Population and Reproductive Health in National Adaptation Programs of Action

This paper reviews 41 National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) submitted by Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and identifies the range of interventions included in countries' priority adaptation actions. The review found near-universal recognition among the NAPAs of the importance of population considerations as a central pillar in climate change adaptation

Perceived Effects of Selected Macroeconomic Indicators on Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Food and Beverage Firms In Kenya

Kenya’s industrialization, like that of most Sub-Saharan Africa countries, has been slow and continues to grow at an equally slow pace. Key among the constraints to growth are poor economic policies geared at promoting processing and value addition. Being largely an agrarian economy, the country will continue to depend on agricultural led industrialization with the food and beverage processing sector being the largest at 21.8 percent of all manufacturing value add sectors in the country by 2011. Among the key determinants of industrialization is a favourable political and social economic stability that provides a stable macroeconomic environment for both local and foreign investors to put their money into ventures that spur economic growth. This study sought to analyze perceived effects of selected macroeconomic indicators of inflation, exchange and interest rates on the food and beverage manufacturing sector in Kenya. Top executives of 95 firms were surveyed on their perception of the effects of the selected macro- indicators on their firms’ operating environment and economic performance. From the target firms, 32 responded giving a rate of 33.7 percent. Analysis revealed that effects of macroeconomic factors on sustainable competitive advantage of food and beverage firms in Kenya was not statistically significant (p= .142) for inflation, (p = .767) for exchange rate and (p= .086) for interest rates at 95 percent confidence interval (? =0.05) as perceived by industry top executives. Further analysis revealed that multicollinearity was indicated (tolerance factor <0.1 and Variance Inflation Factors of >10). The implication of the findings was that macroeconomic factors have not had an adverse effect on performance of food and beverage processing firms in Kenya. This was most probably due to the fact that most of the firms under survey were privately owned family businesses which derived their funding from family resources and were not necessarily involved imports or exports trade that would expose them to adverse interest or exchange rate fluctuations. Most manufactures in Kenya find their market internally with limited exports to the East African region. The fact that Kenya has enjoyed relative peace over the years has further contributed to a stable macroeconomic environment as confirmed by these findings. There is need for the Government to endeavour to maintain and improve on the macros for industrialization to take off. Multi-collinearity could also have introduced distortion of the findings. Key words: Inflation, interest rates, exchange rates, macroeconomic, economic performance, multicollinearit

THE EFFECTS OF MIRAA ON DISCIPLINE MANAGEMENT AMONG STUDENTS IN DAY SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN TIGANIA EAST DISTRICT, MERU COUNTY, KENYA

Discipline remains the single most common and pernicious problem that educators face in their day-to-day teaching. Drug abuse among the students in schools leads to high level indiscipline and the consequences are strikes, violence, rape, disobedience to authority and damage of school property. Miraa chewing has of late been a major source of indiscipline in secondary schools in Tigania East District. Unfortunately, many well-meaning parents, the clergy and teachers do not see the problem of miraa chewing yet it has far reaching effects on the management of discipline in schools. In light of this the main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of miraa chewing amongst students on discipline management in day secondary schools in Tigania East District and make necessary recommendations. The study looked at the effects of miraa chewing on discipline management, cases related to miraa chewing among students, measures employed by school management to curb drug menace and if there is effective drug policy in day secondary schools in Tigania East District and identify strategies that could be used by school management to address miraa menace. The study adopted descriptive survey design. Simple random sampling was used to select 10 schools out of 26 day schools for this study. Since the study involved boys in day secondary schools in Tigania East District because the social cultural setting does not allow girls to chew miraa, the method was appropriate as it gave equal probability of the population to be selected. Questionnaires were administered to guidance and counseling teachers, students and interview schedules to principals of sampled schools. Closed-ended and open–ended questions were used to give an opportunity to respondents to express their views. Collected data was analyzed and presented inform of frequency distribution tables, graphs, pie charts and percentages. The analysis showed that miraa chewing by students has varied effects on discipline management in day schools, and further revealed that though there are drug policies in schools, the school administration was not doing enough to enforce the policy. The study recommends for training of more guidance and counsel ling teachers to be able to guide students to change to desired behavior.  Article visualizations

Transformative Constitutions and Constitutionalism : A New Theory and School of Jurisprudence from the Global South?

The article seeks to interrogate, historicize, and problematize what transformative constitutions and their attendant constitutionalism/jurisprudence are. Some of the critical elements of transformative constitutions are analyzed as well as the development of the jurisprudence that is emerging from these constitutions. In the quest for an answer to the question posed, which is the title of the article, Kenya is used as a case-study. Kenya has had a transformative constitution since it was promulgated on 27 August 2010. Its core elements/pillars of transformation are highlighted in this article. Kenya’s experience with the implementation of this Constitution, particularly with regard to the development of jurisprudence to reflect the objectives and vision of the Constitution will assist in answering the question examined in the article. The question itself is of interest to both the Global South and Global North in the ongoing process of reverse learning.1 The analysis is therefore linked to the global context in the quest for political transformation of which the making of constitutions is an integral part

Studies on cytokines and nitric oxide in relation to Cowdria Ruminantium infection

This thesis describes studies on the pathogenesis of heartwater by investigating the effects of cytokines and nitric oxide (NO) in experimental Cowdria ruminantium infections in in vitro and in vivo models. The latter were carried out in sheep and mice.In sheep infections, there was increased levels of antioxidation enzymes, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase with the highest levels coinciding with the period of the clinical disease. C. ruminantium was also found to induce increased levels of nitrite, indicative ofNO, in plasma where the nitrite levels were found to have an earlier and higher increase in sheep with prior exposure to C. ruminantium antigens as compared to naive sheep infections. Mean interferon gamma (IFN-y) levels in plasma were found to be increased after infection, just prior to or at time of the febrile reaction, with higher levels being recorded in the sheep with prior exposure to C. ruminantium antigens than in the naive animals. There was a gradual increase in mean interleukin 8 (IL-8) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) levels after infection and the highest levels coincided with the febrile reaction. Higher levels of IL-8 were recorded in the primary infections than in the sheep with prior exposure to C. ruminantium antigens.To determine the source of the NO detected in in vivo studies, in vitro studies of C. ruminantium infections of bovine pulmonary endothelial cells (BPEC) were conducted and NO was found to be induced by C. ruminantium infections. The NO production was found to be enhanced by bovine recombinant IFN-y and was inhibited by nitric oxide inducible synthase inhibitor, LNMMA. Induction of apoptotic cell death was seen in IFN- y treated cells with the infected cells showing higher apoptotic cell death than the uninfected cells. Treatment of elementary bodies with NO was found to reduce both infectivity and viability of C. ruminantium. This indicates that NO is released during endothelial infection and has an elfect upon infectivity and viability of the organism.The importance of interferons in the control of C. ruminantium infections was further investigated in an in vivo model using mice deficient in IFN- y and IFN-a/b receptors. Infection of these mice resulted in a more severe disease characterised by a shorter incubation period, higher morbidity and mortality rates in relation to time, with more pronounced pathology characterised by increased amount of oedema fluid, infiltration of inflammatory cells and higher lung and brain infection rate as compared to control mice. Electron micrographs from infected mice 7 days post-infection indicated that organisms had developed to later developmental stages in the mice deficient in IFN- y receptors, where as earlier developmental forms were seen in controls, with mixed stages being seen in the IFN-a/p receptor deficient miceStudies then looked at the time course of cytokine production in relation to C. ruminantium infection in mice. Infection of mice with C. ruminantium induced transient productions of IFN-y and the biologically active 70 kDa heterodimeric form of IL-12, (IL-12p70) and a corresponding initial reduction in IL-4 and IL-10 levels. IL12p70 levels were highest on days 2-4 while IFN-y levels were highest on day 6, just prior to disease onset followed by a dramatic reduction which also coincided with the clinical onset on day 8. Levels of IL-4 and IL-10 were reduced immediately after C. ruminantium infection with the lowest levels coinciding with the highest IFN-y levels on day 6 post-infection. This study showed induction of a transient Th 1 immune response which was not sustained, possibly resulting in the fatal outcome of infection of mice.In contrast, inoculations of mice with murine recombinant interleukin 12 (MrlL12) were found to have immunomodulatory effects on C. ruminantium infections in mice and to protect a significant number of mice. The highest protection was afforded by mice inoculated with MrIL-12 from beginning of infection with booster doses every 2 days; 20% of these did not show any clinical signs and were immune to challenge infection with an overall recovery rate of 45% as compared to the control. There was reduction ofmortality and morbidity rates in mice inoculated with MrIL-12 before or at time of infection but giving IL-12 after disease onset was found not to offer any protection to the animals against C. ruminantium infection. The increased resistance or reduced severity of infection coincided with sustained increase in IFN- y, nitrite levels and in IgG2a immunoglobulins and a reduction in IL-4 and IL-10.This study showed that the course taken by C. ruminantium infection in both in vivo and in vitro models is dependent on the cytokine and antibody milieu in plasma and possibly tissues prior to or during infection. Involvement ofNO in C. ruminantium infections was suggested in this study. Infection in mice was characterised by a transient high IFN-y response at about day 6 which was not sustained. It is likely that this response controls C. ruminantium to some extent because mice deficient in IFN-y receptors died earlier in the disease with higher infection levels as compared to the control. Sustained release of IFN-y occurred in mice treated with MrIL-12 and provided protection in a significant proportion. The failure to sustain IFN-y in mice may be related to a lack of sustainable IL-12 production.The importance of a Th 1 type immune response was, therefore, underlined and the possible roles for IL-12 and IFN- y with involvement of nitric oxide in the killing of the infectious agent suggested. The study showed for the first time the possible roles of nitric oxide in the killing immune response and pathology of the disease and the importance of availability of IL-12 early in infection in the development of protective immune response in mice

WOMEN IN PAID DOMESTIC WORK AND THE GEOGRAPHIES OF HOME: VOICES FROM NAIROBI, KENYA

openThe concept of paid domestic work mostly centers on women domestic workers both in the Global North and South. Paid domestic work is predominantly undertaken by migrant women or women from lower socio economic backgrounds; this way differentiating it from other forms of labor in the microspaces of home. Current feminist scholarship suggests that paid domestic work is conceptualized as social reproductive labor. This study was informed by the theory of social reproduction and its relation to the labor category of women domestic workers that is neglected. The analysis of the empirical data was conceptualized through the concept of intersectionality highlighting how race, class and sex contribute to social and economic marginalization. Scholarship from academic debates in the Global North have progressed in understanding intersectionality with regard to migrant women domestic workers experiences, but this has less been theorized in the Global South. The aim of this study is therefore to explore and understand intersectionality and the experiences of paid domestic work by women and its contribution to the Geographies of home adapting it to the local context in Kenya. The study was conducted through a focus group discussion complemented by photo elicitation with eight women in the capital city of Kenya, Nairobi. The research contributes to ongoing decolonial feminist debates towards social justice for women domestic workers providing novel knowledge advancements moving from the African context.The concept of paid domestic work mostly centers on women domestic workers both in the Global North and South. Paid domestic work is predominantly undertaken by migrant women or women from lower socio economic backgrounds; this way differentiating it from other forms of labor in the microspaces of home. Current feminist scholarship suggests that paid domestic work is conceptualized as social reproductive labor. This study was informed by the theory of social reproduction and its relation to the labor category of women domestic workers that is neglected. The analysis of the empirical data was conceptualized through the concept of intersectionality highlighting how race, class and sex contribute to social and economic marginalization. Scholarship from academic debates in the Global North have progressed in understanding intersectionality with regard to migrant women domestic workers experiences, but this has less been theorized in the Global South. The aim of this study is therefore to explore and understand intersectionality and the experiences of paid domestic work by women and its contribution to the Geographies of home adapting it to the local context in Kenya. The study was conducted through a focus group discussion complemented by photo elicitation with eight women in the capital city of Kenya, Nairobi. The research contributes to ongoing decolonial feminist debates towards social justice for women domestic workers providing novel knowledge advancements moving from the African context

Investigating the Relationship Between Financial Integration and Economic Growth in the East African Community

This study set out to investigate the relationship between financialintegration and economic growth in the EAC community states. Secondarydata on financial integration and GDP was obtained from worldbank and theEast African Community(EAC) community secretariat. The data wassubjected to simple linear regression and correlation analysis to achieve theset objective. The study found that, Gross capital flow to GDP (financialopenness) is positively correlated to economic growth (r=0.2093, p <0.05).The study also found that, 3.98% of the variations in economic growth, asmeasured by GDP per capita, within the countries are explained by financialintegration, as measured by the ratio of gross capital flows, 38.98% of thevariations in economic growth between the countries are explained byfinancial integration while 4.38% of the variations in economic growth of theEast African communityEAC as an economic bloc (considering panel data)are explained by financial integration. The findings confirm that, whencapital flows increase, economic growth also increases, pointing to thenecessity of the East African member states to explore ways of increasing thecapital flows between the countries. The researcher recommends conductingof a comparative study between the old and the new EAC to establishwhether the inclusion of Rwanda and Burundi, has had any positive impact(catalyzed) on the level of financial integration and economic growth

Assessing the Best Practices in Media and Communication Training

This article tries to assess how Media and Com–munication training in Kenya has adapted to the changes in the industry based on a mixed methods study. The article argues that universities are trying to adapt their media and communication curricula to the converged media landscape by adding ‘new media’ units that try to address the changes in the industry. They have maintained specializations (Broadcast, print, film) but none has a general programme that equips students with skills to work across media. There is a divergent view between practice and academy on the extent. This is because their perspectives on MCS education and not what is on the ground. Therefore, there is need to bridge the gap between the two by constantly engaging in team teaching, workshops, internships and co-productions

Effect of Teachers’ Work-Life Balance on Performance of Secondary School Students in Kwale County, Kenya

The study examined the impact of teacher’s work-life balance and effective time management on students' academic performance in public secondary schools in Kwale county, Kenya. In the five years prior to the study, the county had a low mean score of a dismal 7% in 2016 which experienced a modest increase to only 10.5% in 2020. Teachers’ contribution in guiding students to good performance is not debatable and is well acknowledged the world over. The role of a teacher as a mentor, a guide, a role model, a parent, a vision carrier and all the good deeds attributable to a good teacher are what translates to a successful student. All people who have gone through school education attest to the fact that were it not for their teachers, they would not have made it to where they reached. However, when issues in life affect a teacher’s attention to their work, it inadvertently affects their efficiency in service delivery and consequently, their students’ performance.  The purpose of this study was to establish the effect of teachers' work-life balance and time management in enhancing students' academic performance in secondary schools in Kwale County, Kenya. Further, the study sought to establish students’ perception of their teachers planning and execution of teaching and identify any challenges facing teachers that would impact on poor performance of the students. The target population was 7,598 respondents comprising of 98 principals, 960 teachers and 6,540 form four students from public secondary schools in Kwale County. The sample size was determined using Krejcie and Morgan (1970) table where a sample of 274 teachers, 364 form four students and 29 principals was established. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire. Validity of the research instrument was established after being examined for logical content by university subject matter specialists. Internal reliability was estimated through Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of reliability at α= .83 while external reliability was estimated by using Pearsons’s correlation coefficient in which a coefficient of r = .81 was realized. Regression analysis was carried out on quantitative data and descriptive statistics used to establish relationships between the dependent and the independent variables. The findings were presented as proportions in tables and discussed. The study established a statistically significance relationship of effects of teachers’ work life balance on students’ performance (R2 =-0.172, F=50.773, p=0.000) as well as students’ perceptions of the teachers work planning on their performance at (R2=0.119, F=317.541, P=0.000).  This meant that about 17.2 percent of students performance could be attributed to teacher’s work-life balancing and 11.9% would be attributed to teachers’ ability to plan and manage their work according to their students, respectively, other factors constant. On the challenges affecting the teacher that would impact on a students’ academic performance, the study further found a statistically significant relationship (R2=0.238, F=53.305, P=0.000). This means that about 23.8 percent of students performance was impacted positively or negatively by challenges facing their teachers. The study concluded that teachers must balance the personal and work life well and manage their time if students’ performance was expected be high. The teachers would also need to sort out challenges facing them with a view of minimizing them to avoid the same affecting their students’ performance. The study recommended policy changes and retooling of teachers on their expectations in terms of work-life balance, their work planning and time management for performance of their students. Keywords: Work-life balance, time management, challenges, Academic Performance DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/15-8-04 Publication date: April 30th 202

Exploring the Effect of Mobile Phone on Smallholder Farmers’ Livelihood

This article is based on a sequential exploratory mixed method research which carried in-depth interviews, content analysis, semi-structured participant observation, and administered a survey to 422 smallholder farmers in Machakos County in Kenya. The study was premised on combined concepts of information needs assessment (INAM), Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF), and ICT4D value chain analysis models to explore the effect of mobile phones on smallholder farmers’ livelihoods. The study found out that mobile phones are not used by smallholder farmers’ in the same way and therefore its effect on their livelihood is not uniform. On the one hand, mobile phone has negligible effect on subsistence smallholder farmers on-farm activities, and on the other hand, mobile phone usage has huge impact on market-oriented smallholder farming because it improves the relationships and interactions between the farmer and other rural livelihoods stakeholders