Viability of free newspapers in the Kenyan market: a case of The People Daily

This study sought to establish the viability of free newspapers in the Kenyan market, using the case of The People Daily. The research objectives of this study were: (i) to establish the management strategy behind The People Daily’s conversion into a free newspaper; (ii) to determine the relationship between advertising revenue and The People Daily’s viability as a news media outlet; (iii) to assess financial sustainability of The People Daily as a free newspaper; and (iv) to establish the quality control measures that The People Daily has put in place to promote quality journalism. This study was based on the Media Economics Theory and it adopted mixed method research approach and a descriptive research design that targeted 70 journalists at The People Daily newspaper. Data was collected through a survey questionnaire and six senior managers were interviewed for key information on The People Daily strategies that informed the conversion to a free newspaper. The researcher pre-tested the tools with a group of journalists from Standard Media group. Quantitative data collected was cleaned and analysed using IBM’s SPSS version 22 and presented in form of tables, pie charts and graphs. Qualitative data was transcribed, coded for patterns and emergent themes presented in narrative format to corroborate the quantitative data with the relevant quotes to buttress the emergent themes. Findings indicated that the conversion of The People Daily to a free newspaper has given it a competitive edge by boosting circulation and attracting advertisers who have been the mainstay of the newspaper’s revenue base. Further, the newspaper is generally financially sustainable and has put in place measures to produce quality content. The study also established that the conversion of The People Daily into a free newspaper was based on two key strategies: the need to create a competitive advantage in the market and remain afloat, and second, to boost the revenue that the newspaper generates. The study established that while advertising revenue makes The People Daily viable, being part of a conglomerate disadvantages the newspaper as part of its advertising revenues is channeled to other outlets, especially the conglomerate’s TV station K24. To ensure sustainability and production of quality content, the researcher recommends that a huge percentage of resources generated by the free newspaper be ploughed back into newsroom to strengthen operations and boost staff morale

Volume 7 No. 2 2007 THE ROLE OF IRRIGATION ON IMPROVEMENT OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF YOUNG CHILDREN IN CENTRAL KENYA

ABSTRACT A comparative, retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the role of irrigation on improvement of nutritional status of children aged 6 -59 months in a semi-arid setting. Two equal samples of fifty-nine children (aged 6 -59 months) hereafter, referred to as the Project and the Non-project groups, respectively were randomly selected from households with and without access to irrigation water in Kieni East Division of Nyeri District, Kenya. The study area is situated in the drier western leeward side of Mt. Kenya and is characteristic by unreliable rainfall of between 500 to 1200 mm per annum. Weight, height and age of index children were determined and the corresponding standard deviations of weight-for-age, weight-for-height and height-for-age calculated and compared to the reference standards developed by the US National Centre for Health Statistics. Energy and nutrient intake was determined using 24-hour dietary recall method. The findings on socio-demographic characteristics showed that the Project and Non-project households were similar in terms of household size, land size, marital status of the respondent, maternal and paternal education and occupation. The calorie intake of over two-fifth (42%) of the children from the Non-project households compared to 39% from the Project households was below the Recommended Daily Allowance. The children from commercial farming Project households had significantly higher weight-for-age Z-score than those from commercial farming Non-project households. Similarly, children from high-income Project households had significantly higher height-for-age Z-score than those from high-income Non-project households. The prevalence of stunting was also significantly lower in the high-income Project households compared to high-income Non-project households. Among the male children, the prevalence of underweight was significantly higher in Non-project households than in Project households. Overall, the prevalence of stunting and underweight which are indicators of long-term nutritional deprivation were higher in Non-project households than Project households. The findings of the study led to the conclusion that irrigation contributes to increased per capita food availability resulting in higher energy intakes and subsequently enables households to safeguard young children against chronic malnutrition. Also, poverty as characterised by low household income remains a main determinant of nutritional status

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

The Balanced Scorecard strategy as a tool of enhancing maximum Performance: a Case of chase Bank, Nairobi Kenya

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Balanced Scorecard as a tool for enhancing maximum performance in relation to Chase Bank, Nairobi. The study was guided by the following research questions: What are the attributes of the BSC structure used in Chase Bank? What is the role of BSC as a performance measurement tool? And what is the relationship between BSC usage Vis a Vis Chase bank's performance? The target population under the study were the employees of Chase Bank in the following branches; Riverside, Sameer, City Centre, Hurlingham and Upper Hill. The study adopted a stratified sampling technique. A sample of 48 respondents was selected from the stratus. This technique was used to obtain responses from the specified branches. Data collection tool that was used to collect the relevant information needed for analysis were questionnaires. To ensure effective and efficient data analysis process, the data was coded, sorted and analyzed using descriptive analysis where frequencies, percentages and correlation tables were generated and interpreted. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used for analysis. Presentation of data was in form of tables and figures. The researcher adopted a descriptive research design. The study used questionnaires as a tool of data collection. The questionnaires were designed as per the research questions. A pilot questionnaire was carried out on ten respondents to ascertain the suitability and the ease of the questionnaires and amendments made to make them suitable and precise to the study. The study used Chase Bank, Nairobi region as the case study for the research. Stratified sampling technique was done and 46 respondents out of a sample of 48 representing 96% responded. As to the attributes of the BSC structure used in Chase Bank, the study found out that various attribute of BSC structure have positive implications on the Financial aspect, Customer aspect, Internal Efficiency aspect and Learning and Growth aspect of the organization. The study found out that the roles of BSC as a performance measurement tool were far reaching. The study established that the vision of the organization was realistic, the vision presents the mission of the organization. The vision of the organization is achievable and the business plan is realistic due to the implementation and usage of the Balanced Scorecard. The study’s findings on the relationship between BSC usage and Chase bank's performance established that there exists a strong positive relationship between the two. Balanced Scorecard usage leads to greater performance of the organization. The profitability of the organization improved, profit has been sustainable, employees’ performance and loyalty improved and there has been balanced performance throughout all aspects of the organization. The study’s conclusion is that the BSC implementation in the organization has positive impact on the organization’s both financial and non-financial aspect. There exists a positive relationship between the BSC and the organization’s performance. BSC is an effective tool in translating the vision of the organization, communicating and linking all aspects of the organization to the mission and vision of the organization and by giving timely and clear feedback channels in the organization. The study recommends that as much as employees working conditions have improved, the management need to motivate employees to achieve the optimal base and implement it to the latter. It is also the study’s recommendations that the management take an incentive to teach the organization’s employees all the aspects of the Balanced Scorecard and finally the study recommends that the management compensate the employees and the shareholders based on their evaluation as per the Balanced Scorecard. It was also the study’s recommendation that further studies be carried out on the same topic in different branches and locations of the bank in Kenya. The researcher also recommends that a study be carried out on the challenges faced by Chase bank in implementation of the Balanced Scorecard

Predicted HIV-1 coreceptor usage among Kenya patients shows a high tendency for subtype d to be cxcr4 tropic

Abstract Background CCR5 antagonists have clinically been approved for prevention or treatment of HIV/AIDS. Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with the highest burden of HIV/AIDS are due to adopt these regimens. However, HIV-1 can also use CXCR4 as a co-receptor. There is hence an urgent need to map out cellular tropism of a country’s circulating HIV strains to guide the impending use of CCR5 antagonists. Objectives To determine HIV-1 coreceptor usage among patients attending a comprehensive care centre in Nairobi, Kenya. Methods Blood samples were obtained from HIV infected patients attending the comprehensive care centre, Kenyatta National Hospital in years 2008 and 2009. The samples were separated into plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Proviral DNA was extracted from PBMCs and Polymerase Chain reaction (PCR) done to amplify the HIV env fragment spanning the C2-V3 region. The resultant fragment was directly sequenced on an automated sequencer (ABI, 3100). Co-receptor prediction of the env sequences was done using Geno2pheno [co-receptor], and phylogenetic relationships determined using CLUSTALW and Neighbor Joining method. Results A total of 67 samples (46 treatment experienced and 21 treatment naive) were successfully amplified and sequenced. Forty nine (73%) sequences showed a prediction for R5 tropism while 18(27%) were X4 tropic. Phylogenetic analysis showed that 46(69%) were subtype A, 11(16%) subtype C, and 10(15%) subtype D. No statistical significant associations were observed between cell tropism and CD4+ status, patient gender, age, or treatment option. There was a tendency for more X4 tropic strains being in the treatment experienced group than the naive group: Of 46 treatment experiencing participants, 14(30%) harboured X4, compared with 4(19%) of 21 of the treatment-naïve participants, the association is however not statistically significant (p = 0.31). However, a strong association was observed between subtype D and CXCR4 co- receptor usage (p = 0.015) with 6(60%) of the 10 subtype D being X4 tropic and 4(40%) R5 tropic. Conclusion HIV-1 R5 tropic strains were the most prevalent in the study population and HIV infected patients in Kenya may benefit from CCR5 antagonists. However, there is need for caution where subtype D infection is suspected or where antiretroviral salvage therapy is indicated.</p