The Structure and Nature of Vertical Co-ordination and Regulation Systems in the Kenyan Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Export Value Chain: Transaction Cost Approach

This thesis was inspired and guided by the question; how have Kenyan smallholder farmers managed to enter and stay in the Kenyan fresh fruits and vegetables export value chain that has high entry and stay barriers? From this question, the study aimed to analyse the structure and nature of vertical coordination and the corresponding regulatory systems in the value chain. Three research questions were then raised in line with the research aim. To explore these questions, Oliver Williamson transaction costs economics and John Braithwaite and Valerie Braithwaite motivational postures theory were applied to respectively analyse the structure and nature of vertical coordination and the regulatory and compliance systems in the value chain. A mixed methods approach was adopted for the study with fieldwork carried out in six counties in Kenya. The study participants included smallholder farmers, non-governmental organisations and public and private organisations. The study found that the structure of vertical coordination of the value chain was nodal whereby two nodes of contracted coordination were identified. The two nodes comprised of European retailers-Kenyan exporters’ node and the exporters-smallholder farmer's nodes. The retailers-exporters node was found to have stable long-term contracts which allowed for transactional relationship to age and mature. Conversely, the exporters-farmers node was found to have unstable and volatile short-termed transactions which inhibited maturity of exchange relationships. Importantly, the study found that the absence of property rights, forced the parties’ to rely on relational contracting anchored on supply reliability. It was for supply reliability reason that the exporters were willing to bear high transaction costs of contracting smallholders, hence enabling smallholders’ entry and stay in the value chain. Regulation was found to be through three pathways including; exporters-farmers, state regulatory and network regulation pathways. Importantly, the study found that responsive regulation was central to exporters and farmers compliance with regulation

Evaluation of weaning regimen and seminal plasma biology on reproductive management in cattle

The goal of any reproductive management system in cattle is to ensure that cows breed at the earliest opportune time and maintain their pregnancy to term. However, delayed resumption of postpartum ovarian cyclic activity in primiparous beef cows and pregnancy losses in dairy cows continue to impede progress in obtaining sound reproductive efficiency in these species. Three studies were designed to test the following hypotheses: (1) Does removal of lactational stress in beef cows by early weaning of calves improve cow energy profile and postpartum reproductive performance? (2) Does artificial insemination (AI) with adjunctive seminal plasma (SP) or transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-beta1) improve conception rates in lactating dairy and beef cows? (3) Does seminal plasma of dairy bulls differ in expression of proteins that might be used as potential biomarkers of male fertility? In experiment 1, pregnant and lactating beef cows (n = 408) were assigned randomly to wean calves either at 180 d of age (early weaning) or 45 d later (normal weaning). Body energy status was evaluated by periodic measurements of body weight (BW), body condition score (BCS), rib and rump fat. Reproductive performance was determined by calving intervals (CI), intervals from breeding to calving (BCI), retention in herd, and adjusted 205-d weaning weight of the subsequent calf. In experiment 2, lactating beef (n = 1090) and dairy (n = 800) cows received 0.5 mL SP, 40 ng recombinant human TGF-beta1, or 0.5 mL bovine serum albumin (BSA) or were left untreated at insemination. Pregnancy was determined by transrectal ultrasonography 35 to 40 d post insemination or from records of calves born in the subsequent calving season. In experiment 3, seminal plasma from high (n = 8) and low (n = 6) fertility bulls at Select Sires Inc. (Plains City, OH) were assayed for TGF-beta1 content, and subsequently analyzed by 2-D fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis (2-D DIGE) for presence of potential biomarkers of male fertility. Early weaning and cow age improved (P \u3c 0.001) energy partitioning and production efficiency in beef cows. Rump fat measurements predicted body energy status better than BW or BCS (P \u3c 0.001). Inseminations with SP and/or TGF-beta1 numerically increased (P = 0.07) conception rates in beef and dairy cows. Concentrations of TGF-beta1 in seminal plasma were numerically greater (P = 0.25) in high fertility dairy bulls than those of low fertility. Expression of fertility associated proteins did not differ (P \u3e 0.05) between high and low fertility bulls. However, their expression patterns were altered by semen processing. In conclusion, reproductive efficiency in primiparous beef cows can be improved by removal of lactational stress during mid to late pregnancy, while in dairy cows inseminations with adjunctive SP and/or incorporation of some seminal plasma proteins into semen during processing might improve conceptions rates after AI

Reconsidering Education for All at a time of Change: Influence of Economic Factors on access to Secondary Education in Narok County, Kenya

This paper sought to determine economic factors that influence access to secondary educational opportunities in Narok County, Kenya and to suggest strategies to help raise the transition rates of learners from primary to secondary schools. The study employed descriptive survey research design involving both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Study participants comprised head teachers, teachers and students in both primary and secondary schools. Stratified sampling technique was used to select twenty-four (24) primary school head teachers, forty-eight (48) primary school teachers and eight (8) secondary school principals. A total of 68 class eight pupils and 44 form one students were selected using simple random sampling from the sampled schools. Data were collected using questionnaires and an interview schedule. Pilot testing was done with questionnaires to test reliability and validity. To obtain the reliability the test-retest method was employed. Pearson Product Moment was employed to compute the correlation coefficient. A correlation co-efficient of 0.77 was obtained. Qualitative data were analysed inductively through content analysis while SPSS was used to analyse quantitative data. Results were presented in form of tables, figures, frequencies and percentages. It was established that household poverty and opportunity costs of education have influences on completion rates and lead to dropouts from basic schooling. The study recommends the need for the government and private sector employing a long term strategy in expanding secondary education in Kenya. This could include poverty mitigation and reduction in cost of secondary schooling and improvement of basic infrastructure, improvement of the quality of education in the country in order to reduce the opportunity costs and also through provision of more subsidies to improve the level of enrollment in basic education

SEMI-STOCHASTIC MIXTURE MODEL FOR PREDICTING THE RATE OF ROAD CARNAGES IN KENYA

In this paper we consider the problem of modeling and predicting the rate of road carnage in Kenya inthe presence of randomly changing road conditions. In the literature review, accident prediction ratemodels are typically regression models and discrete time series models. We study such models andexamine their strengths and weaknesses and propose a Semi-stochastic Mixture Model to describethe relation between the highway accidents and the road environment dynamics.The aim of theresearch paper is to propose a model that captures both the deterministic and stochastic nature ofroad parameters to explain the cause of high rate of road accidents in Kenya. We apply the proposedmodel to a simulated data set for the local condition. Our analysis from show that apart from annualaverage daily traffic (AADT), road curvature is an important component of road carnage.Keywords: Road system, Semi-stochastic mixture model, road curvature, road carnage,Simulation

Role of arbitration in promotion of access to Justice as mandated by Article 48 of the constitution’s Of Kenya

The dissertation concludes with reflections on the future of arbitration in Kenya, and the need for modification and harmonization of arbitration laws for peaceful resolution of disputes and serious conflicts within the Kenyan Jurisdiction. This paper explores the possibility of efficiently accessing justice through arbitration. Access to justice is now well entrenched in the current constitution of Kenya 2010 (hereinafter the 20 I 0 constitution) as one of its fundamental pillars. Access to justice by majority of citizenry has been hampered by many unfavorable factors which are inter alia, high filing fees, bureaucracy, complex procedures, illiteracy, distance from the courts and lack of legal knowhow. Arbitration is used to refer to the management of disputes without resorting to litigation. Arbitration has the potential to ensure access to justice for the Kenyan people. This potential should be exploited. Arbitration bears certain attributes that can be tapped and lead to justice and fairness. These attributes include party autonomy, flexibility of the process, non-complex procedures and low cost. This paper argues that arbitration can used in managing disputes effectively since it moves closer to the people e, flexible,expeditious, foster relationships, voluntary and cost-effective and thus facilitate access to justice by a larger part of the population. This paper starts with a brief background and then proceeds to examine the effect of Article 159 of the Constitution, implementation of arbitration, the challenges and opportunities and ends with a short conclusion

Use of modified respondent driven sampling methodology to enhance identification and recruitment of most at risk persons into an HIV prevention trial in Kisumu, Western Kenya

Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThis thesis presents research on the use of modified respondent driven sampling (mRDS) methodology to enhance identification and recruitment of key populations (KP) into an HIV prevention trial in Kisumu, western Kenya through a three phase mixed method study. The study was carried out in Kisumu, western Kenya within the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Research and Public Health Collaboration platform. The three phases included: 1. PHASE I: Identification and determination of categories of KPs and techniques of locating and motivating them to participate in HIV prevention trials.2. PHASE II: Design and Implementation of a mRDS methodology in recruiting Ks into HIV prevention trials.3. PHASE III: Evaluation of the mRDS in recruitment of KPs into an HIV incidence cohort study. Methods Phase I of the study included the conduct of in depth interviews which were used to identify different categories of persons considered to be KPs within Kisumu, identify strategies of locating the KPs and determine motivators and inhibitors of KPs participation in HIV prevention trials. Phase II on the other hand included the administration of a survey that had been refined in Phase I. The survey was used to design a mRDS methodology which was then implemented to recruit KPs into the survey. Phase III evaluated the success of the mRDS in recruiting KPs into an HIV prevention study by assessing the risk profiles for participants screened and enrolled into the Phase III study. Ethical approval for the study was sought from the ethics committee of the Kenya Medical Research Institute, the US CDC and the University of the Western Cape.The study recruited 53 individuals into phase I and was able to 8 identify different categories of people considered to be KPs and the 4 salient strategies that could be used to recruit them into HIV prevention studies. The phase also identified 8 potential motivators and 9 potential inhibitors to participation in HIV prevention research. These categories and salient strategies were used in phase II to develop and pilot a mRDS methodology in recruiting 203 individuals into a survey. The survey was used as a validation tool for the risk levels of persons recruited by the mRDS using the variables of inconsistent condom use and having multiple partners. The validated mRDS was then applied in the recruitment of 1,292 participants in phase III of thestudy. These study participants had characteristics similar to those seen in similar studies and elucidated from phases I and II of the study. HIV seropositivity was used as the variable for validating risk levels of participants in this study and this was found to be higher that that seen in general population and comparable to that seen in other KPs groups in the region. Results: Overall the study was able to identify different categories of people considered to be at high riskof HIV acquisition. The groups identified included people who frequent bars (e.g. bar workers, drunkards, sex workers, businessmen), people who work in transportation (e.g. truck drivers, matatu drivers, motorcycle drivers, taxi drivers, bicycle taxi drivers), fishermen/fishmongers, MSM and hair salon workers. The study also identified using personal contact, link persons, peer mobilisers and leaders as strategies of identifying and locating KPs. The study used the mRDS successfully in recruiting participants with evaluation of inconsistent condom use and multiple sexual partnerships showing the participants to be of high risk behaviour. Of all the females in the study, only 3.3% were pregnant. The prevalence of Chlamydia was 2.9%, gonorrhoea was 5.0%, syphilis was 0.4% and HSV-2 was 46.0%. Those who tested positive for HIV were 26.2% with 42.3% of the HIV positive participants having CD4 counts of between 250 – 500 cells/ml. Recommendations and Conclusion:The mRDS was successful in recruiting KPs in an HIV prevention trial. Majority of the participants reported inconsistent condom use and having multiple sex partners. In addition to MSM, SW and transport industry workers, fisherfolk, discordant couples, widowers, street youth, car washers and police also form part of KPs groups. The HIV prevalence was higher amongst these groups compared to general population with discordant couples having the highest HIV prevalence. The study recommends that mRDS should be used to identify and recruit KPs as it not only allows for faster recruitment of KPs, it also reduces the expense and complexity associated with coupon management in the standard RDS

Prevalence and quality of syndromic diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections within the Kisumu incidence cohort study in Kisumu, Kenya

Magister Public Health - MPHBackground: STIs are of major public health concern in developing countries, not least because they facilitate transmission of HIV, but also because they are important causes of mortality and morbidity among African populations, resulting in, among other things, adverse birth outcomes, neonatal and infant infections, ectopic pregnancy, anogenital cancer,infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, and death. Thus, effective treatment needs to be prompt and accurate to control the spread, and morbidity and mortality of STIs. Even though syndromic approach to the management of STIs is effective, most evaluations have focused on syndromic STI management within STI clinics as opposed to research studies. Partner notification is an integral component of the syndromic approach and is aimed at preventing onward transmission of infection as well as re-infection. It includes informing sexual partners of infected people of their exposure, administering presumptive treatment, and providing advice about the prevention of future infection.Methods: This is a cross sectional descriptive study based on a retrospective review of STI data of study participants in KICoS aged 18 to 34 years. A non probability convenience sampling method was used to recruit study participants. A total of 1,277 participants were prescreened into KICoS of whom 847 were enrolled into this study. Data was collected using CAPI and ACASI questionnaires as well as Teleforms which was analysed in SAS for windows 9.1. Results: Syndromic prevalence of STIs was 5.7% while the aetiological prevalence was 32.8%.Risk factors to STI acquisition included, being female, having multiple sexual partners,having lower than tertiary education, using recreational drugs and being HIV. Agreement between the interviewing methods as well between the syndromic and laboratory diagnosis ranged from fair to substantial. This was also true for the agreement between laboratory and CAPI as well as between the laboratory and ACASI. Sensitivity was generally low while specificity was high. Uptake of contact tracing cards was high though with very low uptake of contact treatment with only 2.1% and 0.4% partners of the syndromically and aetiologically diagnosed participants coming for treatment.Conclusions: STI is a problem in this community and thus there should be more emphasis on risk reduction messages in patient education to mitigate the spread of STIs. The performance of syndromic management was very poor against the aetiological diagnosis thus there needs to further review the use of syndromic diagnosis of STIs in research settings. Partner tracing needs to be intensified since there was very poor partner treatment even with high uptake of contact cards.Acknowledgements: This study would have not been what it was without the immense support I received from many individuals all of whom cannot be mentioned here. I would however want to thank the Dr Wairimu Chege (Principal Investigator, KICoS) for her inspiration and encouragement. I would also like to thank my supervisor, Ernie Kunneke for going through this study with me repeated times including on a ride to the airport. On the same note I would also like to thank my lecturers and student administrators at the SOPH. My gratitude also goes to my colleagues Richard Ndivo, Sherri Pals and Eleanor McLellan-Lemal for all the support they accorded me throughout this research.I would also want to give my heartfelt gratitude to my family. My daughter Akinyi who used to type with me at night, her mother Auma for understanding my late nights up and finally to my Parents Mr and Mrs Gideon and Monica Otieno for understanding the importance of education and taking me to school through all the difficulties. Last but not least I would like to express my gratitude to the almighty God for having seen me through this process

Perceptions of School Managers on the Impact of Integration of ICT in Human Resource on Management of Schools in Nairobi City County, Kenya

The aim of this study is to investigate the perceptions of  principals and deputy principals of secondary schools in Nairobi City County on the impact of integration of information communication technology (ICT) in human resource on the management of secondary schools in Nairobi City County. The study employed the descriptive research survey method. The research instruments used were questionnaires, an interview guide and an observation schedule.  Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented in the form of tables. Qualitative data was coded according to content and analyzed based on emerging themes and presented in narrative form. The findings of the study was that there was no significant impact of integrating ICT in human resource on secondary school management in Nairobi City County.  Among the recommendations made are that the ministry of education should create and adopt a nationally accepted ICT policy for purposes of uniformity in the management of schools. Keywords: Information Communication Technology, Human Resource Management, ICT Integratio

Application of Queuing Theory to Vehicular Traffic on Nakuru Total Road Stretch

 Nations strive to avoid losing revenue and human lives through long traffic snarl ups and frequent accidents on the roads. For this reason Considerations must be made to increase the number of lanes or even better to change from a single carriage to more robust dual carriages. However number of lanes and dual carriage alone serve no purpose for the accidents frequencies and traffic snarl ups that appear to defy even the most modern and sophisticated highway designs. Service time for traffic using such roads would need to be improved. Clearly therefore a numerical model is necessary for the road designers and developers to help understand road improvement demands. In this paper we establish the queue model for the Nakuru – Salgaa road Stretch and test the model with real data from the Case Study. Data is collected between the Soil- junction and the Total junction. We derive the arrival rate, service rate, utilization rate and the probability of Bulking using the M/M/1 queuing model. It is estimated that the arrival rate at the Soil- junction is 37 vehicles per minute and at total junction the service rate is 44 Vehicles per minute this does not march the dwindle service rates in section that are now black spots. The average number of vehicles on single road stretch is on average 15 per minute with some sections recording a high of 40 vehicles per minute and the utilization of the sections of stretch is on average 0.8. The benefit of performing the queue analysis for the road stretch is finally discussed and recommendations provided.