobia have other symbiotic functions in plants including phosphorus and iron mobilization and protection of the plants against various abiotic stresses including salinity. Worldwide, about 20% of cultivable and 33% of irrigation land is saline, and it is estimated that around 50% of the arable land will be saline by 2050. Salinity inhibits plant growth and development, results in senescence, and ultimately plant death. The purpose of this study was to investigate how rhizobia, isolated from Kenyan soils, relieve common beans from salinity stress. The yield loss of common bean plants, which were either not inoculated or inoculated with the commercial R. tropici rhizobia CIAT899 was reduced by 73% when the plants were exposed to 300 mM NaCl, while only 60% yield loss was observed after inoculation with a novel indigenous isolate from Kenyan soil, named S3. Expression profiles showed that genes involved in the transport of mineral ions (such as K+, Ca2+, Fe3+, PO43−, and NO3−) to the host plant, and for the synthesis and transport of osmotolerance molecules (soluble carbohydrates, amino acids, and nucleotides) are highly expressed in S3 bacteroids during salt stress than in the controls. Furthermore, genes for the synthesis and transport of glutathione and γ-aminobutyric acid were upregulated in salt-stressed and S3-inocculated common bean plants. We conclude that microbial osmolytes, mineral ions, and antioxidant molecules from rhizobia enhance salt tolerance in common beans

Distribution, characterization and the commercialization of elite Rhizobia strains in Africa

Grain legumes play a significant role in smallholder farming systems in Africa because of their contribution to nutrition and income security and their role in fixing nitrogen. Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) serves a critical role in improving soil fertility for legumes. Although much research has been conducted on rhizobia in nitrogen fixation and their contribution to soil fertility, much less is known about the distribution and diversity of the bacteria strains in different areas of the world and which of the strains achieve optimal benefits for the host plants under specific soil and environmental conditions. This paper reviews the distribution, characterization, and commercialization of elite rhizobia strains in Africa