Effect of media on peacebuilding in Kenya : a case of the 2007/8 PEV

With the hope of achieving sustainable peace in a conflict period, the media in Africa have faced a lot of challenges. Many scholars have written on the effects media have on conflict situations in Africa particularly focussing on how media propelled conflict. However, this is not the only role media have played in societies. Media are dynamic; they tend to adopt different roles with the changes in the environment that they surround. Taking the Kenyan post-election violence of 2007/2008 as the case study, the study explores whether the media can promote reconciliation and sustainable peace in Kenya. The study further seeks to represent those who experienced first-hand the roles media played during the 2007/ 8 PEV. This study utilized the qualitative research method and utilized open-ended questionnaires and informal meetings as tools for data collection. I argue that despite the media being seen as a tool that fuelled the violence, media played several different roles changing dynamically with the changing stages of the electoral process. In addition, I point out that media have been under-utilized for the purposes of peacebuilding by pointing out the gaps in the Kenyan society and offering recommendations in the efforts to achieve sustainable peace. The study offers a fresh outlook on the role media play in conflict situations in the world today. Most scholars who have written on the role of media in conflict situations almost have a unanimous aim of outlining how media an evil in society that inflicts more harm than good in conflict situations. In contrast, I focus on the peacebuilding role of media highlighting the good the media does in the Kenyan society especially during the conflict situation of 2007/8 that both Kenyans and scholars have taken for granted.M-D

Trends and emerging drugs in Kenya: A case study in Mombasa and Nairobi County

Background: Increasing popularity of emerging drugs or the ‘legal high’ is of major concern to the Government. Emerging psychoactive substances e.g. morphine, carnabinoids, cathinones are not controlled and are believed to cause harm if not more than controlled drugs. They are being sold all over as legal substances and consumed openly.Objective: To evaluate the trends and patterns of emerging drugs use, magnitude and their impact in the Counties.Methods: A questionnaire was administered to 702 respondents in Nairobi and Mombasa Counties. The social dynamics, types of emerging drugs, drug initiation age, source of drugs, venue of consumption, and their effects on respondents among other issues were investigated. Qualitative, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were done.Results: The drug initiation age ranged from 5 to 28 years though most started abusing the drugs at 21years (18%), with over 81% being introduced by friends. They are abused for their stimulating, hallucinating, depressants effects on the streets, club, drug dens, party but rarely at home and schools. Forty one (41) emerging drugs (see text) comprising of one or combinations of drugs were recorded, with Nairobi recording significant higher number of emerging drugs than Mombasa. Most of the highly abused drugs were ‘kuber, shisha, shashaman, mau, tambuu, jet fuel, kukumanga, mkorogo, mshomoro, rohypnol, Artaine and kamusi. ‘Shisha’ and ‘kuber’ were most commonly abused drugs in both counties. Over 25% of the shisha and kuber abusers aged between 26 to 35 years. The emerging drugs were purchased drugs from various outlets, thus making it difficult to track. Some respondents injected either heroin or cocaine while others injected both heroin and cocaine thus, placing the individuals at risk of contracting Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Hepatitis C. The emerging drugs have a lot of impact on the county’s security, economy, education, school drop-out rate, non performance at work place and reproductive health.Conclusion and recommendations: The Government should set up of rehabilitation centres, training programmes on alcohol and drug abuse, establish Employee Assistant Programmes, wellness centres, control sale  of prescription medicine, stiff penalties on drug peddlers and ban of advertisement on media. There is need for all stakeholders to review the alcohol and Drug Abuse policy to include new and emerging drugs in order to mitigate illnesses deaths and associated with emerging drugs. Government should come up with ways of tracking and controlling the emerging drugs especially shisha, kuber, and prescription medicine. Alcohol and Drug Abuse (ADA) issues should be incorporated in the education curriculum at all levels.Key words: Emerging drugs, shisha, kuber, causes, mitigations, combinations, administratio

Phytotherapy used in Orissa State India, for treating malaria.

noThis paper reports 35 medicinal plants belonging to 25 families used in the treatment of malaria by the people inhabiting the forests located near to Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Orissa, a south-eastern state in India. The methods adopted for the preparation of plant parts are discussed along with their family and local name(s). The majority of the herbal preparations were made in the form of juices or by using water as the medium in the form of decoctions or infusions. Various plant parts, such as leaves, flowers, fruits, barks, stems, roots, and in some cases the whole plants are used to prepare these remedies each of which contains a single species