On the coloniality of “new” mega‐infrastructure projects in east Africa

This article responds to a preference for short‐term history in research on the infrastructure turn by engaging with the longue durée of East Africa’s latest infrastructure scramble. It traces the history of LAPSSET in Kenya and the Central Corridor in Tanzania, revealing the coloniality of new and improved transport infrastructure along both corridors. This exercise demonstrates how the spatial visions and territorial plans of colonial administrators get built in to new infrastructure and materialise in ways that serve the interests of global capital rather than peasant and indigenous peoples being promised more modern, prosperous futures. The article concludes by suggesting that a focus on the longue durée also reveals uneven patterns of mobility and immobility set in motion during the colonial scramble for Africa and reinforced after independence. These “colonial moorings” are significant as they shape political reactions to new mega‐infrastructure projects today and constrain the emancipatory potential of infrastructure‐led development

Decolonial education and geography: Beyond the 2017 Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers annual conference

This review is inspired by the recent resurgence of grassroots movements aimed at the decolonisation of education. The departure point of the paper are the numerous, recent academic responses to campaigns such as Rhodes Must Fall, Why is My Curriculum White?, Why Isn't My Professor Black?, and #LiberateMyDegree. Following from there, the narrative is divided into two sections. The first part reviews theoretical approaches to decolonial education, especially those rooted in the modernity/coloniality/decoloniality paradigm. The second part analyses the ways in which geographers have applied these ideas to our discipline. The review pays particular attention to the 2017 Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers annual conference, curated under the “Decolonising geographical knowledges” theme. I argue that as geographers, we have to continue reflecting on the meaning of decolonial praxis, especially in relation to geographical education, beyond the recent conference. To these ends, the review concludes with seven specific questions for geographers to consider in the near future

Becoming a black researcher: reflections on racialised identity and knowledge production

Critical race theory (CRT) emerged from the U.S. context, and many question the validity of its application to spaces beyond the United States; however, for many black academics in the UK, it has a powerful resonance. Where many in the academy have dismissed the viability of the concept of race in favour of the term ethnicity – or they privilege class – in any discussion of inequalities, CRT recognises the salience of race, centralising it and analysing the ways in which race and racism continue to shape life experiences. CRT has provided an intellectual space for a growing community of academics in England to explore not only our own racial positioning within the academy and wider society but also that of the communities we work with in our research to achieve greater social justice. This paper explores the significance of CRT to the author’s biography and intellectual journey

The Synergistic Effect of Concomitant Schistosomiasis, Hookworm, and Trichuris Infections on Children's Anemia Burden

Polyparasitic infections have been recognized as the norm in many tropical developing countries, but the significance of this phenomenon for helminth-associated morbidities is largely unexplored. Earlier studies have suggested that multi-species, low-intensity parasitic infections were associated with higher odds of anemia among school-age children relative to their uninfected counterparts or those with one low-intensity infection. However, specific studies of the nature of interactions between helminth species in the mediation of helminth-associated morbidities are lacking. This study quantifies the extent to which polyparasitic infections have more than the sum of adverse effects associated with individual infections in the context of childhood anemia. This study found that the risk of anemia is amplified beyond the sum of risks for individual infections in children simultaneously exposed to 1) hookworm and schistosomiasis, and 2) hookworm and trichuris, and suggests that combined treatment for some geohelminth species and schistosomiasis could yield greater than additive benefits for the reduction of childhood anemia in helminth-endemic areas. However, more studies to understand the full range of interactions between parasitic species in their joint effects on helminth-associated morbidities will be necessary to better predict the impact of any future public health intervention

Assessment of PrEP eligibility and uptake among at-risk MSM participating in a HIV-1 vaccine feasibility cohort in coastal Kenya

Introduction: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is provided free of costs to at-risk populations in Kenya, including men who have sex with men (MSM), but anal intercourse is not an eligibility criterion. We set out to determine PrEP eligibility, uptake and predictors of PrEP uptake among MSM enrolled in an HIV-1 vaccine feasibility cohort in coastal Kenya. Methods: We compared the number of MSM identified as eligible for PrEP from June-December 2017 by Kenyan Ministry of Health (MoH) criteria, which do not include reported anal intercourse, to those identified as eligible by a published MSM cohort-derived HIV-1 risk score (CDHRS). We determined PrEP uptake and assessed factors associated with uptake at first offer among eligible MSM followed up monthly for HIV-1 testing, risk assessment, and risk reduction counselling. Results: Out of 167 MSM assessed for PrEP eligibility, 118 (70.7%) were identified by both MoH and CDHRS eligibility criteria. However, the CDHRS identified 33 (19.8%) more cohort MSM for PrEP eligibility than the MoH criteria, of whom the majority (24 or 72.7%) reported receptive anal intercourse (RAI). Of the 162 MSM eligible for PrEP, 113 (69.7%) accepted PrEP at first offer. Acceptance of PrEP was higher for men reporting RAI (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR], 1.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0–1.9), having paid for sex (aPR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1–1.6) and group sex (aPR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1–1.8), after adjustment for sociodemographic factors. Conclusions: Assessing PrEP eligibility using a CDHRS identified 20% more at-risk MSM for PrEP initiation than when Kenyan MoH criteria were used. Approximately 70% of eligible men accepted PrEP at first offer, suggesting that PrEP is acceptable among at-risk MSM. MSM reporting RAI, group sex, or paying for sex were more likely to accept PrEP, reinforcing the importance of an informed discussion of HIV-1 risk during PrEP counselling

Effects of Lysinibacillus sphaericus on Physicomechanical and Chemical Performance of OPC Blended with Natural Tuff and Pulverized Fly Ash

This paper reports study findings on the use of Lysinibacillus sphaericus (at 1.0 × 107 cells/ml concentration) to enhance and improve the physicomechanical and chemical properties of blended Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC). Blending was done separately with pulverized fly ash (PFA) and natural pozzolana (volcanic tuff) at substitution levels of 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, and 70%. Mortar prisms of dimensions 40 mm by 40 mm by 160 mm were prepared and cured for the 2nd, 7th, 28th, 56th, and 90th days using Lysinibacillus sphaericus solution as mixing water and curing media. Commercial OPC and PPC mortar prisms cast and cured using distilled water were used as controls. Results showed that prisms treated with bacteria exhibited the highest performance on compressive strength development. Further microstructure analysis of blended cement incorporated with Lysinibacillus sphaericus bacteria showed significant amounts of reacted secondary cementitious materials compared to samples without bacteria. Bacteria presence was also found to reduce water demand during mixing and setting times and exhibited low porosity in relation to samples without bacteria. These results showed that the presence of alkaliphilic bacteria in the blended cement resulted in synergistic effect in enhancing the physicochemical and mechanical properties

Is conservation agriculture ‘climate-smart’ for maize farmers in the highlands of Tanzania?

Conservation agriculture (CA) is promoted extensively to increase the productivity and environmental sustainability of maize production systems across sub-Saharan Africa and is often listed as a climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practice. However, the impacts of CA on food security, resilience/adaptive capacity and climate change mitigation are location-dependent and it is unknown whether CA can simultaneously address CSA’s multiple objectives. Here we evaluate four variations of CA: reduced tillage plus mulch (mulch), reduced tillage plus mulch and leguminous cover crop (Lablab), reduced tillage plus mulch and leguminous trees (CAWT), and reduced tillage plus mulch and nitrogen fertilizer (CA + F)—for their effect on CSA-relevant outcomes in highland Tanzania maize production. By comparison to conventional practice in the region, intensification of maize production by Lablab, CAWT, and CA + F significantly increases yields by 40, 89 and 77 %, respectively. Likewise, rainfall use efficiency was highest in these three treatments and significantly greater than conventional practices in 7 of 12 comparisons. Seasonal and annual greenhouse gas fluxes were similar across all treatments; however, yield-scaled global warming potential (Mg CO2 eq Mg grain−1) was lower in CAWT (2.1–3.1) and CA + F (1.9–2.3) than conventional practice (1.9–8.3), averaging 62 and 68 % of the emission intensity of conventional practice, respectively. The findings demonstrate that CA can deliver benefits consistent with the objectives of CSA for farmers in this region, particularly when soil nitrogen limitation is alleviated, providing other constraints to adoption are removed