Impact of Enrollment on the Quality of Learning in Primary Schools in Imenti Central District, Kenya

To promote participation and access to education, the government introduced free primary education. The introduction of FSE has resulted into increased enrolment at all levels which has been blamed for the poor performance of pupils in public primary school of Imenti Central District. The current study sought to determine the impact of enrollment on the quality of learning in primary schools in Imenti Central District. The study employed the descriptive survey research design. Purposive sampling was used to select 2 QASO officers in charge of Imenti Central district; giving a sample size of 382 participants. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used as tools for data collection. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics. The results of data analysis were presented using frequency distribution tables and bar graphs. The study established that high enrolment trends in primary schools led to overworking the staff members, inadequate teaching and learning facilities, poor sanitation facilities and inadequate classroom. The increased enrolment impacted to a great extent on the quality of learning in public primary schools. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that the government puts measures in place to avail facilities that match the pupils’ enrolment. Key Words: Enrolment, Quality of Learnin

Challenges in the disbursement of the Youth Enterprise Development Fund: A case of Mombasa County

ABSTRACT Kenya's population is largely youthful. Indeed, according to the Kenya national youth policies, Kenyans under 30 years of age constitute 75% of the population, forming a massive human resource. Despite their numeric strength, the youth have been marginalized at all levels of decision making and access to economic opportunitie

Financial Impact Assessment of Foot and Mouth Disease in Large Scale Farms in Nakuru District, Kenya

Potential contribution of livestock to household incomes is constrained by animal diseases such Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). FMD is a highly infectious viral disease of cloven-footed animals caused by 7 serotypes of FMD Virus. In 1999, an outbreak caused by a re-emerging strain SAT1, occurred in Nakuru district. Lack of previous vaccinations against the serotypes implied that the animals were naive. According to farmers, the outbreak was characterized by high mortalities, morbidities and financial losses. This paper reports findings of a June 2002 study, which estimated the costs of the disease during the outbreak period. The analysis is applied in the context of large scale commercial dairy production system. Data were collected from secondary sources and in a survey using a structured questionnaire. Results showed that Nakuru District normally tops the other leading districts in FMD outbreaks. The losses in the four farms were colossal and amounted to a total of US$ 479105.75. The major losses were associated with deaths, chronic mastitis related culling, reduced milk production and treatment costs. These results provide information that can be used to estimate opportunity costs of not controlling the particular serotype in an economic analysis of FMD control initiatives. In addition, the findings have a policy implication, in that the Veterinary department, who has the mandate to control the disease, need to put in place strict control measures to reduce the losses associated with the disease. To achieve this, the department needs to choose between a proactive or reactive control programme based on a benefit-cost analysis of the two alternatives. In addition, the department needs to be more vigilant in disease surveillance and monitoring. The Kenya Veterinarian Vol. 29 2005: pp. 7-

Evaluation of the sensitivity and specificity of latex agglutination and complement fixation tests in the field diagnosis of contagious bovine

The sensitivity and specificity of latex agglutination test (LAT) and Complement fixation test (CFT) for the field diagnosis of Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia were determined using 90 bovine sera from various parts of the country. Of the ninety samples tested, 17 (18.9%) were positive in both tests, 2 (2.2%) were negative in both tests, whereas 65 (72.2%) were negative in CFT but positive in LAT and 6 (6.7%) were negative in LAT but positive in CFT. Overall, LAT was more sensitive than CFT as 67 (74.4%) of the samples were positive in LAT, whereas only 19 (21.1%) samples were positive in CFT. In contrast, CFT (25%) had a higher specificity than LAT (3%

Experimental evaluation of inactivated and live attenuated vaccines against Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. Mycoides

The current control method for contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) in Africa is vaccination with a live, attenuated strain of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides(Mmm). However, this method is not very efficient and often causes serious adverse reactions. Several studies have attempted to induce protection using inactivated mycoplasma, but with widely contradictory results. Therefore, we compared the protective capacity of the live T1/44 vaccine with two inactivated preparations of Mmmstrain Afadé, inoculated with an adjuvant. Protection was measured after a challenge with Afadé. The protection levels were 31%, 80.8% and 74.1% for the formalin-inactivated, heat-inactivated and live attenuated preparations, respectively. These findings indicate that low doses of heat-inactivated Mmm can offer protection to a level similar to the current live attenuated (T1/44) vaccine formulation

Capsular polysaccharide from Mycoplasma mycoides subsp.mycoides shows potential for protection against Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia

Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) is a severe respiratory disease caused byMycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides (Mmm) which is widespread in Africa. The capsule polysaccharide (CPS) of Mmm is one of the few identified virulence determinants. In a previous study, immunization of mice against CPS generated antibodies, but they were not able to prevent multiplication of Mmm in this model animal. However, mice cannot be considered as a suitable animal model, as Mmm does not induce pathology in this species. Our aim was to induce antibody responses to CPS in cattle, and challenge them when they had specific CPS antibody titres similar or higher than those from cattle vaccinated with the live vaccine. The CPS was linked to the carrier protein ovalbumin via a carbodiimide-mediated condensation with 1-ethyl-3(3-imethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC). Ten animals were immunized twice and challenged three weeks after the booster inoculation, and compared to a group of challenged non-immunized cattle. When administered subcutaneously to adult cattle, the vaccine elicited CPS-specific antibody responses with the same or a higher titre than animals vaccinated with the live vaccine. Pathology in the group of immunized animals was significantly reduced (57%) after challenge with Mmm strain Afadé compared to the non-immunized group, a figure in the range of the protection provided by the live vaccine

Recombinant Mycoplasma mycoides proteins elicit protective immune responses against contagious bovine pleuropneumonia

Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides (Mmm) is the causative agent of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), a devastating respiratory disease mainly affecting cattle in sub-Saharan Africa. The current vaccines are based on live-attenuated Mmmstrains and present problems with temperature stability, duration of immunity and adverse reactions, thus new vaccines are needed to overcome these issues. We used a reverse vaccinology approach to identify 66 Mmm potential vaccine candidates. The selection and grouping of the antigens was based on the presence of specific antibodies in sera from CBPP-positive animals. The antigens were used to immunize male Boran cattle (Bos indicus) followed by a challenge with the Mmm strain Afadé. Two of the groups immunized with five proteins each showed protection after the Mmm challenge (Groups A and C; P < 0.05) and in one group (Group C) Mmm could not be cultured from lung specimens. A third group (Group N) showed a reduced number of animals with lesions and the cultures for Mmm were also negative. While immunization with some of the antigens conferred protection, others may have increased immune-related pathology. This is the first report that Mmm recombinant proteins have been successfully used to formulate a prototype vaccine and these results pave the way for the development of a novel commercial vaccine

Tissue culture banana (Musa spp.) for smallholder farmers: lessons learnt from East Africa

The use of tissue culture (TC) banana (Musa spp.) planting material is an effective method of providing pest and disease-free plants. Although there are many added benefits to using TC plants, the adoption of TC technology remains relatively low in East Africa. Currently, adoption is increasing under impetus from the private sector. Adopting TC banana technology, however, is more expensive for the farmer than conventional suckers and may not be economically beneficial across all bananaproducing areas in East Africa. One of the greatest potential dangers for sustainable commercial TC plant production is the limited use of certification for plant quality and health, which is especially important in order to avoid the spread of viruses. Additionally, TC plant nurseries are important components, as they provide essential distribution hubs connecting TC producers with farmers. However, TC nurseries in East Africa face an array of challenges. Organizing banana farmers into groups has long been considered advantageous, as they foster increased buying and selling power, reduce economic and social risk, increase economies of scale, and facilitate access to credit and inputs in the case of formally certified groups. Distribution of superior planting material alone, however, does not ensure improved productivity. Smallholder farmers are constrained by factors such as a lack of: land, capital, access to technology and effective marketing infrastructure. As such, efficient distribution systems need to deliver TC plants as part of a package, including training and access to micro-credit. Despite a booming commercial sector, there is only anecdotal evidence that farmers who have adopted TC bananas have benefitted substantially in terms of higher yields and household incomes. Sound socio-economic analyses are crucial to guide policy strategies, to learn from successes already achieved and to identify important constraints for a wider dissemination of TC banana in the region