ADMISSION OF DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC) IN THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY (EAC): ARE THERE OPPORTUNITIES FOR KENYA?

Many countries across the globe are adopting regional economic integration as a strategy towards speeding economic growth and development. Through these integrations, there has been a surge in regional economic blocks, which have served to expand the market for many countries and open others to more robust trading activities and international business. East African Community has also been expanding its membership from three-member states to seven member states. This expansion has been aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the integration and making the community more comprehensive for the benefit of member countries. The inclusion of Democratic Republic of Congo as the seventh member country was recently concluded, and this has been viewed in varied dimensions. However, there has been a debate on whether the inclusion of DRC will enhance the benefits by the member countries or not. This paper, therefore, sought to establish the opportunities for international business that the EAC member countries are likely to gain out of the inclusion of DRC. The study singled out Kenya, as the largest economy in the community and at the centre of the admission of DRC into the EAC. An empirical approach was adopted where key reports, existing literature and reviews have been reviewed to come up with the findings and discussions. The results have portrayed that the inclusion of DRC into the EAC increases the community’s market by over 89 million consumers while opening the EAC to the Pacific Ocean. Kenyan multinationals have also been steadfast in investing in DRC upon admission of the country into DRC. The results have shown that while regional economic integration may come up with a share of problems from member countries, especially unstable countries, it also opens opportunities for established economies to invest in such economies for continued economic growth and development. It is recommended that both DRC and Kenyan governments lays out more trade facilitation policies and strategies in order to encourage international trade between the two countries and across the EAC region

The Role of Revenue Authorities in International Trade Facilitation in East African Community

Purpose: The study examines the role of revenue authorities in facilitating international trade in the East African Community. It specifically seeks to establish the degree of integration of revenue authorities in member countries of the East African Community; to assess the individual role played by revenue authorities in member countries of the East African Community to facilitate trade; and to examine the collective role played by revenue authorities in member countries of the East African Community to facilitate trade. Approach/Methodology/Design: A qualitative approach with a special focus on explanatory design was used to collect and analyze study data. The primary evidence and reports available are used to establish the role played by revenue authorities in trade facilitation. Seven (7) key informants from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania were interviewed. The responses obtained were analyzed thematically.   Findings: From these findings, it is determined that there are major steps and strategies taken by revenue authorities in the East African community to facilitate international trade. One of these steps was the introduction of a single bond for member countries, whereby traders are allowed to have a single bond for their imported goods for all countries through which their goods pass. Revenue authorities are also implementing integrated customs programs such as regional electronic cargo tracking systems (RECTS) and customs interconnection as a means of increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of customs administration. Through the authorities, a Single Customs Area (SCT) was implemented thereby streamlining the movement of goods throughout the East African Community. The authorities have also introduced a trading information portal, a platform intended to utilize trade information among traders in member countries.   Originality/value: To improve trade facilitation in the region, revenue authorities need to advance their cooperation, thereby streamlining the implementation of key trade facilitation policies. Embracing a more integrated system will be critical for authorities to work closely together, reducing process duplication and improving the flow of operations across member countries to facilitate international trade

Private supplementary Tutoring: motivations and effects: a review study

For long, mixed reaction on the importance of supplementary tutorials in Kenyan schools, both primary and secondary, have been expressed by the various stakeholders. While some have argued for them, others have been fully opposed to it and viewed it as an attempt by teachers to exploit parents with the argument that the government pays them to do the same job. This has however been countered by assertions by teachers on the benefits of the same in improving the performance of the students. Prior research has analyzed the causes and consequences of supplementary tutorials to the extent that the cabinet secretary for Education in the republic of Kenya banned schools from conducting tutorials since year 2015. This study reviews the issues pertaining to Private supplementary tutorials. The result is a set of recommendations regarding Private supplementary tuition. Keywords: private supplementary tutorials; stakeholders; education; tutorials

The pattern of hearing disorders in HIV positive patients on anti-retrovirals at Kenyatta National Hospital

Objectives: To determine if patients on Anti - retroviral drugs (ARVs) develop hearing impairment.Design: The comprehensive care clinic (CCC), Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Nairobi.Setting: Case controlled study.Subjects: Two hundred and seventy one human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive patients on ARVs were matched for age and sex with 273 HIV positive patients who were not on ARVs.Results: Thirty four percent of HIV positive patients not on ARVs had a hearing loss compared to only 28% in patients who were on ARVs. sensorineural hearing loss was the most frequent hearing disorder in both groups. Majority of the patients had mild hearing loss and the higher frequencies were the most affected. There was a notable worsening of hearing loss with increase in age, but this was not statistically significant.It was noted that HIV positive patients hearing level worsened on starting ARVs but this improved after six months of ARV treatment.Conclusion: Prolonged usage of ARVs is not associated with decreased hearing function. The most common hearing loss found in patients on ARVs is sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL)

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF INSECURITY ON THE MANAGEMENT OF SYLLABUS COVERAGE IN PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN WEST POKOT COUNTY, KENYA

There is a current concern on the escalating cases of insecurity among the pastoralists’ communities in the Republic of Kenya which calls for an urgent need to investigate its influence of insecurity on the management of syllabus coverage in public primary schools in West Pokot County. The study looked into the objective on the influence of insecurity syllabus coverage. This study was guided by Securitization and School Management theories. The study embraced mixed methodology and the concurrent triangulation design. The target population was 1,161 consisting of 80 head teachers and 611 teachers, 4 Quality Assurance Officers, 465 BoM members and 1 county director of education. Stratified sampling was used to choose schools from the 4 sub counties each giving 6 schools, from where 9 teachers per school were sampled randomly and selected to come up with a total of 216 teachers. The 24 head teachers were selected purposively. The total sample was 245 participants consisting of 216 primary school teachers, 24 head teachers, 2 QASOs, 2 BoM members and 1 County Director of Education which was 21.10 % of the target population. Teachers were randomly sampled while QASO officers and BoM members were purposively sampled. Questionnaires with Likert scales were used for teachers and students. There were interview schedules for the County Education Officer, QASO officers, BoM members and a documents’ analysis was developed. The research instruments were piloted in public primary schools in the county which were excluded from the final research sample. The researcher asked experts and the supervisors to scrutinize instruments for validity. For reliability, test retest method was used. A Pearson Correlation Coefficient of 0.800 was achieved in the piloting. Concurrent triangulation was used to ensure credibility. An in-depth interview was used to test dependability of qualitative instruments. Quantitative data was analyzed in descriptive statistics and presented in tables, frequencies and percentages. Inferential statistics was used in quantitative data whereby Chi-square was conducted to establish the extent to which the study variables associated with each other. Qualitative data was presented through thematic analysis. Then there was mixing and interpretation of data. The investigation established that insecurity in the study county hampered syllabus coverage. It was recommended that the government put in place security measures to curb insecurity in the county and the local communities use peace talks. Further research was recommended on influence of insecurity in secondary schools and other institutions of higher learning.  Article visualizations

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice in First Aid Management of Epistaxis by Accident and Emergency Clinical Staff at Kenyatta National Hospital

Background: Epistaxis is one of the commonest emergencies in Accident & Emergency and Ear, Nose & Throat departments. A vast majority of these patients settle with simple standard first aid measures. The aim of this study was evaluate knowledge, attitude and practice in first aid  management of epistaxis among the clinical staff at the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department of Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya.Methods: This was a prospective descriptive cross- sectional study  conducted at the Accident and Emergency Department of Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya. The principal researcher administered a questionnaire to the clinical staffs who were doctors and nurses in the department.Results: Data was collected from 70 clinical staff between October and December 2010. Nurses were the most respondents (68.6%); 17.1% were medical officers and 14.3% were senior house officers. Majority of the respondents had worked for over 10 years after highest qualification. The commonest first aid measures reported to be known by respondents included pinching the nose (94%), nasal packing (80.6%) and sitting leaning forward position (76.1%). Only 38.1% of respondents  demonstrated the correct site for pinching the nose. The main source of information for first aid measures was the curriculum in training (64.2%) while 16.4% sourced from a first aid course they had done. On positioning of patient with epistaxis, 60% gave correct responses while 51% correctlysaid patient should be referred if epistaxis persists. All the 70 respondents felt that first aid was necessary in treatment of epistaxis. Majority (72.9%) of the respondents said they had ever given first aid to a patient with epistaxis.Conclusion: The clinical staffs in the A & E Department have inadequate knowledge on the standard first aid measures of epistaxis. However, most had good attitude and had provided first aid to patients presenting with epistaxis. There is need for training the staff on these measures.Keywords: Epistaxis, first aid, clinical staff

OUTSOURCED ACADEMIC RESOURCE PROVIDER’S COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT AND INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN NYERI AND KIAMBU COUNTIES, KENYA

The purpose of this study was to explore whether the outsourced academic provider’s competitive environment influenced institutional management in public universities in Nyeri and Kiambu counties. A hybrid theoretical framework of Resource based theory and Institutional management efficiency theory buttressed the study. Purposeful sampling of 20 deans of schools, 3 human resource managers 122 heads of departments and 415 lecturers was used. The study made use of questionnaires, interview guide and focus group discussions to collect data. The study utilized a Methodological triangulation research design. To ensure the validity of the instruments, the Research objectives were crosschecked with the corresponding items. The spearman’s split-half technique of assessing reliability of the instruments was used. Inter-Rater technique was used in this study to measure credibility. Dependability was ascertained by means of triangulation. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient technique was used. A correlation coefficient of 0.73 for the two halves was considered sufficient. Descriptive and inferential statistics to evaluate the dependence of measures of organizational efficiency was used. The study reviewed that, public universities should evaluate academic resource providers in order to produce quality graduates and also to be able to control and reduce operational costs.  Article visualizations

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF INSECURITY ON THE MANAGEMENT OF SYLLABUS COVERAGE IN PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN WEST POKOT COUNTY, KENYA

There is a current concern on the escalating cases of insecurity among the pastoralists’ communities in the Republic of Kenya which calls for an urgent need to investigate its influence of insecurity on the management of syllabus coverage in public primary schools in West Pokot County. The study looked into the objective on the influence of insecurity syllabus coverage. This study was guided by Securitization and School Management theories. The study embraced mixed methodology and the concurrent triangulation design. The target population was 1,161 consisting of 80 head teachers and 611 teachers, 4 Quality Assurance Officers, 465 BoM members and 1 county director of education. Stratified sampling was used to choose schools from the 4 sub counties each giving 6 schools, from where 9 teachers per school were sampled randomly and selected to come up with a total of 216 teachers. The 24 head teachers were selected purposively. The total sample was 245 participants consisting of 216 primary school teachers, 24 head teachers, 2 QASOs, 2 BoM members and 1 County Director of Education which was 21.10 % of the target population. Teachers were randomly sampled while QASO officers and BoM members were purposively sampled. Questionnaires with Likert scales were used for teachers and students. There were interview schedules for the County Education Officer, QASO officers, BoM members and a documents’ analysis was developed. The research instruments were piloted in public primary schools in the county which were excluded from the final research sample. The researcher asked experts and the supervisors to scrutinize instruments for validity. For reliability, test retest method was used. A Pearson Correlation Coefficient of 0.800 was achieved in the piloting. Concurrent triangulation was used to ensure credibility. An in-depth interview was used to test dependability of qualitative instruments. Quantitative data was analyzed in descriptive statistics and presented in tables, frequencies and percentages. Inferential statistics was used in quantitative data whereby Chi-square was conducted to establish the extent to which the study variables associated with each other. Qualitative data was presented through thematic analysis. Then there was mixing and interpretation of data. The investigation established that insecurity in the study county hampered syllabus coverage. It was recommended that the government put in place security measures to curb insecurity in the county and the local communities use peace talks. Further research was recommended on influence of insecurity in secondary schools and other institutions of higher learning

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECT OF INSECURITY ON LEARNER CONTROL IN PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN WEST POKOT COUNTY, KENYA

There is a current worry on the increasing matters of insecurity among the animal keepers in Kenya which calls for a critical need to examine its outcome on educational managing. The aim of this investigation was to investigate the effect of insecurity on learner control in public primary schools in West Pokot County. The study looked into the objective on the influence of insecurity on learner control. The investigation employed mixed methodology and the concurrent triangulation design. The targeted populace was 1,161 comprising of 80 head teachers and 611 teachers, 4 Quality Assurance Officers, 465 BoM members and 1 County Director of Education. Stratified sample was utilized to select institutions from the 4 sub counties each giving 6 schools, from where 9 teachers per school were sampled indiscriminately and selected. The 24 head teachers were selected purposively. The total sample was 245 participants consisting of 216 primary school teachers, 24 head teachers, 2 QASOs, 2 BoM members and 1 County Director of Education which was 21.10 % of the target population. Teachers were randomly sampled while QASO officers and BoM members were intentionally sampled. Questionnaires with Likert scales were used for teachers and students. There were interview schedules for the County Education Officer, QASO officers, BoM members and a documents’ analysis was developed. The investigation tools were conducted in 5 institutions in the county which were omitted from the final study sample. The researcher asked experts and the supervisors to scrutinize instruments for validity. For reliability, test retest method was used. A Pearson Correlation Coefficient of 0.800 was attained in the pilot. Concurrent triangulation was used to ensure credibility. A detailed interview was utilized to test dependability of qualitative instruments. Quantitative data was analyzed in descriptive statistics and presented in tables, frequencies and percentages. Inferential statistics was used in quantitative data whereby Chi-square was done to establish the extent to which the study variables associated with each other. Qualitative data was presented through thematic analysis. Then there was mixing and interpretation of data. The study established that insecurity in the study county hampered learner control. It was recommended that the government put in place security measures to curb insecurity in the county and the local community leaders use peace talks. Further research was recommended on influence of insecurity in secondary schools and other institutions of higher learning.  Article visualizations

CIRCULATORY CYTOKINES AND HEMATOLOGICAL PROFILES: POSSIBLE BIOMARKERS OF HIV/AIDS DISEASE PROGRESSION

Introduction: This study sought to identify circulatory cytokines and hematological profiles measureable in blood plasma in newly diagnosed HIV patients as possible biomarkers that could predict the progression of HIV and AIDS disease in the course of acute HIV infection.Methodology: A prospective cross sectional study design was used to recruit the participants at the Nakuru Provincial General hospital in Kenya.  The study group included those who were HIV positive before and after commencing therapy and those who were HIV negative. The study group composed of male and female of different ages ranging from 7-72 years.  Hematology auto analyzer system was used to analyze hematological parameters and indices.  Types and concentrations of cytokines were determined using multiplex cytokine immunoassay by flow cytometry using Becton and Dickinsonfluorescence activated cell sorter (BD FACS) count.  Descriptive statistics were applied and a p- value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: This study found a significant difference in mean Interleukin 12p70 (p<0.001), Tumor Necrosis Factor (p<0.05), Interleukin 10 (p<0.05), Interleukin 6 (p<0.005) and interleukin 1β (p<0.05) between HIV negative patients, treatment naïve HIV patients and HIV patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Among the treatment naïve HIV patients, significant associations were observed between IL-12p70 and HGB (p<0.05); between TNF and MPV (p<0.001); between IL-10 and PDW (p<0.005); between IL-6 and Gran# (p-0.05); between IL-1β and PDW (p<0.005).Conclusion: The early period of infection with HIV is characterized by high circulatory cytokines levels and could be useful biomarkers and indicators of early immune activation of HIV infection. The results from this study also showed that acute HIV infection induces several hematological changes, involving all the blood parameters and indices, some of which may act as indicators of HIV/AIDS disease progression