Contribution of Microfinance Credit on Poverty Reduction among the Agricultural Rural Women in Keiyo North District, Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Kenya

Microfinance institutions provide small loans to rural women to improve their living standards. The main purpose of microfinance credit programme is to break the vicious cycle of poverty among the rural women by providing them with capital. Poverty is a global problem; more than 1.3 billion people worldwide live below the poverty line, 70% of them being women. In Keiyo North district, 48% of the population lives below the poverty line with women constituting 65% of those living below the poverty line. However, less rural women in Keiyo North district participate in the microfinance credit programme despite the fact that Kenya Women Finance Trust (KWFT) operates in all the 13 sub-locations in the district. This study sought to investigate the contribution of microfinance credit on poverty reduction among the rural women in Keiyo North district. The study used a descriptive survey design to collect data. The target population was 220 of the rural women participating in groups in microfinance credit programme from which a sample of 130 rural women was drawn. An open and close-ended questionnaire was used. A pilot study was conducted among the 30 KWFT rural women participants and a Cronbach’s Apha coefficient reliability of 0.71 was attained. The validity of the instrument was ascertained by experts from Agricultural Education and Extension in the Faculty of Education and Community studies and supervisors of Egerton University. Data was analyzed using chi-square α=0.05 significance level. Results indicated that microfinance credit programme has improved household level of income and acquisition of assets among the rural women in Keiyo North district. In addition, the rural women can also afford health care services for their families as a result of participating in microfinance credit programme. The study recommends that microfinance institutions (MFIs) should encourage more rural women to participate in microfinance credit programme to increase their levels of income and raise their household assets ownership. The county government should sensitize more rural women on the need to join the microfinance credit programme in order to boost their ability to afford health care services for their families. Keywords: Microfinance credit, poverty, Income, Asset acquisition, Health care, Agricultural rural women

Physical Chemical Parameters of Wastewater: A Case Study of Njoro Sewage Works, Nakuru, Kenya

Njoro sewage works is the main sewage work for Nakuru urban town that receives about 90% of industrial wastewater and 10 % domestic wastewater. In-sufficient pre-treatment of industrial wastewater, may affect the normal functioning of sewage works and the aquatic life (flora and fauna) of the receiving water body. The underground water aquifer may also be contaminated by both chemical elements and microbial through percolation. This study aimed at assessing the efficiency of the sewage works by analysing the physical and chemical parameters of wastewater from the inlet and outlet of Njoro sewage works. The study involved test analysis of the physical and chemical parameters in the laboratory and in-situ test. This study employed composite sampling method in the collection of samples. Data collection was done using experimental method while data analysis was done using descriptive statistics. This study found that BOD concentration was 400 mg/l for the influent and 150mg/l for effluent. COD concentration was 1399 mg/l for the influent and 222 mg/l for the effluent. DO concentrations were lower (0.05 mg/l) for influent and effluent. Traces of heavy metals were also found both for the influent and effluent. Njoro sewage works could not effectively reduce organic load in wastewater. Keywords: Discharge, Effluent, Influent, Sewage works, Wastewate

A novel integrative performance evaluation of constructed wetland on removal of viable bacterial cells and related pathogenic, virulent and multi-drug resistant genes from wastewater systems

Integrative performance evaluation of constructed wetland in removal different aspects of bacteria under specific local environmental conditions needs to be explored in detail to ensure selection of appropriate and highly efficient macrophytes candidates. To achieve this, integrative purification performance evaluation approach that holistically considers all the aspects of pathogenic bacterial biology (colony numbers, functional gene, species, virulent, pathogenicity and resistant genes) needs to be adopted rather than the commonly known unidimensional approaches that take into account a single bacterial aspect. This study experimentally evaluated the individual performance of three native and one exotic winter tolerant submerged macrophytes combined with a single emergent macrophyte in eradicating faecal related bacterial species and pathotypes across horizontal surface flow constructed wetland. It involved the new multi-dimensional approach that integrated the faecal bacterial colony numbers, functional gene copies, species survival, virulent and pathogenicity as well as antimicrobial resistant in constructed wetland purification evaluation. The results showed Elodea nuttallii and Myriophyllum spicatum as the best candidate partners to Typha latifolia for the highest Purification Efficiency (P &lt; 0.05), of above 97% for removal of faecal bacteria colonies and functional genes, and more than 75% for removal of faecal bacterial strains, pathotypes, virulent and well as resistant genes. However, M. spicatum being a Chinese native species should be much preferred to the invasive E. nuttallii. Therefore, the study recommends the application of local macrophytes such as M. spicatum as the best candidates and the decision should emanate from such a multidimensional/intergrative purification-based evaluation approach.</p