Olufuko revisited: female initiation in contemporary Ombadja, Northern Namibia.

Magister Artium - MAThis thesis analyses post-independence Namibian Heritage and identity discourse and its contestations through the contemporary public performance of olufuko. Olufuko is the ritual of female initiation that marks the transition of young girls into adulthood. The initiation has been an important aspect of the Aawambo women's identity that live in north-central Namibia and southern Angola as it is believed to legitimise womanhood. I show how Owambo residents embrace regional or ethnic diversity through the performance of olufuko as a way of expressing their belonging. Throughout the thesis, I also reflect on the fact that through national attendance at, participation in, and performing of olufuko by state representatives and individuals, from all the regions of Namibia and beyond, people have expressed their belonging to a nation state. During olufuko ceremonies, both regional and national state representatives advocated the ideas of nation-building through 'unity in diversity', which emphasises the diversity of ethnic backgrounds while harmoniously coexisting. Following Becker (2004), and Becker and Lentz (2013), my central argument is that in the contemporary dispensation, national citizenship in Namibia appears to be defined largely through the emphasis on regional or ethnic diversity. In my discussion, I show how the state appropriated and mediated the olufuko ceremony as a national event, though it was performed at the regional level. I show how national identity was visibly represented by national symbols such as the national flag and anthem and how it was audibly live broadcasted by state television and radio during the event. This signified the event as national. The thesis further investigates how national heritage is discussed in post-colonial Namibia by looking into the controversies between the state and ELCIN religious leaders which emanated from the performance of olufuko. The thesis is based on ethnographic research, which was conducted between December 2012, during olufuko ceremonies that took place in villages in Ombadja, and August 2013, when it culminated in participant observation during the public olufuko ceremony at Outapi, Ombalantu

Bovine in-vitro embryo production and its contribution towards improved food security in Kenya

The Boran breed is mainly kept by pastoralist communities as a source of both milk and beef, and by commercial beef ranches mainly for beef production. Although this breed Boran may seemingly be low valued, it can be raised to higher reproductive potential using current reproductive technologies such as in-vitro embryo production and embryo transfer. In this author’s literature search there was lack of locally optimized procedures for boosting the reproductive potential of the Boran cow using such technologies. This paper discusses simplified methods used for in-vitro embryo production and embryo transfer that have been tested and optimized for the Kenyan Boran cows as described in text. This article provides the reader with technical procedures, the outcomes and the challenges experienced during use of the technologies. The results of the reported in vitro embryo production obtained an oocyte maturation rate of over 90%, over 70% cleavage rate and an embryo output of 30-50% blastocyst rate. Embryo transfer had a conception rate of 45-50%. All the 17 calves born out of this work have since attained puberty without any abnormalities. This research was the first to produce a “test tube” calf in Kenya and built the capacity of 57 staff on these technical procedures within East Africa. Utilization of the in vitro embryo production technology in Kenya can be used to do value addition to indigenous cows and improve household incomes and food security. This avenue can be used to raise household revenues and attract many more farmers to engage in farming leading to improved national economic and food security. Kenya can utilize reproductive technologies in the dairy sector due to the massive potential benefits to revolutionize the sector for enhanced food security by increasing cattle productivity. The paper highlights practical ways of applying the technologies discussed therein to help raise the economy of the Kenyan livestock farmers and boost their food security. Key words: Reproductive Technologies, Boran cattle, Keny

Food safety policy framework for Kenya: Lessons and best practices from the Vietnam experience

Infographic created for Voice for Change Partnership, Food and Nutrition Security Dissemination Forum: Evidence for Policy, Advocacy and Partnerships, Online Webinar, 8th July 202

Development of a food safety policy framework for Kenya: Lessons and best practices from the Vietnam experience

Infographic created for Voice for Change Partnership, Food and Nutrition Security Dissemination Forum: Evidence for Policy, Advocacy and Partnerships, Online Webinar, 8th July 202

Adult population as potential reservoir of NTD infections in rural villages of Kwale district, Coastal Kenya: implications for preventive chemotherapy interventions policy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are major public health problems in developing countries where they contribute to suffering of populations living in poor settings. As part of a research project started in September 2009 in Kwale district, Coast Region, Kenya, a baseline cross-sectional survey was conducted in 5 rural villages to provide information on the status of NTDs, including urinary schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH), and lymphatic filariasis. This paper presents the results of a parasitological investigation among adults in the study villages.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 599 adults in the 5 study villages were tested for NTD infections in urine, stool and blood. The presence of <it>Schistosoma haematobium </it>infection was determined by the urine filtration method. The presence of STH in stool was determined by Kato-Katz method while filarial antigenaemia was determined using immunochromatographic (ICT) test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The study revealed high prevalence of hookworm (41.7%) and schistosomiasis (18.2%) infections among adults in the study villages. Of the 599 individuals examined, 50.1% had one or more helminthic infections. There was low level of polyparasitism with helminthic NTDs in the study population with 9.5% and 1.7% of the participants having two and three infections, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In the current study, hookworm and schistosomiasis infections were identified as important infections among adults living in areas of high endemicity for these infections. Thus, if this section of the population is left untreated it may remain an important potential reservoir and a source of re-infection for school-age children treated in school deworming programmes. Therefore, there is a need to design novel strategies for preventive chemotherapy interventions that could allow inclusion of adults in an effort to reduce force of infection in high endemic communities.</p