Peace Connector Projects: Bishop Korir\u27s Strategy for Grassroots Peacebuilding

This essay is a narration of my personal experiences in peacebuilding in the North Rift region of Kenya as a resident of the region, and peace worker from 1995 to date. I draw from my work experiences with the National Council of Churches of Kenya (1995-2005), Catholic Relief Services and the Mennonite Central Committee (2007-2019). Specifically, how connector projects were used as a strategy for grassroots peacebuilding for the conflict-affected communities in the North Rift Valley region. The processes of mobilizing the communities, challenges, and outcomes of reconciliation efforts are discussed. The four connector projects discussed show the rewards attained from embracing collaboration as a key prerequisite for peace and reconciliation among communities in conflict

An investigation of the effect of dynamic and static loading to geosynthetic reinforced pavements overlying a soft subgrade

Construction of roads over soft soils can lead to design and construction related problems linked to the soil's compressibility characteristics and low strength. Failure, in terms of bearing capacity can occur when pavements are constructed over such soft soils. When road pavements, which are constructed over soft soils, are subjected to cyclic traffic loading (dynamic in nature), rapid deterioration of the base layer material and progressive permanent deformation of the surface will occur. This not only reduces the serviceability of the pavement structure but also its design life. In this study, reinforcement geosynthetics (geogrids and geotextiles) were used as reinforcement inclusions within a granular base overlying a soft subgrade of California Bearing Ratio (CBR) less than 2% in a 1.0 m3 steel test box. Firstly, a geotextile/geogrid was placed at the interface between the base layer and subgrade. Thereafter, a combination of the geotextile at the interface (of the base and subgrade) and geogrid within the base layer. Bench scale plate load tests (static and cyclic) were conducted on a 305 mm diameter circular steel plate on the two layer system using a Universal Compression Machine. Static loading was applied at a rate of 1.2 mm/min. Dynamic sinusoidal load wave was applied with a 4 kN seating load that was linearly increased with an incremental load of 4 kN for every 8 cycles at a frequency of 0.2 Hz on a 305 mm circular plate. For both tests, settlement failure of the composite system was considered at a deformation of 75 mm as defined for unpaved roads. The results obtained from the pavement model showed that there was a significant improvement in bearing capacity and reduction in settlement accruing from geosynthetic inclusion as shown by the Bearing Capacity Ratio (BCR) of 1.21, 1.29 and 1.63 for geogrid, geotextile and geogrid-geotextile combinations respectively. Additionally, a Settlement Reduction Factor (SRF) of 18% for geogrid, 23% for geotextile and 31% for the geogrid-geotextile combination resulted. There was also an improvement in extended pavement life as depicted by the Traffic Benefit Ratio (TBR) greater than 1 for all reinforced base layers. An improved performance was realised with the double combination of geotextile at the interface, geogrid at the base

Relationship between Technical and Vocational Acquired Skills and Skills Required in Job Market; Evidence from TVET Institutions, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Skills are a key driver for growth, employment and competitiveness: they lay the foundation for productivity and innovation. Investment in training is also an investment in innovation, since much technical change results from incremental innovations by skills workers and engineers on the factory floor.  The purpose of this paper is to assess the relationship between technical and vocational acquired skills and skills required in job market. The study used questionnaires to collect data from 200 former graduates in technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. Study findings provide precursory evidence that some of the skill provided in TVET like Interpersonal skills, Personal qualities, Ability to use numerical data, Critical analysis, teamwork and experience are below what is required in the job market. Nevertheless, TVET institutions were offering adequate skills equal to what employers require such as Management skills, Thinking skills and Creativity and innovative skills .As such to focus on achieving Millennium Developmental Goals (MDGs), Policies and approaches to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) need to undergone major re-adjustment to upgrade the skills of those employed in new industries. Keywords: Acquired Skills, Required Skills, TVET, TVSD, Job Market

A Comparison of Technical and Vocational Acquired Skills Differences Based on Gender in Tvet Institutions, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Lower participation of women in the labor force and/or concentration of women labor in un skilled or low skilled, low income generating economic activities including part time and casual work has created many questions among the researcher on the kind and quality of technical and vocational skills acquired by woman. The current study compared technical and vocational acquired skills acquired between male and female in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, Uasin Gishu. From the findings it has been observed that Male students had significantly and highly acquired interpersonal skills, Information Communication Technical (ICT) skills, Critical analysis, ability to use numerical data and management skills than female. Male students had also acquired critical thinking skills two times higher than that of female students. In addition, the study concludes that male students had acquired skills in many areas than female students. On the other hand female students had acquired high significant skills in ability to work in a team, organizational skills and academic qualifications than male. There is need to diversify Vocational and Technical Training and improve access for and retention of girls and women in education and vocational training in such fields as science, mathematics, engineering, environmental sciences, information technology and new technologies, as well as management training. Keywords; Gender, Technical, Vocational, TVET, Skill

IP addressing, transition and security in 5G networks

The number of devices on the Internet is always increasing and there is need for reliable IP addressing. 5G network will be built on two main technologies; SDN and NFV which will make it elastic and agile compared to its predecessors. Elasticity will ensure that additional devices can always be added to the network. IPv4 addresses are already depleted and cannot support the expansion of the Internet to ensure the realization of future networks. IPv6 addressing has been proposed to support 5G networking because of the sufficient number of addresses that the protocol provides. However, IPv4 addressing will still be used concurrently with IPv6 addressing in networks until they become fully IPv6 based. The structure of IPv4 header is different from IPv6 header hence the two protocols are incompatible. There is need for seamless intercommunication between devices running IPv4 and IPv6 in future networks. Three technologies namely; Dual Stack, Tunneling and Translation have been proposed to ensure that there is smooth transition from IPv4 to IPv6 protocol. This dissertation demonstrates Tunneling of IPv6 over IPv4. Also, this research work reviews network security threats of past networks that are likely to be experienced in 5G networks. To counter them, reliable IP security strategies used in current networks are proposed for use in next generation networks. This dissertation evaluates and analyzes IPv4, IPv6 network and Tunneling models in an SDN network environment. The performance of an IPv4 only network is compared to the IPv6 only network. Also, devices addressed with both protocols are connected. The results obtained illustrate that IPv4 and IPv6 devices can effectively communicate in a 5G network environment. In addition, a tunnel is used to run IPv6 protocol over an IPv4 network. The devices on both ends of the tunnel could communicate with each other effectively

Challenges Facing Adoption of Information Communication Technology in African Universities

A significant number of the universities and higher educational institutions have adopted the latest technology and implemented it productively, for the development of skilled human resource in respective area of specialization, as part of their responsibility. Information and communication Technology (ICT) has grown tremendously around the globe particularly in the developed nations of the world. This growth however appears to be relatively slower in the developing nations including African nations. The Partnership for Higher Education in Africa in a recent workshop survey indicated that while some governments have produced national policies on ICT, many others are yet to do so. As such, the most asked questions  is; what are the challenges that hinder African universities to become efficient and effective in use of ICT as compared to developed nations. Keywords: ICT, universities, adoption, learnin

Economics of Land Degradation, Sustainable Land Management and Poverty in Eastern Africa : The Extent, Drivers, Costs and Impacts

Land degradation – defined by the Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) initiative as a “reduction in the economic value of ecosystem services and goods derived from land” – is a serious impediment to improving rural livelihoods and food security of millions of people in the Eastern Africa region. The objectives of this study are fourfold: to identify the state, extent and patterns of land degradation in Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania), to estimate and compare the costs and benefits of action versus inaction against land degradation; to assess simultaneously the proximate and underlying drivers of land degradation and the determinants of adoption of Sustainable Land Management (SLM); and to assess the causal effects of land degradation on households welfare. More recently, satellite–based imagery and remote sensing have been utilized to identify the magnitude and processes of land degradation at global, regional and national levels. This involves the use of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data and the use of high quality satellite data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Results based on NDVI measures show that land degradation occurred in about 51%, 41%, 23% and 22% of the terrestrial areas in Tanzania, Malawi, Ethiopia and Kenya, respectively between the 1982-2006 periods. To ensure accuracy of the NDVI observations, ground-truthing was carried out in Tanzania and Ethiopia through focused group discussions (FGDs). Following the Total Economic Value (TEV) framework, the annual cost of land degradation between 2001-2009 periods is about 248 million USD in Malawi, 1.3 billion USD in Kenya, 2.3 billion USD in Tanzania, and 4.4 billion USD in Ethiopia – representing about 5%, 7%, 14% and 23% of GDP in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Ethiopia respectively. Taking action against land degradation is more favorable than inaction in both short-term (6 year) and a long-term (30 year) periods. During the 30-year period, for every dollar spent on taking action against land degradation is expected to return about $4. The study uses nationally representative household surveys and robust analytical techniques to capture a wide spectrum of heterogeneous contexts. Findings show that the key proximate drivers of land degradation include temperature, terrain, topography and agro-ecological zonal classification. Important underlying drivers of land degradation include factors such as land ownership, distance from the plot to the market, size of the plot, access to and amount of credit, and household assets. The adoption of sustainable land management practices is critical in addressing land degradation. Secure land tenure, access to extension services and market access are significant determinants incentivizing SLM adoption. This implies that policies and strategies that facilitate secure land tenure and access to SLM information are likely to incentivize investments in SLM. Local institutions providing credit services, inputs such as seed and fertilizers, and extension services must also not be ignored in the development policies. Evidence from Simultaneous Equation Model with panel data shows significant causality between land degradation (EVI decline) and poverty. On one hand, land degradation significantly decreases household consumption per-capita and increases poverty. On the other hand, household poverty increases the likelihood of land degradation

The sustainable livelihoods of informal artisan entrepreneurs in tourism: A case of Kenya

The tourism industry is a source of livelihood for many people as it creates employment and business opportunities. Nonetheless, the industry experiences many fluctuations and instabilities that threaten the livelihoods of those who depend on it. These threats are more intense for informal artisan entrepreneurs in tourism, who also grapple with enormous challenges in the informal sector despite their persistent work in the context. Thus, this exploratory research aims to understand how informal artisan entrepreneurs sustain their livelihoods while facing challenges in the informal sector and the tourism industry. The study uses the conceptual lens of the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) and framework alongside the concepts of resilience, vulnerability and culture. It incorporates 51 telephone interviews with 32 artisans and 5 institutions in Kenya, conducted over two phases, and includes document analysis, field notes and researcher diaries. In doing so, the study draws key methodological considerations for conducting remote qualitative data collection and engaging with marginalised participants in Sub-Saharan Africa. The findings show that artisans experience constant challenges such as poverty, an indecent work environment, and inadequate institutional support. Nevertheless, their exposure to vulnerable conditions is paradoxically matched with resilience. The artisans’ resilience stems from their agency and socio-cultural structures, which have allowed them to combine different resources to sustain their livelihoods, cope with challenges, and persist in making handicrafts. Theoretically, the study creates a modified framework for sustainable livelihood analysis. It also challenges how resilience is conceptualised in sustainable livelihoods and entrepreneurship and suggests how it should be conceptualised. Relatedly, it draws insights into the paradoxical relationship between resilience and vulnerability. Hence, it contributes to the understanding of resilience in sustainable livelihoods. Notably, the study extends the body of knowledge on informal artisan entrepreneurs in tourism, who have proven unique in their characteristics and how they sustain their livelihoods.The tourism industry is a source of livelihood for many people as it creates employment and business opportunities. Nonetheless, the industry experiences many fluctuations and instabilities that threaten the livelihoods of those who depend on it. These threats are more intense for informal artisan entrepreneurs in tourism, who also grapple with enormous challenges in the informal sector despite their persistent work in the context. Thus, this exploratory research aims to understand how informal artisan entrepreneurs sustain their livelihoods while facing challenges in the informal sector and the tourism industry. The study uses the conceptual lens of the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) and framework alongside the concepts of resilience, vulnerability and culture. It incorporates 51 telephone interviews with 32 artisans and 5 institutions in Kenya, conducted over two phases, and includes document analysis, field notes and researcher diaries. In doing so, the study draws key methodological considerations for conducting remote qualitative data collection and engaging with marginalised participants in Sub-Saharan Africa. The findings show that artisans experience constant challenges such as poverty, an indecent work environment, and inadequate institutional support. Nevertheless, their exposure to vulnerable conditions is paradoxically matched with resilience. The artisans’ resilience stems from their agency and socio-cultural structures, which have allowed them to combine different resources to sustain their livelihoods, cope with challenges, and persist in making handicrafts. Theoretically, the study creates a modified framework for sustainable livelihood analysis. It also challenges how resilience is conceptualised in sustainable livelihoods and entrepreneurship and suggests how it should be conceptualised. Relatedly, it draws insights into the paradoxical relationship between resilience and vulnerability. Hence, it contributes to the understanding of resilience in sustainable livelihoods. Notably, the study extends the body of knowledge on informal artisan entrepreneurs in tourism, who have proven unique in their characteristics and how they sustain their livelihoods

Automated Detection of Cervical Pre-Cancerous Lesions Using Regional-Based Convolutional Neural Network

The Cervical Colposcopy image is an image of woman’s cervix taken with a digital colposcope after application of acetic acid. The captured cervical images must be understood for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment planning of the anomalies. This Cervix image understanding is generally performed by skilled medical professionals. However, the scarcity of human medical experts and the fatigue and rough estimate procedures involved with them limit the effectiveness of image understanding performed by skilled medical professionals. This paper, the model uses Regional Based Convolutional Neural Network (R-CNN) to effectively visualize of pre-cancerous lesions and to aid in diagnosis of the disease. The model was trained, on a dataset comprising of 10,383 cervical images samples. The datasets were derived from public dataset repositories. The training samples comprised of type class 1, 2 and 3 traits of cervical precancerous traits. The performance was evaluated using K-nearest -neighbor model over R-CNN. With an accuracy rate of 86%, this approach heralds a promising development in the detection of cervical precancerous lesions. This study findings established that the proposed model in provision of the better accuracy and misclassifications performance than various testing algorithms