The Extent to Which Public Universities in Kenya Experience Managerial and Environmental Challenges

The environment in which organisations operate is continuously changing, thereby posing challenges to the organisations, and higher education institutions are no exception. This study was undertaken to understand the managerial and environmental challenges faced by public universities in Kenya. The study design was descriptive and utilized a cross-sectional survey of all the public universities in Kenya through administration of a structured questionnaire to the top management team. Secondary data were collected from published works and, universities and government documents in public domain in order to corroborate the data collected from the primary sources. Positive responses were received from 63 respondents out of 91, yielding a 69.4 percent response rate. Of the respondents, 76 percent had basic training in the sciences and only 3 percent in business; 79 percent had no training in management and only 8 percent each had training in management at postgraduate diploma and postgraduate degree levels. The universities faced managerial challenges ‘to a greater extent’ than they faced environmental challenges. The control function of management, and competitive and economic macro-economic factors posed the highest challenges. A significant difference (p<0.05) in the managerial and environmental challenges existed between new and old universities, and rural and urban universities, respectively. There was significant difference (p<0.05) and no significant difference (p<0.05) among the three categories of public universities (old, new and university colleges) in managerial and environmental challenges, respectively. The results indicate that the managerial and environmental challenges experienced by public universities in Kenya could be related to lack of training in management. The results further indicate that public universities in Kenya are dependent on the environment in which they operate and, therefore, the study contributes to the environment-dependence theory of organizations. Keywords: Environmental challenge, environment-dependence theory, higher education institutions, Kenya, managerial challenge, public universit

Microbiological quality and safety of raw and pasteurized milk marketed in and around Nairobi Region

The microbiological quality of raw and pasteurized milk marketed in Nairobi and its environs was determined. Milk samples were collected randomly at milk selling points from three market areas: rural (Kiambu/Ngong), urban (East/West of Tom Mboya street) and slum (Kibera/Mathare). Samples were analysed for titratable acidity, total viable count (TVC), Staphylococcus aureus, coliforms and Enterobacteriaceae. Titratable acidity was determined using titration method, while TVC, S. aureus and Enterobacteriaceae were determined by the spread plate methods and coliforms were determined by most probable number. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance using Genstat statistical package. The mean acidity was 0.20% lactic acid (LA), while mean counts for TVC, S. aureus, coliforms and Enterobacteriaceae were 6.05, 3.46, 2.30, and 3.93 log10cfu/ml, respectively. The  ercentage of milk samples with acidity values greater than 0.18% LA, the upper limit set by Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), was 52.8 %. Total viable count (TVC) greater than 106 cfu/ml, was detected in 95.2% and 21.4% of raw and pasteurized milk, respectively. Coliform counts greater than 4.70 and 1.0 log10cfu/ml for raw and pasteurized milk were detected in 77.8% and 4.8%, respectively of raw and pasteurized milk samples collected. Enterobacteriaceae and S. aureus were detected with mean counts ranging from 6.08-6.86 and 5.82-6.32 log10/ml, respectively. Highest mean acidity and counts were recorded from slum areas of Nairobi and there were significant differences between raw and pasteurized milk (P<0.05). The poor bacterial quality coupled with high acidity of raw milk, indicates poor hygienic practices and lack of temperature control during marketing. The incidence of high acidity and bacterial counts in pasteurized milk could indicate post process contamination and/or inappropriate storage of the milk. Most vendors of pasteurized milk were observed selling directly from the distributor crates without refrigerated storage. The rapid deterioration of raw and pasteurized milk marketed in Nairobi, at the time of this study, may be largely due to poor hygienic standards and non-adherence to temperature controls during handling, distribution and marketing. This requires urgent attention by the appropriate authorities, because the poor microbiological quality of raw milk and pasteurized milk may expose consumers to health risks associated with the consumption of contaminated milk.Key words: Marketed milk, quality, acidity, total viable count, coliforms, enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus aureu

Kutoka lugha kienzo hadi lugha ya isimu: matatizo yanayotinga kiswahili kama lugha ya kufunzia isimu vyuoni vikuu nchini Kenya

Makala hii inachunguza hali ya somo la isimu ya lugha linalofundishwa katika nyingi ya idara za Kiswahili vyuoni vikuu nchini Kenya. Inaangazia matatizo yanayotinga kufana kwa somo hili. Inahitimiza kwa kupendekeza kwamba iwapo matokeo mazuri yatapatikana na wanafunzi wa somo hili, yafaa matatizo yanayokwamiza somo hili yatatuliwe, hasa kwa upande wa usawazishaji wa istilahi, tafsiri, uzito wa kozi na mengineyo. Makala hii inapendekeza kuwa ni muhimu kila chuo kikuu kiunde kamati ya kuchunguza jambo hili

Production and characterization of wine from mango fruit (Mangifera indica) varieties in Kenya

Mango is one of the most important tropical fruit. In Kenya, increased production has been observed over years paralleled by large postharvest losses which are partly attributed to poor value addition practices. This study sought to investigate the suitability of mango fruit for wine production and characterization of the wine produced. Six mature and unripe mango fruits were harvested three times from a farm in Katheka Kai Division, Machakos County of Kenya. The ripened fruits were screened for their suitability to produce wine based on juice yield, °brix (°Bx), pH, reducing sugars and titratable acidity (TTA). The wine produced was analyzed for the chemical properties whereas characterization of the major volatile compounds was determined by GC‐FID. Sensory evaluation was done using a nine point hedonic scale with a reference commercial grape wine (chardonnay). Juice recovery was dependent on variety with Kent yielding 72.8%, Apple 71.3% and Ngowe 67.6%. The extracted juice had a high sugar content ranging from 17.0 to 23.9°Bx. Apple and Ngowe variety had the most suitable properties for wine production based on sugar levels and juice yield. The ethanol content of the wines produced was between 8.9‐ 9.5 %v/v, the range acceptable for table wine. The methanol content (128‐129mg/l) was however higher than grape wine (100mg/l) although it was within the acceptable limits for wine. The sensory evaluation indicated that mango wine exhibited similar sensory characteristics with those of grape wine. This study provides evidence that mango fruits are suitable for wine processing

Determining efficient extraction procedure of phytochemicals from the fruit paste of Ziziphus abyssinica and Tamarindus indica.

Objective: To determine the most effective method of extracting metabolites from the two herbs Ziziphus abyssinica and Tamaridus. Indicus.Methodology and results: The methods used included cold and soxhlet extraction using methanol as the solvent and hot extraction using distilled water. To determine the efficiency in which compounds are extracted TLC was performed on silica gel aluminium plates using ethyl acetate: formic acid: glacial acetic acid: water (100:11:11:27). To determine the quantity of phenolic compounds in the extract, the Folin and Ciocalteau’s method (1927) was used, using Gallic acid in various concentrations. For the total quantity of flavonoid compounds, the method of Miliauskas et al. (2004) was used. To determine the Proanthocyanidin content in the extract a method previously reported by Ayoola et al, 2006 was used. To measure the antioxidant capacity of the extracts the hydrogen donating or free radical scavenging activity, was measured using the stable radical DPPH. The compounds extracted by all the methods were about seven but the difference was noted when the individual compounds were analysed. The cold extraction on the herb extract of Z. abyssinica had significantly high amount of total phenols 1.99g/100g of sample than both soxhlet and water extraction with 1.51g and 0.61g/100g of sample respectively. The results of T. indicus indicate that the extracts from the soxhlet and cold extraction methods contained a significantly low amount of all the three compounds compared to the water extractsConclusion and application of results: The method best suited for obtaining extracts from the two herbs T. indicus and Z. abyssinica is, cold method of extraction with methanol as the solvent for Z. abyssinica and hot extraction using distilled water for T. indicus. The results obtained give guidance to the fact that using both herbs would result in a better preservative than using one herb since the identified compounds would complement each other.Key words: Antimicrobial, antioxidant, phytochemicals and Radical scavenging activity

The effects of performance appraisal system on civil servants job performance and motivation in Kenya: case study of Ministry of State for Public Service

Performance Appraisal System (PAS) which can be defined as the process of determining and communicating to an employee how he or she is performing on the job. In Kenya, PAS within the Civil Service was introduced around 2006 and has over the years become a popular staff management system driven via the popular government performance contracting initiative, The system is being embraced in the Kenyan public service for tracking employees' performance in service delivery. PAS has signaled possibility for improved performance in civil service productivity and employee motivation. Despite the impressive performance and staff motivation signals elicited by PAS in civil service, no detailed description of the situation has been done. This study then sought to assess the effect of PAS in job performance and employee motivation in the Ministry of State for Public Service. The study adopted stratified random sampling. Staffs were randomly sampled from also randomly selected departments who were interviewed using pre- tested questionnaires and through focused group discussions. Data was analyzed using appropriate statistical applications in SPSS. The researcher concluded that employees at the MSPS are usually involved in the setting of performance targets. They are also substantially appraised against the targets set at the beginning of the appraisal period. The study revealed that employees were given feedback to enable them improve their performance. This shows that PA has a positive impact on the employee's performance which leads to motivation. The Ministry was for example number seven in the recent performance rankings released by the President and Prime minister. Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations among others are made for consideration by the MSPS so as to enhance the employee's work performance. PA is a good management tool but is should be subjected to continuous reviews in line with the changing trends. This is because HRM is dynamic and for PA to be Relevant, it has to keep up the pace. All stakeholders should be consulted during the PA process. This should include use of 360 degree feedback

Modifying Surber sampling technique increases capture of freshwater crabs in African upland streams

We compared 2 methods for sampling the freshwater crab Potamonautes odhneri (Colosi) in Kenyan streams: standard Surber sampling, in which a sample is taken over a period of several minutes; and rapid Surber sampling, in which the process is reduced to around 10 seconds. Rapid Surber sampling caught more crabs than standard Surber sampling, This suggests that the crab species investigated is normally able to evade capture if sampling is carried out at an unhurried pace, but that if precision is sacrificed for speed, then capture efficiency increases. The size of crabs caught using the 2 techniques was similar, and use of baited traps set in the same locations showed that Surber sampling methods were not capturing larger individuals. Like all methods available to sample large benthic crustaceans, rapid Surber sampling has its limitations, but this study demonstrates that it can be used as a method for rapid assessment of crab presence and for comparative determination of population density, to significantly greater effect than the standard method of Surber sampling

THE EFFECTS OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEM ON CIVIL SERVANTS JOB PERFOMANCE AND MOTIVATION IN KENYA: A CASE STUDY OF MINISTRY OF STATE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE

Performance Appraisal System (PAS) which can be defined as the process of determining and communicating to an employee how he or she is performing on the job. In Kenya, PAS within the Civil Service was introduced around 2006 and has over the years become a popular staff management system driven via the popular government performance contracting initiative. The system is being embraced in the Kenyan public service for tracking employees’ performance in service delivery. PAS has signaled possibility for improved performance in civil service productivity and employee motivation. Despite the impressive performance and staff motivation signals elicited by PAS in civil service, no detailed description of the situation has been done. This study then sought to assess the effect of PAS in job performance and employee motivation in the Ministry of State for Public Service. The study adopted stratified random sampling. Staff were randomly sampled from also randomly selected departments who were interviewed using pre-tested questionnaires and through focused group discussions. Data was analyzed using appropriate statistical applications in SPSS. The researcher concluded that employees at the MSPS are usually involved in the setting of performance targets. They are also substantially appraised against the targets set at the beginning of the appraisal period. The study revealed that employees were given feedback to enable them improve their performance. This shows that PA has a positive impact on the employee’s performance which leads to motivation. The Ministry was for example number seven in the recent performance rankings released by the President and Prime minister. Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations among others are made for consideration by the MSPS so as to enhance the employee’s work performance. PA is a good management tool but is should be subjected to continuous reviews in line with the changing trends. This is because HRM is dynamic and for PA to be Relevant, it has to keep up the pace. All stakeholders should be consulted during the PA process. This should include use of 360- degree feedbac