Infrastructure in Formation: The Politics and Practices of Making Progress with Infrastructure

Infrastructure has long been understood as central to enabling “progress”, a visible sign of modernity and development. Urban scholars have pushed back against modernist notions of the networked city as the teleological end of infrastructure, yet there remains uncertainty and debate over how to make sense of infrastructure’s temporality. We emphasize that – analytically – infrastructure is always “in formation”. To understand infrastructure’s politics, we consider how progress and completion are narrated, imagined, adjusted to and politicized by providing three contrasting infrastructure vignettes in Nairobi. In our analysis of a bus rapid transit system, we see incremental changes and proclamation of an envisioned final state. In our consideration of the laying of pipes, wires and sidewalks, we see acceptance of what are seemingly indefinite disruptions and politicians wanting to be associated – for as long as possible – with the building of infrastructure. Finally, we examine sanitation infrastructure, where particular toilets may be “complete” but their connections to elsewhere remain in flux and future configurations remain ambiguous. We conclude by reflecting on the politics of the temporality of infrastructure, and the ongoing significance of “making progress” and the possibility of completion for the kinds of infrastructure that are imagined, funded, built and supported

AVAILABILITY OF SANITATION FACILITIES AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF CHILDREN IN PRE-PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN MATHARE SUB-COUNTY IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA

The purpose of this study was to establish the contribution of the availability of sanitation facilities to the academic performance of children in pre-primary schools in Mathare Sub- County. The study was built on the theory of Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. A descriptive research design was used to achieve the research objectives. The target population was 68 Early Childhood Development Education centers distributed within Mathare Sub-County. Stratified sampling was used to select 136 teachers to participate in the study. A pilot study was undertaken to establish the reliability and validity of the research instruments. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to generate both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study employed an independent sample t-test as well as a chi-square analysis. Data were presented in tables and charts and interpretations were made based on research objectives. Findings revealed that all schools under the study had functional hand-washing facilities. Most APBET schools had one hand washing facility with no soap most of the time. Very few have at least two hand washing facilities with no soap most of the time. All public schools had hand washing and anal cleansing materials. All public schools had hand washing and anal cleansing materials. However, the anal cleansing materials in public schools purposely served the teachers and staff alone. Findings revealed that the majority of schools did not have quality sanitation since an average of only 9 schools could meet the quality standards of sanitation in Mathare slums. Sanitation facilities in pre-primary schools were not fully utilizable as toilets were in pathetic conditions in more than 50% of the schools engaged in the study. the study concluded that there are big deficits in sanitation facilities and materials in the sampled schools of Mathare slums because all schools demonstrated that one toilet could be shared by over one hundred pupils at any given time during school hours. The study recommended that the Ministry of Education should conduct regular monitoring and evaluation of school sanitation and hygiene standards as part of its regulatory roles.  Article visualizations

A Systematic Literature Review of the Contribution of Past Climate Information Services Pilot Projects in Climate Risk Management

Many pilot-based initiatives have been developed to promote awareness and use of climate information services among vulnerable smallholder farmers in Africa through million-dollar investments. However, despite their experimental nature, these pilot projects have been successful in raising participating farmers’ awareness and use of climate information services and they can inform transferrable good practices. Through a systematic literature review approach, this review sought to understand ways in which these past pilot projects have contributed to climate risk management in the context of smallholder farming and the factors that led to their success. Results showed that climate information services main contribution to climate risk management has been through facilitating farm level decision making. Factors that led to success of the pilots include: use of downscaled information; building institutional partnerships to add value to climate information; involving farmers through the co-designing and co-developing process; face-to-face way of communication; embedding pre-seasonal workshops in the activities of local institutions for sustainability; using diversity of communication channels to enhance reach among others. These factors can be borrowed as good practices to inform future efforts focused on increasing adoption of climate information services among a wider population beyond pilot project reach

Influence of innovation on small and medium enterprise (SME) growth: A case of garment manufacturing industries in Nakuru county

Innovation is paramount to the survival and growth of any business. It has changed the way companies conduct business and the way both customers and clients acquire goods and services. The textile industry was one of the key sub-sectors targeted under the country’s strategy for economic recovery (Republic of Kenya, 2003). This study probed the influence of technological, product and process innovations on growth of garment manufacturing industries in Nakuru. Stratified random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were employed in deriving the study sample. Data was collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics with the aid of Statistical Packages for Social Scientist (SPSS 20). This study was able to establish a strong link between innovation and growth of businesses and recommends that the Kenyan government should establish close links with SMEs in the garment manufacturing industries to encourage innovative strategies that will enable the sector to expand

Urban growth management in sub-Saharan Africa: conflicting interests in the application of planning laws and regulations in middle income residential developments in Nairobi

The middle income group in Nairobi, as in many other sub-Saharan African cities, is of a significant size. Many housing developments aimed at this group do not comply with planning laws and regulations. The costs of non-compliance include loss of lives when buildings collapse, costs to developers in terms of bribes to corrupt officials, and planning authorities’ inability to ensure compliance with regulations when developers do not follow formal procedures. Despite this, the scholarly, legal and enforcement focus on informality, and housing and planning policies, is mostly on low income group settlements, neglecting the middle income group. This research addresses this gap, investigating why there is non-compliance with building laws and regulations in developments for middle income residents. The project uses an embedded case study design within Nairobi. Qualitative interviewing was aimed at understanding perceptions of the planning system by both planners and developers, and how and why their interests differ. The research finds that, despite conflicting interests in the application of planning laws and regulations in middle income developments, non-compliance is tolerated or ignored because there is informal collaboration between state agents and developers, which validates the indispensability of these developments. This informal collaboration is prompted by unmet housing need, and the inappropriateness of a system that is a result of colonial hangovers. The results are manifested in a poor planning framework (including poor land use management), inadequate resources for planning, and shortcomings in governance, as well as unruly developers. The research contributes to the planning and housing literature about the production of rental housing for the middle income group in sub-Saharan Africa. It asserts that non-compliance in such developments does not necessarily produce inappropriate housing developments. Rather than fighting these developments, housing needs could be better served by positive and formal collaboration between planners, developers and other stakeholders, in order to secure acceptable and improved developments

Repellent Activity of the Essential Oil from Capparis tomentosa against Maize Weevil sitophilus zeamais

Essential oil was extracted from the fresh leaves of C. tomentosa through hydro-distillation, using a Clevenger type apparatus. Analysis of the oil was carried out on a combined gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer fitted with an hp-5 ms (5% phenyl methyl siloxane) column at a temperature programme of 35°c (5 min) increased at 10°c/min to 280°c and held for 10.5 min then 50°c/min to 285°c. The individual components of the essential oils were identified through GC, GC-MS and GC-FID co injection with the authentic standards. The major components identified include: beta phellandrene 26.63%, beta pinene 15.34%, euginol 6.64%, terpineol 6.02%, terpinen-4-ol 5.24%, ?-cymene 3.19%, geraniol 4.14%, nerolidol 5.14%. The repellent action of the essential oil was also evaluated using a Y shaped olfactometer.  The data obtained was analyzed using statistical analysis system (sas).  The repellent ability of the components of the essential oil from c. tomentosa: Nerolidol and Linalool showed significant repellence at all doses. The oil together with its components Nerolidol and Linalool may be good choices for repellant formulations Keywords: C. tomentosa, Sitophilus zeamais, Essential oil, Insect repellent, GC-MS

The role of knowledge management in the sustainable development of Lake Victoria basin

The Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) is endowed with natural resources which are drivers for sustainable development at local, national and regional levels. However, these resources are adversely affected by dynamic social, economic, environmental and political factors. Poor coordination and ineffective knowledge management programmes among various players within the LVB has led to duplication of efforts as substantial information and knowledge generated is unavailable to users. As a result, over-exploitation of natural resources has resulted in unsustainable development of the LVB. This study sought to establish the role of knowledge management in promoting sustainable development of the LVB. Specific objectives were to: determine the role of knowledge management in sustainable development of LVB; determine challenges and barriers hindering effective knowledge management; establish tools and technology that can be used to enhance knowledge management; and establish the strategies used by organisations in LVB to manage knowledge generated for sustainable development. A descriptive survey design was used in this study targeting 98 (with 76.5% response rate) officers of various ranks working in 26 organisations involved in development programmes/projects and located in the five partner states within the LVB. Data was collected using self administered questionnaires and a desk review. Findings showed most respondents agreeing that knowledge management is a systematic utilisation of policies, processes, activities and tools which empower organisations to apply knowledge to improve effectiveness, innovation and quality. Up to 93.9% of the organisations facilitated discovery, capture, storage and retrieval of knowledge. Most organisations encouraged documentation of lessons learnt, with some making it mandatory to deposit key documents in the library. Paper-based media was the most preferred knowledge storage format. Lack of an open-minded sharing environment, bureaucratic procedures and poor information systems were the common barriers to knowledge management, while lack of time (68.4%) was an obstacle to proper xvi documentation. The internet was the most popular knowledge management tool/technology; though technical issues were the most critical problems affecting ICT use (71.4%). Based on these findings, this study recommends a holistic and coordinated approach to knowledge management among all institutions working in the LVB to address the challenges of sustainable development in the basin.Information ScienceM. Inf. (Information Science

Nest food provisioning in the Red-capped Lark Calandrella cinerea does not vary with parental sex differences and time of day

The Red-capped Lark Calandrella cinerea inhabits some of the most highly threatened grassland ecosystems in Kenya. Although previous studies have been undertaken on feeding ecology of this species, a knowledge gap still exists in relation to its nest food provisioning behaviour. We studied the food provisioning behaviour of Red-capped Larks in open grassland habitat at Kedong Ranch in Naivasha, Kenya. Observations were completed on 18 active nests for a total of 163 observation hours between 07:00 and 18:00. Results confirmed that nestling diet comprised insect larvae (including caterpillars), grasshoppers, butterflies/moths, ants and beetles. Food provisioning rates for males and females combined, as well as independently, did not vary with the nestling age. In relation to specific prey items, provisioning rates of insect larvae and butterflies/moths during different hours of the day did not vary. However, there was a significant difference in provisioning rates of grasshoppers for the time periods. The findings provide an understanding of food requirements and feeding behaviour of the Red-capped Lark, and therefore are important for predicting how future changes in the availability of food resources could infl uence feeding, reproductive success, and possibly survival of the species.Keywords: Kedong Ranch, lark, grassland, nestling diet, insect

Impact of Nutritional (C: N Ratio and Source) on Growth, Oxalate Accumulation, and Culture pH by Sclerotinia Sclerotiorum.

The phytopathogenic fungi Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, causative of Sclerotinia stem rot of soybean was studied to determine the impact of culture media representing disparate carbon to nitrogen sources and ratios on mycelial growth, oxalate accumulation, and culture pH. The three parameters exhibited significant variations with respect to the differing preference for the nutrient sources and ratios; most oxalate accumulated on high CN (75:1) nutrient media, the intermediate CN (35:1) nutrient media exhibited the best growth potential, while the highest oxalate–to-biomass ratio occurred on poor CN (3.6:1) nutrient media and pH raised in low (10:1) and poor (3.6:1) nutrient media. Further, we made an attempt to identify the potential regulators for oxalate metabolism by HPLC analysis of metabolites present in the culture filtrate, which revealed 6–17 peaks. Nine peaks were identified as acetate, citrate, succinate, malate, oxalate, oxaloacetate, succinate, glycolate, and indole-3-acetic acids (IAA). Acetate, oxalate and malate were present in all the culture filtrates but in varying amounts. The other metabolites were not detected in some of the culture filtrates. Taken together, these results indicate that; 1) oxalate production did not correlate with growth; 2) oxalate accumulation and regulation is dependent on nutritional conditions and; 3) the decrease in culture pH was independent of oxalate accumulation. Such studies may lead to identification of most commendable media for laboratory assay and the rational design of strategies to regulate/depress oxalate accumulation and reduce its availability in plant foods. Key words: biomass, metabolites, mycelial, nutrition, oxalate, Sclerotinia sclerotioru