Effectiveness of intermittent preventive treatment with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine and insecticide treated nets on the prevention of malaria in pregnancy in non-malarial endemic area in Kenya

Background: Malaria prevention strategies have significantly reduced the prevalence of malaria in pregnant women in several studies done in malaria endemic regions.Objective: To determine the effectiveness of Intermittent preventive treatment with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine and Insecticide treated nets on the prevention of malaria in pregnancy in a non-malaria endemic area.Design: Comparative study.Setting: Kapsabet District Hospital in Nandi County.Subjects: One hundred and fourty three non-randomised pregnant women were followed through the Antenatal clinic before 28 weeks gestation until delivery and compared with records of 600 pregnant women ( non-intervention arm), who attended ANC and delivered at the hospital.Results: The incidence of malaria infection in pregnancy was 21% in the non-intervention group compared with 8% in the intervention group, (p-value 0.000). The incidence of low birth weight was 12.5% in the non-intervention group compared with 5.6% in the intervention group (p-value 0.018); with a reduction of low birth weight by 50% in the intervention group. The incidence of Still births was 6% in the non-intervention group and 1.4% in the intervention group (p-value 0.025). There were two (0.3%) cases of maternal mortality in the non-intervention group and no mortality in the intervention group which was statistically not significant but clinically significant.Conclusion: The use of intermittent preventive treatment with sulphadoxinepyrimethamine and Insecticide Treated Nets is effective in prevention of malaria in pregnancy in non-malaria endemic region and is associated with reduction of adverse pregnancy outcome. There is therefore a need of up scaling the use of sulphadoxinepyrimethamineduring pregnancy, and availing subsidised long lasting insecticide treated bed nets to pregnant women countrywide

Board Activities and Performance of Firms Listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange

This study sought to examine the relationships among board activities and performance of firms listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange. This study used a census approach and a target population of the study comprised of all companies listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange between 2002 and 2016. A total of sixty five (65) companies were listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange as at 31st December 2016. The data on board activities and performance of firms were extracted from annual reports of the individuals firms. This study employed longitudinal descriptive research design to determine relationships amongst board activities and performance of firms. A panel data regression analysis was conducted using random effects model which allowed the companies to have a common mean value of the intercept to determine whether corporate governance influence firm performance. An increasing trend was observed in other board activities variables such board ownership, board meetings, board tools, board committees and number of committees meetings. The study findings on the other hand revealed reducing trend in board tenure and board remuneration of listed firms Kenya. This was inferred to indicate that listed firms in Kenya have been strengthening their corporate governance over the study period. Regression analysis indicated that board activities are insignificant predators of Return on Assets, However board tenure, committees meetings and board remuneration were found to have a positive but insignificant effect on Tobin’s Q among listed firms in Kenya. Board ownership board tools, board meetings and number board committees were found to have negatively affected the performance measured by Tobin’s Q in listed firms in Kenya. However, only board tools significantly affected the performance measured by Tobin’s Q. The study concluded that listed firms in Kenya adopted corporate governance practices as part of the requirements of the regulating authority which had not impact on the specific company’s performance. Based on the findings of this study, stakeholders of listed firms and regulating authority such as Capital Markets Authority may relook at the board activities policies of listed firms with the view revising the existing policies or formulating new and more progressive policies to ensure shareholder interests are protected. These policies may go a long way to ensure listed firms not only strengthened their board activities during poor performing seasons but rather clear systems and activities that provide a clear roadmap to guide board operations

The Relationship between Board Structure and Performance of Firms Listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange

This study examines the relationship between board structure and performance of firms listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange. The study is anchored on agency theory, resource dependency theory, transaction cost theory, political theory and a census approach. A population of the study comprising sixty five companies listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange between 2002 and 2016 were used. Data was extracted from annual reports of listed firms. This study employed longitudinal descriptive research design to determine the relationship. Panel data regression analysis was conducted using the random effects model. The results revealed that gender diversity and occupational expertise had significant effect on Return on Assets, while board independence and board age had significant effect on Tobin’s Q of listed firms in Kenya. On the other hand, board size had an insignificant effect on both Return on Assets and Tobin’s Q. The overall effect of board structure on Returns on Assets and Tobin’s Q was significant. The study concluded that various board structure mechanisms except board size have significant effect on performance of listed firms in Kenya, and the overall board structure had significant effect on performance of listed firms. The study recommended that management should incorporate board structure mechanisms to enhance performance of firms and regulatory authorities should review the current board structure variables to make them more relevant to improve performance of listed firms in Kenya

The Relationship between Corporate Governance, Financial Characteristics, Macroeconomic Factors and Performance of Firms Listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange

This study sought to examine the relationships among corporate governance, financial characteristics, macroeconomic factors and performance of firms listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange. This study used wealth maximisation theory, agency theory, stewardship theory and stakeholders’ theory to explain the relationships among dependent, intervening, moderating and independent variables. This study employed a census approach and a target population of the study comprised of all companies listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange from 2002 to 2016. A total of sixty five were used. The data on corporate governance, financial characteristics and performance of firms were extracted from annual reports of the individuals firms and additional data on macroeconomic factors in relation to gross domestic product, interest rates and inflation rates were extracted from Central Bank of Kenya and Kenya National Bureau of Statistics economic reports. This study employed longitudinal descriptive research design to determine relationships amongst variables. A panel data regression analysis was conducted using random effects model which allowed the firms to have a common mean value of the intercept to determine whether corporate governance influence firm performance. The study established that most of the corporate governance practices adopted by listed firms in Kenya had significant effect of the performance of firms. The intervening effect of financial characteristics was determined, while macroeconomic factors were found to have moderating effect in the relationship between corporate governance and performance of listed firms. The study finally established that corporate governance, financial characteristics and macroeconomic factors had a significant joint effect on performance of firms listed on Nairobi Securities Exchange. Based on the findings the study made various conclusions. The study concluded that listed firms in Kenya adopted corporate governance practices as part of the requirements of the regulating authority which had impact on Returns of Assets and Tobin’s Q. The study further concluded that some listed firms in Kenya strengthened their corporate governance due to poor performance; some of the corporate governance practices used by listed firms had negative impact on performance of firms. This study contributed to the existing knowledge since it established that the relationship between corporate governance and firm performance heavily relied on the context under study and for this reason, studies conducted in different context have conflicting results

Differences In \u3ci\u3eUrochloa\u3c/i\u3e Hybrids and Cultivars Biomass Production in Several Sites in Western Kenya

Forage production is at the core of improved livestock productivity, especially in sub Saharan Africa. The genetic potential of existing animals remains underutilized due to limited forage quality and quantity. Albeit wide range of forage germplasm that exists, little data is available for identifying suitable genotypes, matched to specific environments and production systems. Due to the spatial and temporal diverse environments in which livestock production happens, multi-locational screening of forage production and characterizing genotype by environment interaction is key. We selected seven Urochloa (Syn. Brachiaria) genotypes comprising three hybrids and four cultivars and established them in on-farm trials in western Kenya for dry matter evaluation and nutritional quality. We selected eight sites covering four administrative counties (Siaya, Kakamega, Busia, Bungoma), and each county hosting two replicated trials, with each trial replicated 3 times. We observed dry matter yield differences across the counties in the order Bungoma \u3e Busia \u3e Kakamega \u3e Siaya. Similarly, the genotypes returned varied performance across the sites. Hybrids did well in one of the county, a mix of hybrids and cultivars in two counties and cultivars in the last county. Amongst sites, variation was least in Busia, and more pronounced in Bungoma. Continued assessments in subsequent cuts are underway. These will feed into context-specific recommendations about suitable forages for sustainable intensification in the face of global warming

Comparing Empirical with Perceived Trends in Wildlife, Livestock, Human Population and Settlement Numbers in Pastoral Systems: The Greater Maasai Mara Ecosystem, Kenya

Human activities are driving wildlife population declines worldwide. However, empirical understandings of their operation and consequences for wildlife populations and habitats are limited. We explored relationships between empirical and perceived wildlife and livestock population trends in Kenya using data on i) aerial monitoring of wildlife and livestock populations during 1977-2018, ii) human population censuses; and iii) semi-structured interviews with 338 male and female respondents from 250 households from four zones of the Greater Maasai Mara Ecosystem in 2019 and 2020. Wildlife numbers declined by 72.3% but sheep and goats increased by 306.4%. Yet nearly 50% of the interviewees perceived increases in wildlife numbers during 2011-2020 but concurrent decreases in livestock numbers because wildlife compete with livestock for resources. About one third of the respondents perceived an increase in the number of people living within conservancies and around the reserve and considered this indicative of a developing and thriving community. Notable discrepancies between the empirical and perceived trends were often more apparent than real and collectively suggest that incentives that promote wildlife are evidently viewed as less attractive than those that encourage increasing human and livestock numbers. Reconciling such apparent contradictions in empirical and perceived patterns is essential to extracting insights for formulating policies for sustaining livestock and wildlife populations and their habitats while promoting human welfare in grasslands

Organizational Innovation, Technology, Strategic Planning and Competitiveness: Conceptual Perspective

Organizations need to study their past operations and review the current status ofcompetitiveness so as to inform their future strategic planning process if they are to remaincompetitive. Changes in the business environment emanating from globalization,internationalization of firms and developments in information, communication andtechnology have called on firm to constantly rethink their strategies if they are to remaincompetitive in a given industry. Technology enable organizations to gather informationabout their competitors with the offering hence lead to better product development andhigher customer satisfaction. Through technology, firms are able to develop new and betterways of going about internal affairs hence operational efficiency. Technology offersorganizations a platform for them to leverage their operations for efficient operationscompared t their competitors. Organizations have to constantly come up with new ways ofdoing things by investing in research and development. The competitive advantage of anorganization is never constant because the competitors are always plotting to stay ahead ina given industry. Strategies developed for competitiveness are always concerned withmaking an organization unique and different from its peers in a given industry. Innovationenables firms to respond to changing customer preferences and tastes hence remainrelevant in their decision making process. This study was anchored on four theories:Innovation diffusion, Resource Based View, Technology acceptance Model and the fiveforces Theory. These theories are conceptualized in the context of strategic planningcovering strategy formulation, implementation to monitoring and evaluation. It alsopresented the technological advancements and how they have affected businesses’competitiveness through innovation. Innovativeness mediates the relationships betweenfirm performance and the formal strategic planning process and planning flexibility

Enterprise Risk Management Strategies and Performance of ChristianBased Hospitality Businesses: An empirical overview

This study intended to determine the relationship between Enterprise Risk Management Strategies (ERMS) as the independent variable, and performance as thedependent variable on the composite non-financial performance indicators andspecific financial indicators of Return on Assets (ROA) and Revenue per AvailableRoom (RevPar). The context of the study was the Christian-Based hospitalityBusinesses in Kenya. Three Null Hypotheses were formulated to test the relationshipsof the study variables with a significance level of p<0.05. A positivistic philosophyusing descriptive cross-sectional survey design on a population of 76 Christian-basedhospitality businesses in Kenya was adopted. The results of the study show that theNull Hypotheses 1 (Ho), on the effect of ERMS on composite performance wasrejected while hypotheses (Ho1(a)1(b)), (Ho), which tested the relationship betweenERMS and ROA and RevPar respectively were accepted. This concludes that ERMShave a significant relationship with composite performance while ERMS have nosignificant relationship with the financial indicators of ROA and RevPar. Thediagnostic tests showed normal autocorrelation between study variables with DW testranging between 1.5 and 2.5; Normality test showed normal distribution of studyvariables; homoscedasticity exists for all hypothesis while collinearity can be seen inhypothesis (Ho1(a)), (Ho1(b)) and (Ho).  1(c)1(c

Corporate Governance, Financial Characteristics, Macroeconomic Factors and Performance of Manufacturing Firms Listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange

Performance of manufacturing firms listed at the Nairobi securities exchange has been varied since the introduction of the corporate governance policies and practices in the year 2002. This has been blamed to a number of factors including financial characteristics and macroeconomic factors. The specific objectives were to establish the effect of corporate governance on performance of manufacturing firms listed at the Nairobi securities exchange; to determine the intervening effect of financial characteristics on corporate governance and performance of manufacturing firms; to establish the moderating effect of corporate governance and performance of manufacturing firm; and to determine joint effect of corporate governance, financial characteristics, macroeconomic factors and performance of listed manufacturing firms at the Nairobi securities exchange. This study was anchored on, agency theory, stewardship theory, stakeholders’ theory and resource dependence theory. The study used census approach and a target population of 10 manufacturing firms listed at the Nairobi securities exchange between 2002 and 2016 were incorporated. This study employed longitudinal descriptive research design to determine relationships amongst independent, intervening, moderating and dependent variables. A panel data regression analysis was conducted using random effects model. The study findings revealed that corporate governance had insignificant effect on performance of listed manufacturing firms in Kenya; investments, leverage and liquidity  significantly intervene in the relationship between corporate governance and performance of listed manufacturing firms; interest rate, inflation rate and  growth domestic product rate, significantly affect returns on assets and Tobin’s Q of listed manufacturing firms in Kenya; and corporate governance, financial characteristics and  macroeconomic factors were good predictors of listed manufacturing sector firms’ performance. Keywords: Firm performance, corporate governance, financial characteristics, macroeconomic factors, manufacturing firms, Nairobi securities exchange DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/10-22-08 Publication date: November 30th 201