37 research outputs found

    AN ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC CHANGE IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS (A CASE OF GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS IN THE COAST REGION, KENYA)

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    An analysis of change implementation has often indicated that people tend to resist change especially if not effectively implemented. Major failures are associated with the implementation phase. The general objective of this study was to assess the implementation of strategic change in tertiary institutions; specifically to identify the change implementation pitfalls in tertiary institutions, determine the strategies adopted by tertiary institutions in strategic change implementation and determine the factors that influence the success of strategic change implementation in tertiary institutions.  The study adopted the force field theory of driving forces and restraining forces.  The population of the study was drawn from the staff and management of two government tertiary institutions in the coastal region of Kenya. A sample size of 102 was targeted; however the real analysis was based on 98 respondents. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists version 12. The study revealed that strategic change implementation is a critical phase in change management and institutions should involve all stakeholders and work towards ensuring that the major pitfalls are mitigated and deliberate efforts to enhance the success factors. The realization of the anticipated goals of the implementation of strategic change in tertiary institutions is to a greater extend, however more capacity building on change management is necessary. Keywords: Change, Strategy, Implementation pitfall

    Wood fuel Utilization Patterns and Cooking Devices Efficiency Analysis for Likia Residents, Njoro Kenya

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    Over 2.6 billion people of the world’s population prepare their food and heat their homes with coal and the traditional biomass fuel. Wood fuel continues to be used as a major source of energy without a replacement program and is partly the cause of wide spread deforestation at an alarming rate of about 13 million hectares per year. Crucial to slowing the loss of the vegetation is promoting alternative sources of energy and/or using fuel efficient devices. This study examined the efficiency of cooking devices and the wood fuel consumption patterns among the rural population sampled from Kenya in Likia village near Njoro, so as to determine the more efficient cooking device and corresponding wood fuel. Initially, a survey was carried out capturing baseline data on the wood fuel utilization patterns and Split Plot in Randomized Complete Block Experimental Design used to select an efficient heating device where heating devices were a sub plot factor and the sources of energy as main plot factor to study the efficiencies of the devices. The results showed that wood fuel was the major source of cooking energy among the study population, and there were significant differences in the efficiencies of the devices due to the fuel type, the devices and interaction between the fuel and the devices. Among the recommendations made include the need to promote on-farm forestry specifically for wood fuel and timber production; effective management of natural forests, creating awareness about the key ecological services provided by forest ecosystems and delayed possible deforestation; promotion of energy saving stoves, the improvement of biomass briquette burning properties alongside the design of stoves for briquette use. Ultimately these results are expected to contribute to the slowing down of deforestation of the Mau Forest which is major water catchment for East Africa with overflow benefits to the Sudan and Egypt and promote sustainable uses of forest resources. Keywords: Wood fuel, Cooking devices, Efficienc

    Environmental refugees: exposing their protection gaps in international law

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    Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Bachelor of Laws Degree at Strathmore University Law SchoolThis dissertation explores two principal research questions: first, whether international law provides for a mechanism that protects those moving away from harsh environmental conditions and secondly, whether existing international refugee laws can be adopted with necessary modifications to contain ‘environmental refugees’.The point of departure of this dissertation will be the existing 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees enacted six decades ago to protect people fleeing persecution of their civil and political liberties. It will be argued that this Convention is an antiquated form of protection for the recent wave of migration patterns across international borders to escape environmental calamities witnessed from across the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, as well as the Soviet Union, Latin America and low-lying islands such as Tuvalu and Kiribati. As such there is a new breed of refugees who will be named ‘environmental refugees’ for purposes of this study, who cannot find solace in the existing refugee laws. The dissertation will investigate the existing international and regional laws in detail, as well as alternative protective regimes before recommending a holistic approach in dealing with this emergent crisis

    On-station comparative analysis of reproductive and survival performance between Red Maasai, Dorper, and Merino sheep breeds

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    The reproductive performance of ewes and the survivability of lambs to weaning have a critical economic impact on sheep farming worldwide. Further, knowledge of major mortality causes allows an opportunity for improved flock management to evade financial losses. The maximum likelihood estimates for generalised linear mixed models and chi-square test methods were used to examine 971 mating records, 839 and 763 lambs born and weaned (singles or twins) from the Naivasha Sheep and Goats station in Kenya for the years 2011 to 2020 consisting of Dorper, Red Maasai (RedM), and Merino breeds. The RedM (P 0.05) in litter size and multiple lambings per ewe lambing. On the one hand, Dorper significantly (P < 0.05) outperformed the other two breeds only in weaning weight per lamb born. In addition, among all the major causes of death, pneumonia appeared to be the one to which Dorper breeds were most susceptible (chi-square test, P < 0.05). According to the findings of this study, neither the Dorper nor the Merino sheep breeds were reproductively superior to the RedM in an extensive semi-arid production environment. In addition, Dorper's susceptibility to the leading causes of mortality, particularly pneumonia and sheep pox, were relatively high compared to other breeds and could be a precursor to massive economic losses for Dorper sheep producers. In contrast to the indigenous RedM breed, imported sheep breeds appeared to be more susceptible to major mortality-related under an extensive production system. Therefore, regardless of weaning weight, RedM breed production appears to be a more viable investment for small-scale farmers, particularly in semi-arid regions

    A review on the potential effects of environmental and economic factors on sheep genetic diversity: Consequences of climate change

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    Climate change has a significant effect on the productivity of livestock including milk, meat, and reproduction. This could be attributed to the internal diversion of energy resources towards adaptive mechanisms. Among the climate change variables, thermal stress seems to be the major limiting factor in animal agriculture. A better understanding of the effects of climate change-influenced ecological factors on the genetic diversity of livestock species is warranted. Sheep is an ideal livestock species to be used in investigating environmental adaptation due to its wide range of agroecological habitats, genetic and phenotypic variability. There is a heavy reliance on sheep genetic diversity for future animal protein security, but the implications of climate change on their genetic diversity receive less attention. Here, the potential environmental factors influencing natural selection in sheep populations are presented. We argue that prolonged exposure to these factors plays a major role in influencing the development of adaptation traits in indigenous sheep breeds, consequently leading to the alteration of genetic diversity at specific loci. The factors discussed include hot temperatures (heat stress), insufficient water, low quantity and quality of forage, and prevalence of parasites, pests, and diseases. In addition, genetic diversity, some signatures of selection for adaptation and economic angles of selection are also briefly discussed. A better understanding of environmental factors influencing the genetic diversity of sheep populations will inform breeding and management programs and may offer an opportunity for greater production efficiency with low input costs

    Promoting Respectful Maternity Care: A training guide for facility-based workshops—Participant\u27s guide

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    This guide was produced as part of the Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) Resource Package. The Resource Package was designed to support health facility managers, health care providers, and communities in confronting disrespect and abuse (D&A) during facility-based childbirth and to promote respectful maternity care. The Resource Package includes a facilitator’s guide (facility-based workshops), facilitator’s guide (community-based workshops), participant’s guide, community flipchart, tools, and program briefs. Workshop objectives outlined in the Participant’s Guide: Outline current status of maternal and neonatal health in relation to respectful care. Discuss key RMC concepts, terminology, legal and rights-based approaches related to respectful maternity care and the RMC Resource Package. Demonstrate knowledge and use of VCAT theory and practice. Discuss selected evidence-based strategies that reduce D&A. Discuss participants’ role in promoting RMC. Develop action plans to support the implementation of RMC interventions at various levels of health (e.g., policy, program, regional/county, subcounty, facility, and community)

    Promoting Respectful Maternity Care: A training guide for community-based workshops—Community facilitator\u27s guide

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    This guide was produced as part of the Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) Resource Package. The Resource Package was designed to support health facility managers, health care providers, and communities in confronting disrespect and abuse (D&A) during facility-based childbirth and to promote respectful maternity care. The Resource Package includes a facilitator’s guide (facility-based workshops), facilitator’s guide (community-based workshops), participant’s guide, community flipchart, tools, and program briefs. The Community Facilitator’s Guide, designed to be used by facilitators to promote respectful maternity care at the community level, can be adapted to educate a variety of stakeholders in community settings (i.e., Community Health Extension Workers, Community Health Workers, society leaders, legal aid officers). The Guide highlights key practical points to enable participants to act as resource persons regarding the rights and obligations of childbearing women, and as advocates of respectful maternity care including how to conduct an Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism

    Continental vs. tropical breed: Immunity comparison under heat stress conditions utilizing qRT-PCR technique

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    Understanding the responses of animals to seasonal heat stress on the genomic level has led to the identification of genes implicated in thermal stress reaction mechanisms. In this study, the relative gene expression of Interleukin-10 (IL-10), an anti-inflammatory cytokine and biomarker for heat stress-mediated immune modulation, was observed during the summer and winter seasons in continental and tropical sheep breeds, namely, Hungarian Indigenous Tsigai and White Dorper, employing quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Temperature-humidity indices (THI) were calculated to assess heat stress levels. The results indicate that IL-10 CT-values were significantly higher during the summer, when heat stress prevails, in both sheep breeds compared to winter. While the White Dorper exhibited a higher numerical value for the summer relative gene expression ratio (16.2) compared to the Hungarian Indigenous Tsigai (12.3), no significant differences in CT values were observed between breeds or among sexes. These findings suggest the immune-adaptive characteristics of the two sheep breeds during seasonal heat stress. The variation of IL-10 gene expression levels between the two breeds can be attributed to their geographical origins; the White Dorper emerging from arid subtropical South Africa and the Hungarian Indigenous Tsigai Sheep thriving in the seasonally harsh Carpathian climate for centuries
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