Delivery of Youth Friendly Services in Kenya: Towards A Targeted Approach

The Adolescent Reproductive Health and Development Policy respond to the concerns of youths and bring their reproductive health issues into the development limelight as a whole. This policy has been pivotal in championing reproductive health issues of the youths and this has paved way to the development of the Plan of Action to strengthen commitment, partnership, networking and collaboration as well as resource mobilization efforts among stakeholders. In the delivery of Youth Friendly Services, the minimum conditions set by the Ministry of Health should be met in order to call it ‘youth friendly’. These minimum conditions include: affordability and accessibility, safe and basic range of services, privacy and confidentiality, provider competence and attitude, reliability and sustainability and an inbuilt monitoring and evaluation system. Key words: Youth Friendly Services (YFS), targeted approach, integrated approac

Teaching Linear Programing in Mathematics Education to Improve Human Health

The 1984 World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as "the extent to which an individual or group is able to realize aspirations and satisfy needs, and to change or cope with the environment.” Health is a resource for everyday life. It is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities. To maintain human health is a complex matter, thus the need to apply mathematics education, and in particular, linear programming knowledge and skills, in order to bring up a healthy community. Linear Programming is about making maximum benefit or minimum loss out of limited resources in daily life. Applications of linear programming date back to 1930 and were first attempted by the Soviet mathematician Leonid Kantorovich and by the American economist, Wasilly Leontief. Linear programming is applied in many health programs. These include; application of linear programming in health care, in the most affordable heath diet, in surgery, menu planning, food production and in feeding. Linear programming is used by farmers to determine how much space to be used for each crop especially when practicing mixed farming and for optimal health care resource allocation. Linear programming is also used in home health care and medical services. It is used in radiation therapy treatment, for menu planning in restaurants and in nurses scheduling. It is therefore recommended that the topic linear programming be taught to all Kenyan students irrespective of what career they hope to pursue. This will go a long way in enabling the Kenyan society to maintain good health at minimum cost

Re-thinking Foreign Aid to Africa in Post MDGs- 2015: Between Need and Viable Exit Strategy

Foreign aid has enslaved African countries culminating to a dependency syndrome. This has engendered to complacency, addiction and lethargy and what is imminent is a generation that does not what to exploit the potential of resources at its disposal. This dependency syndrome has been pivotal to all the Socio economic and political problems that Africa is facing. What has inaugurated the lack of realization of sustainable development in Africa is nothing but foreign aid. To enunciate this, Africa has plunged itself to the snares of poverty because of the burden of foreign aid. Key words: Foreign aid, dependency syndrome, complacency, lethargy, Millennium Development Goals, Sustainable Developmen

Efficient removal of sulfamethoxazole onto sugarcane bagasse-derived biochar: Two and three-parameter isotherms, kinetics and thermodynamics

In this work, bagasse, an agricultural waste was used for the development of environmentally benign biochar (CBG) and the thermal pyrolysis product applied for adsorption of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) from water using a batch technique. The pseudo-first-order model best described the adsorption kinetics. Equilibrium adsorption data were modelled using six twoparameter and five three-parameter isothermequations and the best-fitting models obtained using five error functions. The Sips isotherm best predicted the equilibrium data with an estimated adsorption capacity of 128.8 mg g–1. Error analysis showed that three-parameter isotherms best explained the experimental data. The thermodynamic functions, viz. enthalpy (ÄH = –24.72 kJ mol–1), Gibbs free energy (ÄG=–15.67 kJ mol–1), entropy (ÄS=32.65 kJ mol–1), showed that the reaction is spontaneous and exothermic. The mechanism of adsorption involved charge-assisted hydrogen bonding (-)CAHB. The amount of CBG required for the removal of 99 % of SMX in a given volume of effluent was predicted. The results attest that CBG is an effective low-cost adsorbent for SMX adsorption

An Analysis of Technical Efficiency of Rice Farmers in Ahero Irrigation Scheme, Kenya

Rice has continued to be an important cereal in Kenya in the recent years. Although it is third after maize and wheat in terms of consumption and production, its rate of consumption has increased over the years compared to maize and wheat. Rice production in Kenya does not meet demand, and the deficit has to be met with imports. Improving productivity would ensure increase in production, improved food security, reduced rice import bills and increased income among smallholder farmers. The current study, therefore, estimated technical efficiency of rice farmers in Ahero Irrigation Scheme, Kisumu County, Kenya. Stratified sampling and probability proportionate to size sampling was used to sample 220 rice farmers. A stochastic Cobb Douglas production function was used to estimate technical efficiency. The study further assessed the factors that affect technical efficiency of the rice farmers. The coefficients of fertilizer and labour were found to positively influence paddy productivity while that of chemical cost negatively influenced paddy productivity. The level of efficiency of rice farmers was found to be 0.82.  The study further found that gender, farming experience, income level and distance to market were found to be significant determinants of technical efficiency. The study therefore recommended policies that will ensure that the costs of productive inputs are affordable to farmers and improving households’ income through better prices for their outputs. Improvement in the transport infrastructure is also important in reducing inefficiencies in paddy production. Key words: Rice, technical efficiency, stochastic Cobb Douglas production function, Keny

MATHEMATICS TEACHERS’ KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR ICT INTEGRATION IN INSTRUCTION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN BUNGOMA COUNTY, KENYA

The main problem facing mathematics instruction generally is the need to improve performance of students through use of innovative approaches that involve technology. Despite the advancements in technology, the utilization of computers and other ICTs materials is not an integral part of the curriculum. The study reported in this paper investigated the teacher’s knowledge and skills for use of Information Communication Technology in mathematics instruction. The study focused on determining the knowledge and skills needed for instructional use of ICTs in mathematics. The descriptive survey research design was adopted and involved secondary school mathematics teachers in the three Sub-Counties of Bungoma County: Kimilili, Bungoma North and Bungoma East. A sample of 218 teachers and heads of departments were selected using proportionate stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Data was collected using questionnaires and interview schedule. A pilot study was conducted and the data used to validate the instruments and compute the Cronbach’s alpha reliability measure which was found as 0.704 for the instrument. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics that included frequencies and percentages, means and standard deviations while the inferential statistics included the independent samples t-test. The findings indicated a lack of the necessary knowledge and skills for use of ICTs among teachers. Therefore the ministry of education should formulate policies that aim at ensuring professional development of teachers in ICT pedagogy and a review of curriculum to ensure teachers acquire relevant ICT knowledge and skills during initial training.  Article visualizations

INFLUENCE OF SMASSE ACTIVE LEARNING TECHNIQUES ON STUDENTS’ ATTITUDE TOWARDS MATHEMATICS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN BARINGO COUNTY, KENYA

The study reported in this paper sought to assess whether active learning techniques in mathematics brought about by SMASSE INSET has contributed to, improved students’ attitudes in mathematics. This study was based on the Shepperd’s Expectancy-value Theory, Theory of reasoned action and the Theory of planned behaviour as proposed by Ajzen and Fishbein (1975 and 1980). The study adopted descriptive survey research design and involved mathematics teachers and students from Baringo North Sub-County. Purposive, proportionate stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used to select a sample of 325 subjects comprising of 11 heads of department, 42 mathematics teachers and 272 students. Piloting was conducted and the data used to test the reliability and validity of research instruments. Data collected using questionnaires was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics that included frequencies and percentages and the t-test. The results show that there were significant differences in students’ attitude towards mathematics as exhibited by the higher scores of the students taught by teachers who attended the SMASSE INSET and lower scores for those taught by teachers who had not. The use of the active learning techniques had an influence on students’ attitude towards mathematics. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the Ministry of Education should formulate policies that will see teachers not only attend SMASSE INSET regularly but also include more robust and active learning measures that can be implemented by the teachers.  Article visualizations

Problem Based Learning Technique and its effect on Acquisition of Linear Programming Skills by Secondary School Students in Kenya

The topic Linear Programming is included in the compulsory Kenyan secondary school mathematics curriculum at form four. The topic provides skills for determining best outcomes in a given mathematical model involving some linear relationship. This technique has found application in business, economics as well as various engineering fields. Yet many Kenyan secondary schools hardly teach the topic. The methods used are found to be difficult to execute leading to lack of understanding by the learners. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether Problem Based Learning intervention can encourage and improve students’ learning of linear programming. Students’ performance on an achievement test, and acquisition of linear programming skills were monitored. The study adopted the pre-test, post-test non-equivalent groups experimental design. The experimental group was taught the topic using the origin test and extreme points technique, a version of Problem Based Learning. The control group was taught using conventional methods. A mathematics achievement pre-test and a post-test were given to both groups to ascertain their respective entry and final performance abilities. Analysis of the post-test results was done using the means, standard deviations and paired samples t-test. In addition, item 3 of the mathematics achievement post-test, was used to determine the level of students’ acquisition of linear programming skills. The face and content validity of the research instruments were determined with the help of mathematic educators and experienced secondary school mathematic teachers. The split half method was utilized in determining the instruments’ reliability acceptable at reliability indices of 0.6. Pearson's coefficient (r) obtained for MAT 1 School 1 was 0.9211 and 0.9131 for school 2. Pearson's coefficient (r) for MAT 2 for School 1 was 0.8786 and for school 2 it was 0.8896.  Stratified Random Sampling was used to select ten each of form four boys, girls, and co-educational schools for the study. In total 1,502 form four students participated in the study. Of this total, 745 students formed the experimental while 757 formed the control group. Keywords: Problem Based Learning Technique, Linear Programming Skills, Pre-requisite knowledge,  Secondary   School Students, Keny

Gender Equality in the Oil Mining Sector: An Interaction with Socio Demographic Factors in Lokichar, Turkana Kenya

The extraction and processing of minerals presents an opportunity for women’s economic empowerment. The paper capitalizes on the authors recent study “Change in Gender Roles as a Factor in Gender Participation and Empowerment in The Oil Mining Industry: A Case of Lokichar, Kenya” whose main objective was to establish the changes in gender roles and participation as influenced by oil mining in Lokichar in Turkana County. The  paper anchors on interaction with Socio Demographic factors. The null hypothesis; there is no relationship between equal hiring and equal  opportunity for men and women to work in mining activities was tested. The target group was the active labour force (direct and indirect) aged  between 15 to 64 years. The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection. Cross tabulation was generated on the  responses to show the differences based on the gender and Chi-square used to test the hypotheses and establish whether there were changes in  gender roles and empowerment. Major findings indicate that there is a relationship between equal hiring and gender equality. The socio  demographic indicators findings are discussed in depth. This descriptive study therefore intended to enlighten stakeholders (i.e. government and oil  companies) to craft policies in a bid to respond to challenges in oil mining and adopt gender sensitive policies that can help to enhance  workforce efficiency and enhance gender equality. The paper recommends that issues like compensation, decision making, royalty sharing, power  relations should be well spelt in policies to ensure gender mainstreaming

Personal factors as predictors of academic resilience among public secondary school students in Turkana county, Kenya

Introduction: Students from Turkana County compete for the same education benefits as those in the least marginalized counties with some succeeding and thriving. It is necessary to establish the factors that promote academic resilience hence the investigation of personal factors that promote academic resilience. Purpose: This study was an investigation of the relationship between personal factors and academic resilience among public secondary school students in Turkana County. Methodology: This study’s philosophical underpinning was pragmatism. It employed a mixed methods approach using the concurrent triangulation design analysis. The instruments of data collection tools were questionnaires and interview schedules. The sample size consisted of 382 students who responded to questionnaires, and 10 teachers and 10 students for the interview schedules. For the questionnaires, the Cronbach Alpha Coefficient overall output was .845. The content, construct and criterion-related validity were also established. Similarly, the trustworthiness and authenticity of the qualitative data was established. Results: The study found out that that there was a statistically significant strong positive correlation (r= .712, n=378, P> .05) between personal factors and academic resilience. Sense of meaning and purpose had the strongest associations with academic resilience, followed by autonomy and sense of self (r=0.599, P<0.05), and then social competence (r=0.544, P<0.05). Further, indicators of personal factors explain 51.0% of the variation in academic resilience Recommendations: The study recommended that both parents and teachers should play an active role to support students to develop and increase social competence, autonomy, and sense of self, meaning, and purpose in their lives, and nurture positive relationships to enhance academic resilience