Cuestionamientos sobre nacionalidad y pertenencia en la narrativa de viajes contemporánea de mujeres africanas

Contemporary African travel writing produces interesting possibilities redefining the directions of the genre. One of these promises manifests in how the crisis of nationhood and belonging impacts subjects’ navigation of sites of travel. African travel narratives by women foreground fractured intimacies encumbering journeys, especially when subjects travel «home». Such texts extensively grapple with the complexities of negotiating the personal and the collective in a bid to unravel belonging. This article examines two travelogues by African women: Leah Chishugi’s A Long Way from Paradise: Surviving the Rwandan Genocide and Noo Saro-Wiwa’s Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria as explorations of how reading precarities of nationhood through embodied travel re-imagines private journeys as a means to tease out public anxieties of nationhood and belonging. In the process of narrating precarious journeys, African women complicate the travelogue into a political statement of belonging and its paradoxes.La narrativa de viajes africana contemporánea revela posibilidades interesantes que redefinen la dirección que está tomando el género. Una de estas atractivas promesas es la forma en la que la crisis de nacionalidad afecta a los sujetos, especialmente cuando se manifiesta en cómo los individuos negocian los lugares de viaje. En la narrativa de viajes contemporánea escrita por mujeres africanas, las complejidades de la (no)pertenencia se ven realzadas por las especificidades que trastocan los viajes narrados. Esto se debe a los diferentes niveles a los que las autoras negocian lo privado y lo público en lugares de viajes. Este artículo examina dos crónicas de viajes escritas por mujeres africanas: A Long Way from Paradise de Leah Chishugi y Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria de Noo Saro-Wiwa. Abordo estos textos como exploraciones de las formas de leer cuestiones de nacionalidad precaria a través del viaje del propio cuerpo y que al mismo tiempo re-imaginan la manera de usar los viajes privados para exponer ansiedades públicas sobre nacionalidad y pertenencia. Sugiero que, en las crisis postcoloniales nacionales, los sujetos no solo están expuestos a una híper-visibilidad y vigilancia que impacta de forma variada las posibilidades de movilidad a su alcance, sino que también revelan una vulnerabilidad que traspasa lo privado a las políticas públicas de pertenencia. En este artículo demuestro que las viajeras, en el proceso de narrar viajes precarios, complican la crónica de viajes, que se vuelve una declaración política sobre el concepto de pertenencia y sus paradojas

Private Universities in Kenya Seek Alternative Ways to Manage Change in Teacher Education Curriculum in Compliance with the Commission for University Education Reforms

This study investigated management of change in teacher education curriculum in Private universities in Kenya. The study employed a concurrent mixed methods design that is based on the use of both quantitative and qualitative approaches. A multi-stage sampling process which included purposive, convenience, cluster, and snowball sampling methods was followed. The sample comprised of 5 chartered private universities which were offering teacher education by the year 2008. The respondents were 5 Deans from the School of education, one from each of the universities;14 Heads of Departments (H.O.D s), 32 Teacher Educators and 150 Teacher Trainees, 2 staffs from Commission for University Education and 2 from Teachers’ Service Commission. Complexity Theory and Theory of Planned Change guided the study. Face and content validity was done by the expert judgment. The reliability of the questionnaire was established at Alpha of .760. Data from the questionnaires was analyzed using descriptive statistics, means and standard deviations - based on the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program version 20. Qualitative data from the interviews and documents was analyzed for content in an ongoing process as themes and subthemes emerged. The results indicated that the universities followed due processes, recommended by curriculum experts, to implement change; but sought alternative ways where due process had failed. This was because of the complexity of teacher education program, on basis of scale, foci and clientele, and also the unique nature of private universities in Kenya. The study recommends that private universities should not only follow due process, but look out for alternative strategies in implementing changes in teacher education, as they consult closely with the Commission for University Education and Teachers’ Service Commission, and endeavor to fulfill their mission

The Decision Tree Aided Neuro-Fuzzy Inference Characterization of the Stochastic Hydrology of the Tana Alluvial Aquifer

The Tana Alluvial Aquifer is the name given to the little-understood aquifer which is active in the areas bordering the River Tana Flow course as the river weaves its way through the sedimentary plains of Balambala, Garissa, Fafi and Ijara and, finally, into the Tana Delta areas, with the common denominator being the proximity to the Lower Tana catchment, especially the riparian corridor of the River itself, and beyond. The aquifer may extend to between five to fifteen kilometers away from the river channels course way, and at times, it may be felt even 20 kilometers away. The geology of the locality is heterogeneous and comprise sediments whose soil mechanics may not be easily deciphered, since some areas close to the river have very fresh water while others are saline (Bura East in Fafi Sub County easily comes to mind here).  There are areas far from the river but bearing fresh water (Mulanjo comes to mind). In some areas, sites close to the river discharge low yield figures, whereas those located farther afield discharge favorably. The water quality and discharge are therefore stochastic variables, subject to chance occurrence. In view of this inconsistency, and on the account of data scarcity, the neuro-fuzzy inference algorithm was developed to map the Universe of Discourse of the Tana Alluvial Aquifer, aka the T.A.A., as it relates to the longitudes, latitudes, depths, and discharges of the aquifers in the study area. The mapping was with respect to aquifer discharge, the variable used to characterize an aquifer, in terms of Transmissivity and Hydraulic Conductivity, thereby defining aquifer recharge propensity. Membership functions were developed using the trapezoidal membership family, and fuzzy rules were appropriately evolved from the fuzzified aquifer data, before finally employing the Sugeno inference engines (in Python) to make predictions of discharge, at each of the T.A.A. aquifer subsets mapped for fresh, saline, hard and brackish water species. The accuracy in the outputs achieved in the areas mapped vindicated the power of the neuro-fuzzy inference systems, as the accuracy oscillated between 92 and 99 percent, when the discharge values predicted were compared with the actual known discharge values of the wells mapped. The water quality class characterization was then undertaken using the decision tree (DT) algorithm in python which gave rise to a 100 percent prediction accuracy. The same DT algorithm could not successfully predict the discrete values of aquifer discharge or EC values, with as much accuracy (but performed excellently with salinity class data), and that was why fuzzy logic was employed. The study vindicated the use of the DT and Fuzzy Logic Algorithms as simple, yet powerful analytical tools, in characterizing the Stochastic Hydrology of the Tana Alluvial Aquifer.

THE POTENTIAL FOR FINANCIAL SAVINGS IN RURAL MOZAMBICAN HOUSEHOLDS

Many policy makers and businesses erroneously believe that rural populations, particularly in Africa, have no margin for savings over consumption needs. This study examines the potential for financial savings in rural Mozambican households by looking at the determinants of savings behavior. An econometric model for a household's saving behavior was estimated using data from 113 rural households from Nampula province in Mozambique. Results indicate that income, physical wealth, household size, and years of schooling affect a household's savings behavior. The study also finds that Mozambican rural households use their own grassroots associations for many financial services due to the lack of access to formal financial intermediaries.Consumer/Household Economics, Financial Economics,

From the Classroom into Virtual Learning Environments: Essential Knowledge, Competences, Skills and Pedagogical Strategies for the 21st Century Teacher Education in Kenya

As teachers in Kenya begin to migrate from the classroom to virtual learning spaces following COVID 19 pandemic, there is pressing need to realign Teacher Education to requisite Knowledge, competences, skills, and attitudes that will support online teaching. This chapter explores these needs using a combination of lived experiences and literature review that captured a meta-analysis of research trends on e-learning. While trends in Teacher Education indicate progression towards adoption of technology, there are disparities between the theory and practice. Evidence from recent research and reports; and the recollected experiences confirmed knowledge, competence, skills and pedagogical gaps in the implementation of online learning, that have been exacerbated by COVID-19. The researcher recommends that teacher education should sensitize and train teacher trainees on how to access, analyze and use new knowledge emerging with technology; they also should be coached on how learners learn with technology and on fundamentals of the communication process. Particularly the course on educational technology, should focus on how to create and manage online courses. The 5-stage E-Moderator Model and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) are recommended as effective pedagogical scaffold for online teaching

Groundwater Sodium Levels Estimation of Proposed Irrigation Groundwater Source for the Kumahumato Settlement of the Dadaab Subcounty, North Eastern Kenya

The Project Area of Kumahumato is a locality located on the fringes of the Merti aquifer within a radii ranging from 5 to 10 kilometer metric units. The area is primarily inhabited Nomadic pastoralists who have limited experience with matters farming and allied agricultural techniques. Owing to the rapid change in climate patterns and with massive death toll of livestock resulting from prolonged droughts and unpredictable rains, the community leadership have deemed it fit to focus on irrigation-aided agriculture. One problem noted is that the sodium levels in the soils may be exacerbated by irrigation farming, if the groundwater sodic levels area already way above the thresholds deemed safe by the WHO, both for human usage and for soil chemistry. The sodium levels may increase with progressive usage of borehole water in the farming projects, up to a point deemed way beyond salvage-meaning the destroyed fertility may not be reclaimed or restored once the damage is done. To mitigate against the potential disastrous and irreversible consequence, the study team undertook a geophysical surveys as well as hydrochemical surveys and data analysis to understand the likely consequence of a prolonged usage of irrigation –based agriculture in the Kumahumato centre. To achieve this, eight algorithms were employed, namely, Neural Networks, Naïve Bayes, Support Vector Machines, Logistic Regression, Decision Trees, K-Nearest Neighbor and Random forests  algorithm amongst others. The final three algorithms mentioned here emerged out as the best performers, registering between 95 to hundred percent precisions levels during detailed data analysis. A point picked at random in the Kumahumato area which showed promise of good groundwater potential was analysed and found to be at suitable aquifer sodium levels, which will not be a threat to small scale agriculture envisaged in the program. Machine Learning was thus employed and proved a useful decision making tool in the Project Planning and Design Phase for the proposed food security meant to be a practical resilience response to climate change hazards

Consumer Risk Exposure to Chemical and Microbial Hazards Through Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables in Kenya

Recently, there has been public outrage and media report on presence of heavy metal residues and pathogenic contamination in commonly consumed commodities including fruits and vegetables in Kenya. Chemical and microbial contaminants in food value chains pose serious health risk to the consumers hence the need for regular surveillance of these hazards to protect the public. This study provides insight into prevalence and levels of chemical and microbial pathogens in selected fruits and vegetables commonly consumed in urban and peri-urban areas in Kenya. Structured interviews, market observations and analytical determinations were used for data collection. Chemical and microbial analysis of randomly selected fruit and vegetable samples including kales, amaranth leaves, tomatoes and mangoes were analyzed using standard methods. Microbial analysis included total aerobic counts, anaerobic bacteria, yeast and moulds, coliforms, Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria Monocytogenes, Escherisia coli and Clostridium botulinum while chemical analysis consisted of pesticides residues and heavy metals as well as nitrates. The results were evaluated against national and global standards for maximum residue limits (MRLs) for each commodity and pesticide. The findings demonstrated that fruit and vegetable samples were contaminated with pesticides residues some of which were beyond the allowed limits such as Dimethoate (>0.02mg/kg), Bifenthrin (>0.05mg/kg), Metribuzin (0.05mg/kg), Cyromazine (>0.05mg/kg), metalaxyl (>0.05mg/kg) and Pyrimethamil (>0.02 while mango had thiabendazole (0.031mg/kg) and contained heavy metals with Lead concentration ranging from < 0.01 mg/100g to >0.06 mg/100g compared to Cadmium levels of 0.01mg/100g. Nitrate content ranged from 100-200 mg/100g in vegetables and 120-210 mg/kg in fruit. Total aerobic counts ranged from 1.42x103 - 9.56x104 in the mango, 1.32x103 - 7.01x104 in tomato, 9.50x104 - 9.40x106 in kale and 2.46x106 - 7.60x107 in amaranth leaves. Anaerobic bacteria counts ranged from <1 - 7.74x104 in the mango, 1.83x103 - 5.65x103 in tomato, 9.50x102 - 1.18x106 in kale and 1.83x106 - 9.20x107 in amaranth leaves. Samples also showed presence of pathogenic microbes including Staphylococcus aureus and Escherishia coli. These findings show that compliance to food safety standards should be enforced so that the quality of Kenya's food supply meets the highest safety requirements to satisfy domestic and international demands. Control measures should emphasis on good agricultural practices, better postharvest handling practices, improved traceability and good hygienic practices in the markets. Keywords: chemical residues, consumer risk, heavy metals, fruits and vegetables, microbial hazards, pesticide residue

Joint Impact Assessment of CTA's Support to AFRACA (2004-2014)

The partnership between CTA and AFRACA dates back to more than 10 years ago. During that time, CTA supported AFRACA undertake several activities, with the bulk of the support going to logistical support covering participants’ transport and subsistence for seminars, workshops, meetings and learning tours

Institutional and organizational frameworks for dairy and beef cattle recording in Kenya: a review and opportunities for improvement

To facilitate livestock improvement in developing countries, records on animal populations and their various productivity levels are important. However, in these countries, livestock recording presents a huge challenge. This paper presents an outline of the historical developments and the current scenario in dairy and beef recording in Kenya, where a recording scheme has been in place since 1963, yet the productive potential of most animals in the country remains unknown. The paper brings into context the state of recording in relation to the potential for future developments in dairy and beef production within the country. Despite the enormous existing potential, low numbers of livestock records are captured due to multiple challenges, which include limited funding, lack of incentives to record, limited feedback on records, a fragmented organizational structure, poor infrastructure, limited numbers of skilled personnel and lack of supporting policies. Strategies to overcome the challenges and achieve more sustainable utilization of the existing livestock populations are discussed. Linking recording to key service providers within the livestock production sector could enhance data collection, processing and feedback to livestock producers. The quality of extension services provided must be improved in order to holistically support livestock production. Recent international regulations on the traceability of livestock products sold within different countries mean that unless Kenya implements a robust animal recording programme, the country will be locked out of markets for its livestock products