Teacher Preparedness for the Implementation of Competency Based Curriculum in Kenya: A Survey of Early Grade Primary School Teachers’ in Bomet East Sub-County

This paper explores teacher preparedness for the competency-based curriculum in Kenya. Competency based curriculum was introduce to Kenya’s Education system in 2016 as a pilot of curriculum to be rolled out under 2-6-3-3-3 education system that is replacing the three decades old 8-4-4 system. The new curriculum is seen by many as a panacea to the problem of graduate employability in Kenya. The 8-4-4 graduates have been blamed for lacking relevant job skills. Competency based curriculum aims at engaging learners in applying knowledge through demonstration as opposed to content overload. This study focused on early grade primary teacher’s preparedness to successfully implement the competency-based curriculum. Concerns have been raised at the pilot stages on the capacity of those implementers. StuffleBeam’s CIPP curriculum Evaluation model was used to interrogate the CBC as currently implemented. The objectives of the study were to find out early grade Education teacher’s understanding of CBC, establish their capacity to realign teaching/learning resources to CBC, determine their preparedness to realign teaching/learning approaches to the demands of CBC and their capacity to evaluate a CBC curriculum. Data was collected using questionnaires and interviews. Analysis of data reveals that teachers are inadequately prepared. Their knowledge of CBC is vague and this has hampered their delivery and evaluation. It is also recommended that KICD and ministry of education plans for more training sessions to bridge capacity gaps highlighted in pedagogy, Assessment and preparation of teaching documents

First In First Out (FIFO) And Priority Packet Scheduling Based On Type Of Service (TOS)

Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) require prudent resource allocations especially in scheduling mechanisms that manage buffering of packets during waiting time. Various scheduling algorithms may be implemented to govern packet transmission and control packet loss hence managing the Quality of Service (QoS). Such mechanisms include first-in-first-out (FIFO), priority queuing (PQ), and weighted-fair queuing (WFQ). In this research paper, a comparison is made between FIFO and PQ mechanisms in a mixed traffic scenario (HTTP, FTP and VoIP applications). PQ is implemented on the basis of packet Type of Service (ToS), with VoIP data packets being given the upper hand. OPNET simulator is utilized in this paper. The study has been carried out on some issues like: Traffic dropped Traffic Received and packet end to end delay and the simulation results shows that WFQ technique has a better-quality than the other techniques. Keywords: MANETS, QoS, PQ, FIFO, Queuing, ToS, OPNE

Determinants of Smallholder African Indigenous Leafy Vegetables Farmers’ Market Participation Behaviour in Nyamira County, Kenya

Participation in commercial agriculture holds key prospects for unravelling pertinent opportunities necessary for providing better incomes and sustainable livelihoods for small-scale farmers. Therefore, market participation has the potential to increase farmers’ rural incomes and employment opportunities, especially if farmers concentrate on production and marketing of indigenous crops requiring low inputs such as African indigenous leafy vegetables (AILV). This study examined factors that influenced smallholders’ market participation behaviour. Data was obtained through a household survey using structured questionnaires administered to 254 respondents picked for the study through a multistage sampling procedure. An ordered probit model was used to determine factors influencing smallholders’ market participation as either net buyers, net sellers or autarchies. Findings revealed that marketing experience, land ownership, households’ food self-sufficiency, contractual marketing, access to credit and extension services significantly influenced the regimes in which smallholders participated in markets. It is not enough that farmers merely participated in markets, rather they should participate in markets profitably as net sellers. Identifying the specific challenges and requirements that are unique for each market regime (net sellers, autarkic and net buyers) through proper targeting and screening of farmers is necessary. Here, equipping extension workers with the ability to address the specific needs of each group is recommended. Further, the study advocates for group marketing to increase farmers’ bargaining power during negotiations, in addition to reducing transportation costs by transporting produce in groups. Improving the state of the roads linking producers to markets is also important in reducing the cost of transporting produce, as well as the cost of searching for markets. Keywords: Autarkic, Net buyer, Net seller, Ordered Probit, Smallholder, Nyamira, Keny

Effect of Trade Liberalization on Performance of Sugar Firms in Kenya: The Case of GovernmentOwned Firms

This study focused on the Kenyan sugar industry in the changing Kenyan business environment. The study sought to establish why Kenyan sugar firms were finding it increasingly difficult to compete within the changing Kenyan business environment. The specific objectives of the study were: one, to establish factors undermining the competitiveness of the local sugar firms; two, to find out if the local sugar firms were making any strategic responses in reaction to the changing Kenyan business environment; and three, to identify what company managers and other stakeholders consider as important measures that need to be undertaken to enhance the competitiveness of government-owned sugar firms. This study involved all the government-owned sugar in Kenya. The study found out that Kenyan sugar firms were facing very stiff competition from imported sugar. As such, local sugar firms are reported to be seriously negatively affected currently. A number of factors were found to be undermining the competitiveness of local sugar firms: competition from imported sugar, inferior production facilities, and poor management of company resources, among others. This study points at a number of strategic measures that the local sugar should put in place in response to the changes currently taking place in the Kenyan business environment; Employee retrenchment, improvement in production efficiency, sub-contracting of services considered to be subsidiary to core functions, and increased marketing activities, are some of the prominently cited strategic measures being undertaken by local sugar firms in response to the changing Kenyan business environment

Mapping Nairobi's dairy food system: An essential analysis for policy, industry and research

Demand for dairy products in sub-Saharan Africa, is expected to triple by 2050, while limited increase in supply is predicted. This poses significant food security risk to low income households. Understanding how the dairy food system operates is essential to identify mitigation measures to food insecurity impact. This study aims to determine the structure and functionality of Nairobi's dairy system using a value chain mapping approach

Contribution of Foreign Direct Investment on the Growth of Agro-Processing Sector: A Case of Selected Agro-Processing Companies in Kenya

World Investment Report’s like United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) detail trends in global foreign direct investments in which Kenya is ranked below its neighbours and other emerging markets. This study evaluated the contribution of Foreign Direct Investment on the growth of Agro-Processing Sector. The objectives of the study were to determine the extent of use of FDI and its contribution on the growth of Agro processing sector.  This study adopted a survey design. The study target population was 350 respondents. Sample size was 78 respondents selected using simple random sampling.  A structured questionnaire was used to collect data which was  analyzed using descriptive statistics, regression analysis and a 5 point Likert scale. Study results showed that Foreign Direct Investment in the Agro processing Sector influenced technology spill over, creation of employment opportunities and resource improvement; FDI accelerated to a greater extent growth in the sector; and a positive relationship existed between FDI and growth of the agro processing sector;  correlation oefficients determined confirmed a positive association between FDI and growth of the sector where  production volumes and profit are output variables that measure growth in the agro-processing sector. Key words: Foreign Direct Investment, growth, Agro-processing Sector, Keny

Analysis of the Marketing Behaviour of African Indigenous Leafy Vegetables among Smallholder Farmers in Nyamira County, Kenya.

The African Indigenous Leafy Vegetables (AILV) agricultural sub-sector in Kenya has in recent times gained considerable prominence and attention. A diverse number of studies have underpinned the role it can play in improving the economic standing of smallholders, while playing an imperative nutritional role in the diets of many consumers. Stemming from increased awareness on the rise of various lifestyle illnesses and crusaders championing for healthy eating habits, the demand of AILV, as healthier dietary alternatives, has been gradually on the rise. However, the socioeconomic and institutional factors that influence market participation and the effect of choice of market packages on AILV income are still not clear. Therefore, the main objectives of the study were: to characterize the socio-economic attributes of AILV farmers; to determine factors influencing households’ market participation behaviour; and to identify the combination of market outlets that deliver the highest payoffs (income) to farmers. The study was based on data collected from a sample of 254 households drawn from Nyamira North Sub-County in Nyamira County. A multistage sampling procedure was used to arrive at the sample, with semi structured questionnaires employed as the research instrument to collect qualitative and quantitative data through face to face interviews. The determinants of market participation behaviour among smallholders was estimated by an ordered probit model, while the combination of market outlets that delivered the highest payoffs (income) to farmers employed a multinomial endogenous switching regression. SPSS and STATA software were used for data analysis and management. Findings revealed that marketing experience, land ownership, households’ food self-sufficiency, contractual marketing, access to credit and extension services significantly influenced the regimes in which smallholders participated in markets. Further, using market packages that contained urban market outlets led to higher incomes among smallholders. It is not enough that farmers merely participated in markets, rather they should participate in markets profitably as net sellers. Identifying the specific challenges and requirements that are unique for each market regime (net sellers, autarkic and net buyers) through proper targeting and screening of farmers is necessary. Here, equipping extension workers with the ability to address the specific needs of each group is recommended. Urban markets, in isolation as well as in market packages, were clearly shown to offer higher incomes in actual and counterfactual scenarios. Improving the condition of roads linking urban markets to producers could potentially reduce transportation costs of accessing such urban markets. This could go on to encourage the use of urban markets among farmers, who stand to gain better income and gradually fish themselves out of poverty traps

Detection of the spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, in continental sub-Saharan Africa

The spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura, is an insect pest of soft-skinned fruit, native to Eastern Asia. Since 2008, a world-wide dispersal of D. suzukii is seen, characterized by the establishment of the pest in many Asian, American and European countries. While the potential for invasion of continental Africa by D. suzukii has been predicted, its presence has only been shown for Morocco in Northern Africa. Knowledge about a possible establishment in other parts of the continent is needed as a basis for pest management. In 2019, we carried out a first survey in three counties in Kenya to monitor for the presence of D. suzukii using traps baited with a blend of apple cider vinegar and red wine. A total of 389 D. suzukii flies were captured in a fruit farm at Nakuru county, with more female flies being trapped than males. We confirmed the morphological identification of D. suzukii using DNA barcoding. In 2020, we performed a follow-up survey at 14 locations in six counties to delimit the distribution of D. suzukii in the main berry growing zones in Kenya. The survey indicated that so far D. suzukii is restricted to Nakuru county where it was initially detected. This is the first study to provide empirical evidence of D. suzukii in continental sub-Saharan Africa, confirming that the pest is expanding its geographic range intercontinentally. Given the high dispersal potential of D. suzukii, a concerted effort to develop management strategies is a necessity for containment of the pest

Investigation of the governance structure of Nairobi dairy value chain and its influence on food safety

The dairy value chain of Nairobi is comprised, in its majority, of small-scale independent enterprises that operate within a complex interlinked system. In this complexity, the coordination and power structures of the system may have major influences on the management of dairy food safety. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the governance and challenges issues faced by stakeholders throughout the Nairobi dairy value chain and assess their potential implications on food safety. Qualitative data was collected through focus group discussions and key informant interviews based on a dairy value chain mapping framework previously developed. Thematic analysis enabled identification of governance themes, key challenges and their implication on food safety. Themes were organized depending on their association with farmers (informal settlement or peri-urban), dairy cooperatives, dairy traders, processing companies, retailers or government officers. The identified governance themes included: i) weak linkage between government and farmers, ii) inadequate compliance with government regulations by traders and retailers, iii) emphasis on business licenses and permits for revenue rather than for food safety, iv) multiple licensing resulting in high business cost and lack of compliance, v) fragmented regulation, vi) unfair competition and vii) sanctions that do not always result in compliance. The key challenges identified included, amongst others: i) inadequate farmer support, ii) harassment of traders and retailers and iii) high business costs by traders, retailers, dairy cooperatives and large processors. The implication of governance and challenges of food safety were, amongst others: i) inadequate extension services, ii) insufficient cold chain, iii) delivery of adulterated and low milk quality to bulking centres, iv) inadequate food safety training and v) lack of policies for management of waste milk. The range of issues highlighted are based on stakeholders’ perceptions and reflects the complexity of the relationships between them. Many of the governance themes demonstrate the linkages that are both beneficial or confrontational between the formal and informal sectors, and between industry and regulatory authorities, with possible direct food safety consequences. Findings obtained provide indications to decision-makers of potential governance areas that could help improve efficiency and food safety along the dairy value chain