Exploring Motivations and Factors Impacting upon Destination Choice of the UK Residents: Reflecting on Kenyan Tourism

For decades, Kenya has been renowned around the world as the most developed and premier destination in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, in recent years, the prime position has been threatened due to competition from emerging markets, in the Beach and Wildlife Safari market. Therefore, Kenya has to compete for international tourists and the UK market as remained to be a top generating source of market. This study therefore explores the motivations and factors impacting upon destination choice of the UK tourists, with specific focus on Kenya as a tourist destination. Data was collected using questionnaires and the results indicated that the image of Kenya as held by the UK residents is quite positive and it highly influences their likelihood of choosing Kenya as a future holiday destination. The study concluded that it is of paramount importance for the Kenya Tourist Board to recognize the competitive advantage that Kenya has against other countries in order to remain competitive in the global marketplace and use it appropriately in order to market the country in the UK. Keywords: Kenya, Motivation, Destinatio

Exploring Motivations and Factors Impacting upon Destination Choice of the UK Residents: Reflecting on Kenyan Tourism

For decades, Kenya has been renowned around the world as the most developed and premier destination in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, in recent years, the prime position has been threatened due to competition from emerging markets, in the Beach and Wildlife Safari market. Therefore, Kenya has to compete for international tourists and the UK market as remained to be a top generating source of market. This study therefore explores the motivations and factors impacting upon destination choice of the UK tourists, with specific focus on Kenya as a tourist destination. Data was collected using questionnaires and the results indicated that the image of Kenya as held by the UK residents is quite positive and it highly influences their likelihood of choosing Kenya as a future holiday destination. The study concluded that it is of paramount importance for the Kenya Tourist Board to recognize the competitive advantage that Kenya has against other countries in order to remain competitive in the global marketplace and use it appropriately in order to market the country in the UK. Keywords: Kenya, Motivation, Destinatio

An Assessment of Management Commitment to Application of Green Practices in 4 – 5 Star Hotels in Mombasa, Kenya

Hotel businesses consume significant amounts of natural resources, discharge large amounts of raw and solid waste which consequently affects the sustainability of the natural environment. Environmental management and sustainability have been recent important issues in hospitality industry. The hotels, as a main sector of the hospitality industry, have benefited from environmental initiatives through improving corporate image and increasing resource and energy efficiency. In Kenya greening in hotels is a new concept that managers are yearning to embrace. This study therefore sought to establish the current state of green practices in four to five star hotels in Mombasa, Kenya. Further, this study also sought to determine the relationship between management environmental commitment and organizational involvement in green practices. Data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedules and observation checklists. The results indicated that 88.9 percent of the managers were not satisfied with their current issues while 81.5 percent were focusing on improving the green concepts. The study concluded that hotel managers should embrace regular environmental audits where environmental performance is constantly monitored and recorded. Environmental education and training were also considered valuable in developing awareness, knowledge, positive attitude, skills and participation in green practices. Keywords: Kenya, hotel industry, managers, commitmen

Implementation of an Ultraviolet Phototherapy Service at a National Referral Hospital in Western Kenya: Reflections on Challenges and Lessons Learned.

IntroductionIn order to manage skin conditions at a national referral hospital level in Kenya, specialized dermatology services, such as dermatologic surgery, dermatopathology, phototherapy, and sub-specialty care, should be offered, as is typically available in referral hospitals around the world. A Kenyan patient with prurigo nodularis, whose severe itch remitted after phototherapy treatment at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), inspired the development of a phototherapy service at Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH), a partnership in Western Kenya between Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Moi University College of Health Sciences, and a consortium of North American academic medical centers.MethodsInitial project funds were raised through a crowdfunding campaign and fundraising events. A new narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy unit and replacement bulbs were donated and air shipped to Eldoret, Kenya. A team of dermatologists and phototherapy nurses from UCSF conducted a 2-day training session. US-based dermatologists affiliated with AMPATH provide ongoing support through regular communication and on-site visits.ResultsEarly in implementation, challenges faced included training clinical staff with limited experience in phototherapy and improving communication between nurses and clinicians. More recent challenges include frequent rotation of specialty clinic nurses in the dermatology clinic, adaptation of phototherapy guidelines to balance patient volume with service delivery capacity, and training assessment of disease activity in darkly pigmented skin.ConclusionStrategies that have been helpful in addressing implementation challenges include: increasing on-site and remote training opportunities for clinicians and nurses, developing a tiered payment schema, educating patients to combat misconceptions about phototherapy, dynamic phototherapy referral guidelines to accommodate service delivery capacity, and prioritizing the engagement of a multidisciplinary team

The role of gender and institutional dynamics in adapting seed systems to climate change: case studies from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda

We explore how seed systems enhance access to seeds, and information for climate-change adaptation in farming communities in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, as well as how gender-driven roles and institutional dynamics influence the process. Men and women farmers equally experience climate-change related effects, including drought, short rainy seasons and increased pest and disease incidence. Our study relies on exploratory data analysis of 1001 households surveyed in four sites in 2016. Farmers surveyed preferred early-maturing, heat-tolerant, high-yielding, and pest- and disease-resistant varieties, all important climate-adaptive traits. Seed systems of the focus crops studied are largely informal—overall, 68% women and 62% men use their own seed, indicating women’s higher reliance on ‘informal’ seed and information sources. Only 21% of respondents reported interacting with seed experts who are affiliated with formal organizations. Both formal and informal organizations play a key role in providing access to climate-adapted seed/information, with access for men and women varying across the countries studied. There is a need to support further development of those connections, building on existing social networks. We conclude that inclusive and gender-responsive context- and country-specific seed interventions will ensure equitable outcomes, increase women’s empowerment and strengthen both formal and informal seed systems for more effective climate-change adaptation

Tourism education enrolment among Kenyan public universities: Socioeconomic aspects

The paper innovates on the existing literature and field data by assessing the socio-economic factors influencing the enrolment decisions of students, to tourism programs among 12 selected Kenyan public universities. The study uses a descriptive design. A structured questionnaire and an interview guide were used to gather data from 192 students and 12 departmental heads. The study used a multi-sampling technique; purposive sampling was adopted to select the universities, while simple random sampling was used to determine students pursuing a degree in tourism management. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS. A structural equation model was used for data analysis, following exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factors analysis. The logit regression results reveal the existence of a statistically significant relationship between socioeconomic factors and students’ choice to enroll in tourism programs. The most important reasons influencing the student’s tourism degree choice are tuition fees, employment prospects, and parents/family background. The study recommends that education practitioners, scholars, governments, and private sectors allocate resources and dedicate efforts to improving and tourism awareness among high school students. Future research should investigate the same study variables using longitudinal and in-depth approaches to minimize generalizability concerns related to the study findings

Gender dynamics in seed systems: Insights and analysis

Presented by the various speakers at the panel session on gender dynamics in seed systems, as part of the Annual Scientific Conference hosted by the University of Canberra and co-sponsored by the University of Canberra, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and CGIAR Collaborative Platform for Gender Research, Canberra, Australia, April 2-4, 2019

Uptake and linkage into care over one year of providing HIV testing and counselling through community and health facility testing modalities in urban informal settlement of Kibera, Nairobi Kenya

Abstract Background We examine the uptake of HIV Testing and Counselling (HTC) and linkage into care over one year of providing HTC through community and health facility testing modalities among people living in Kibera informal urban settlement in Nairobi Kenya. Methods We analyzed program data on health facility-based HIV testing and counselling and community- based testing and counselling approaches for the period starting October 2013 to September 2014. Univariate and bivariate analysis methods were used to compare the two approaches with regard to uptake of HTC and subsequent linkage to care. The exact Confidence Intervals (CI) to the proportions were approximated using simple normal approximation to binomial distribution method. Results Majority of the 18,591 clients were tested through health facility-based testing approaches 72.5 % (n = 13485) vs those tested through community-based testing comprised 27.5 % (n = 5106). More clients tested at health facilities were reached through Provider Initiated Testing and Counselling PITC 81.7 % (n = 11015) while 18.3 % were reached through Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT)/Client Initiated Testing and Counselling (CITC) services. All clients who tested positive during health facility-based testing were successfully linked to care either at the project sites or sites of client choice while not all who tested positive during community based testing were linked to care. The HIV prevalence among all those who were tested for HIV in the program was 5.2 % (n = 52, 95 % CI: 3.9 %–6.8 %). Key study limitation included use of aggregate data to report uptake of HTC through the two testing approaches and not being able to estimate the population in the catchment area likely to test for HIV. Conclusion Health facility-based HTC approach achieved more clients tested for HIV, and this method also resulted in identifying greater numbers of people who were HIV positive in Kibera slum within one year period of testing for HIV compared to community-based HTC approach. Linking HIV positive clients to care proved much easier during health facility- based HTC compared to community- based HTC

Implementing a Locally Made Low-Cost Intervention for Wound and Lymphedema Care in Western Kenya

In Western Kenya, the burden of chronic wounds and lymphedema has a significant impact on functionality and quality of life. Major barriers to provision of care include availability, affordability, and accessibility of bandages. At the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare, dermatologists and pharmacists collaborated to develop a 2-component compression bandage modeled after the Unna boot, using locally available materials, that is distributed through a revolving fund pharmacy network. In partnership with nursing, use of these bandages at a national referral hospital and a few county facilities has increased, but increasing utilization to an expanded catchment area is needed

Protocols for Generating Surfaces and Measuring 3D Organelle Morphology Using Amira

High-resolution 3D images of organelles are of paramount importance in cellular biology. Although light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) have provided the standard for imaging cellular structures, they cannot provide 3D images. However, recent technological advances such as serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM) and focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) provide the tools to create 3D images for the ultrastructural analysis of organelles. Here, we describe a standardized protocol using the visualization software, Amira, to quantify organelle morphologies in 3D, thereby providing accurate and reproducible measurements of these cellular substructures. We demonstrate applications of SBF-SEM and Amira to quantify mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) structures