Determinants and impact of adopting climate-smart brachiaria grass among dairy farmers in Kenya

Evolving changes such as population growth, urbanisation and a growing middle-income class in Africa are redefining the agro-food systems. Population growth is expected to double the demand for milk and meat products in Africa by 2050. This raises concerns on the capability of African countries to meet the projected demand. It is imperative that farmers seize the opportunities for earning higher and stable income by responding to the new trends and overcoming the constraints tightened by climate change. Access to quality fodder has continued to be the single most important challenge in livestock production systems. The objective of this article is to evaluate the impact of climate-smart Brachiaria on feed sufficiency and milk productivity in dairy production in Kenya. A random sample of 237 farmers, 111 adopters and 126 non-adopters of Brachiaria was selected in Makueni and Siaya using multi-stage sampling. Data was collected through face to face interviews and Propensity score-matching approach was then employed to evaluate the impact of Brachiaria grass on feed sufficiency and milk productivity. In this study, non-adopters of Brachiaria were farmers who were using Napier grass as their source of fodder. The findings reveal that adoption of Brachiaria increases milk production by about 27.6%. This translates to an average increase of about 3 litres daily per animal. Adoption of Brachiaria consequently increases feed sufficiency measured by time spent in feed related activities by the primary woman in a household by 31.6%. Adopters of Brachiaria spend 2 hours less in sourcing and preparing feed in dry seasons. The surplus milk implies more income for the household, improved nutrition from milk consumption and improved wealth status of household. Results on feed sufficiency imply that Brachiaria offers an alternative sustainable source of fodder in fodder scarce periods and releases the burden on women in feed related activities. There is also an improvement in the welfare of families. The study concludes that policies and efforts aimed at increasing widespread adoption should address factors that influence adoption. We recommend increasing extension and training on climate-smart fodder and strengthening collective institutions such as farmer groups for sustainable livestock production

Rest-stops as a planning engineering option to fatigue

Road accidents on the Kenyan roads claim about 3,000 lives annually. It isestimated that the economy further looses approximately Ksh. 14 billion or 5 % of its gross domestic product too on accident related expenses (MoTC, 2004). However, this intractable problem persists amidst efforts to introduce measures including enforcement to use seatbelts and insertion of speed-governors. In an effort to understand some of the underlying causes, this study examined travellers’ perception of fatigue as a  contributor to crashes. Both empirical and exploratory research  methodology was used to capture the opinions of the road users and to get statistical information by carrying out a survey of 715 road- users on  Mombasa Road. The results showed the occurrence of fatigue to be a major cause of 87 %, 83 % and 82 % of the nodding off, exhaustion and yawning experienced respectively by passengers. Similar results were reported for drivers. The effects of fatigue were attributed to poor road conditions by 76 % and long periods of sitting by 64 % of the passengers interviewed. To counter fatigue effects, 72 % and 79 % of the private car and truck drivers respectively stopped to relax at petrol stations. The use of open countryside was cited by 53 % of the passengers interviewed as an alternative place to stop. The results underscore the need to devise effective measures that will relieve fatigue but at the same time be environmentally sound. Indeed well planned rest-stops by location,  proximity to urban centres, at black spots and near scenic viewing points can provide avenues to re-energize and provide an escape from driving under hazardous conditions and also be used as a point to enjoy the special characters of region.Key words: Crash, fatigue, rest-stops, Mombasa Roa

Effect of Internal Control Systems on Financial Performance of Public Universities in Kenya

Most public Universities across the world have reported suboptimal financial performance compared to private universities. The poor financial performance can be attributed to financial management practices. The sound financial management practices require the institutions to have robust internal control systems. However, there are limited empirical research findings regarding the relationship between the internal control systems and financial performance in public universities in Kenya. The general objective of the study was to establish the effect of internal control systems on financial performance of public universities in Kenya. The study specific objective was to investigate the effect of detective controls on the financial performance of public universities in Kenya. The study was anchored on agency theory, stewardship theory, systems theory and attribution theory. The study adopted a causal research design. The target population of respondents were the deputy vice chancellors finance, registrar finance and administration, ICT personnel, finance officers and internal auditors in the 37 public universities in Kenya. The target population was 185 respondents. The study worked with a sample of 34 public universities through stratified random sampling, and the other three were used for pilot testing. Primary data was collected from sample population using semi-structured questionnaires. Secondary data was collected through evaluation of reports, organizational journals, publications and review of information from the organizations website. Quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). All the questionnaires received were referenced and items in the questionnaire coded to facilitate data entry. After data cleaning which entailed checking for errors in entry, descriptive statistics and frequencies were estimated for all the variables and information presented inform of tables, graphs and pie charts. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used because they enabled the researcher to meaningfully describe distribution of scores or measurements using a few indices. Inferential data analysis was done using Pearson Correlation coefficient and regression analysis. Regression analysis was conducted to empirically determine whether detective controls were significant in determining the financial performance of public universities in Kenya.  Regression results indicated the goodness of fit for the regression between detective controls and financial performance was strong. From the regression model, detective controls and financial performance to a constant zero, financial performance would be 3.132. It was established that a unit increase in detective controls would cause an improvement in financial performance by a factor of 0.237. This clearly showed that there was a positive relationship between detective controls and financial performance. P-value was less than 0.05, which showed that variables covered in the study on detective controls were statistically significant to influence financial performance. The study concluded that detective controls had a positive and significant influence on the financial performance of public universities in Kenya. Keywords: Internal control Systems, Detective Controls, Financial Performance DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/12-16-09 Publication date:August 31st 202

Measuring gender norms about relationships in early adolescence : results from the global early adolescent study

Introduction: Gender norms are increasingly recognized as drivers of health and wellbeing. While early adolescence constitutes a critical window of development, there is limited understanding about how adolescents perceive gender relations across different cultural settings. This study used a mixed-method approach, grounded in the voices of young people around the world, to construct and test a cross-cultural scale assessing the perceptions of gender norms regulating romantic relationships between boys and girls in early adolescence. Methods: The study draws on the Global Early Adolescent study (GEAS), a study focusing on gender norms and health related outcomes over the course of adolescence in urban poor settings worldwide. In-depth interviews were first conducted among approximately 200 adolescents between 10-14 years in seven sites across 4 continents to identify common scripts guiding romantic relations in early adolescence. These scripts were then transformed into a multidimensional scale. The scale was tested among 120 adolescents in each of 14 GEAS sites, followed by a second pilot among 75 adolescents in six sites. We evaluated the psychometric criteria of each subscale using principal component analysis, and parallel analysis, followed by exploratory factor analysis to guide the selection of a more parsimonious set of items. Results: Results suggested a two-factor structure, consisting of an "adolescent romantic expectations" subscale and a "Sexual Double Standard" subscale. Both subscales yielded high internal validity in each site, with polychoric Cronbach alpha values above 0.70 with the exception of Kinshasa for the adolescent romantic expectations scale (0.64) and Hanoi for the sexual double standard scale (0.61). Conclusion: This study reveals common perceptions of gendered norms about romantic engagement in early adolescence, normative for both sexes, but socially valued for boys while devaluated for girls. The findings illustrate that social hierarchies of power in romantic relationships form early in adolescence, regardless of cultural setting

Computational Analysis of Some Enzymes Involved in Synthesis of Secondary Metabolites in Camellia Sinensis

Tea is one of the most popular beverages worldwide, native to Southeast Asia but currently cultivated in over 35 countries. Studies on its chemical composition reveal that polyphenol metabolites account for 25% to 35% of the total dry weight. Tea has many health benefits owing to secondary metabolites whose level of expression in various tea clones determine tea flavor. The flavor (taste and aroma) and the color of processed tea are used to assess its quality and therefore a detailed analysis of key enzymes involved in the synthesis of secondary metabolites is necessary.  Enzyme PAL (phenylalanine ammonia-lyase) a key enzyme in the phenylpropanoid pathway, playing an important role in the plant development and defense. C4H (cinnamte-4-hydroxylse) an important enzyme in allocating significant amounts of carbon from phenylalanine into the biosynthesis of several metabolites, It maintains activities of the metabolic flux for the operation of the flavanoid pathway. 4CL (4-coumarate: COA ligase) the last enzyme in the general phenylpropanoid pathway that provides precursors for the biosynthesis of a large variety of plant natural products like COA thiol esters of 4-coumarate and other hydroxycinnamate. FLS (flavonol synthase) a key enzyme in flavonol synthesisthat determines the final content of flavonols which play an important role in defense related functions and as potent antioxidants. ANS (anthocyanidin synthase) an enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway to anthocyanin. This study employed a computational approach in the analysis of some of these enzymes to gain insight into the mechanism of synthesis of these bioactive secondary metabolites. Biological databases were used to retrieve amino acid sequences of these key enzymes. Consensus conserved regions in these sequences were identified from highly identical homologs which were useful in modeling the enzymes' three dimensional structures.  A total of 5 key enzymes were analyzed and pockets and cavities in their structures; hence the putative substrate binding sites determined, which gave insight into the enzymes-substrate as well as enzyme cofactor interactions. The preferred orientations of the interactions between substrates and/or co-factors with the enzymes were also simulated through molecular docking.  Analysis of these enzymes revealed unique enzyme structures and very specific substrate and co-factor preference. This analysis offers a platform for optimization of selective expression of these key enzymes through gene expression assays that can potentially alter the quality yield of tea clones. Keywords: camellia sinensis, Secondary metabolites, Conserved regions, Pockets and cavities, Molecular dockin

Broad spectrum antibiotic use among in-patients at a hospital in Nairobi, Kenya

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is an increasingly serious threat to global public health. While the use of antibiotics is an important contributing factor, there are gaps regarding this in our region. This study aimed to describe the use of nine broad spectrum antibiotics among in-patients of The Nairobi Hospital (TNH) so as to identify opportunities for quality improvement.Methods: This was a retrospective review of the use of meropenem, ertapenem, imipenem, cefepime, piperacillin, gentamicin, amikacin, vancomycin and teicoplanin among in-patients of TNH from 1st January 2018 to 31st March 2018. Demographic and clinical data of all in-patients who were prescribed these antibiotics during the study period were retrieved from patient files.Results: There were 301 study participants with a median age (range) of 30years (1day-74years), of whom 161 (53.5%) were male. More than half of the participants were admitted for less than one week and had at least one co-morbidity. Meropenem was the most commonly prescribed study antibiotic 123 (40.9%) followed by amikacin 89 (29.6%). Respiratory tract infections 125 (41.5%) were the predominant indications. Meropenem had the longest mean duration of administration, 6.5days while the aminoglycosides were administered for a relatively shorter duration of about 4.8days. Cultures were done on 187 (62.1%) patients though it is only samples of 45 patients that grew an organism, E. coli and Klebsiella sp being the most frequently isolated organisms.Conclusions: There’s a need to strongly intensify implementation of restriction strategies for Meropenem use and introduction of education programs on antimicrobial stewardship targeting all prescribers

A Comparison of the Socio- Economic Characteristics of Dairy-Crop Integrators versus Non Integrators: A Case Study in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Kenya

The aim of this study was to compare the different inherent socio economic characteristics amongst the dairy-crop integrators and non integrators in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Kenya. The study carried out a census of 85 integrators and 85 non integrators. The data were collected with the help of a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as means and percentages were used to present the findings. The study found out that Integrators had a higher household size mean unlike the non integrators. The integrators had a lower mean in years of schooling of as compared to that of non integrators who had a higher mean of years of schooling. On the other hand, Integrators had a larger size of land on average as compared to non integrators. The study therefore recommends policy interventions to enhance access to credit, reduce illiteracy levels among rural entrepreneurs through training and extension services. Key words: Integration, Non-integration, Off-farm income, Househol

Using Landsat Imagery to Analyse Land Cover Change in the Njoro Watershed, Kenya

In developing nations where resources are scarce and increased population pressures create stress on available resources, methods are needed to examine effects of human migration and resultant changes in land cover. Widespread availability and low cost of remotely sensed imagery and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are making such methods a reality to develop quantitative resource mapping and land cover change detection in developing nations (Sheng et al., 1997). However, difficulties arise in tropical regions when trying to analyse traditional vegetation bands (Bands 3 and 4), or indices such as NDVI because saturated pixels limit spectral distinction

Genotypes of HBV and HCV among HIV-1 co-infected individuals in Ngong Sub-County, Kenya

Background: Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C viruses are the major causes of liver disease worldwide. Co-infections with HBV and HCV have turned out to be increasingly very common among people living with HIV, leading to a major public health concernObjective: To determine HBV and HCV diversity among HIV infected patients attending the Ngong sub-county hospital comprehensive care clinic.Design: A cross-sectional studySetting: HIV research laboratory in Centre for virus research at Kenya medical research institute, Nairobi.Subjects: HIV infected patients attending the comprehensive care clinic at Ngong subcounty hospital between May and August 2015.Results: One hundred and ninety (190) HIV-1 positive patients participated in this study, consisting of 78.9% females and 21.1% males. Out of the 190 participants, 11(5.8%) were positive for Hepatitis B surface antigen and eight (4.2%) were positive for anti- HCV antibodies. 5/11 samples were positive for HBV DNA PCR and five belonged to HBV genotype A and E . However, none of the eight samples for HCV were positive for HCV RNA PCR.Conclusion: None of the patients was infected with HCV. HBV genotype A1 was the most dominant circulating genotype in Ngong sub-County followed by genotype E. Nevertheless, there could be other HBV genotypes circulating in Kenya especially among higher risk populations

The effects of maize planting density and weeding regimes on light and water use

Light and water are among essential resources required for production of photosynthates in plants. A study on the effects of weeding regimes and maize planting density on light and water use was conducted during the 2001/2 short and 2002 long rain seasons at Muguga in - the central highlands of Kenya. Weeding regimes were: weed free (W1), weedy (W2), herbicide (W3) and hand weeding twice (W4). Maize planting densities were 9 (D1) and 18 plants m-2 (D2) intercropped with Phaseolus vulgaris (beans). The experiment was laid as randomized complete block design replicated four times and repeated twice. All plots were thinned to 4 plants m-2 at tasseling stage (96 DAE) and thinnings quantified as forage. Soil moisture content (SMC), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) interception, evapo-transpiration (ET crop), water use efficiency (WUE), and harvest index (HI), were determined. Percent PAR was higher in D2 than in D1 before thinning but higher in D1 than in D2 after thinning in both seasons. PAR interception was highest in W2 but similar in W1, W3 and W4 in both seasons. SMC was significantly lower in W2 but similar in W1, W3 and W4. D2 had lower SMC than D1 in season two. Weeding regime significantly influenced ET crop, while planting density and weeding regime significantly influenced WUE and HI. D2 maximizes water and light use for forage production but results to increased intra-specific plant competition for water and light severely before thinning (96 DAE) that reduce grain yield in dual purpose maize, relative to D1