The conversion of forest land to agricultural land and urban settlement usually increases soil erosion, and volume of storm runoff in a catchment. In Kenya, the rural communities are encroaching into the humid and marginal areas to open up new lands for agricultural production and settlement. These changes have led to environmental degradation, which has negatively altered the hydrologic regimes of many catchments in Kenya. The Wundanyi River catchment is one of the catchments that have undergone rapid land use changes over the last 30 years. It requires intervention to improve and sustain hydrologic processes to prevent further degradation. However, the catchment lacks continuous records for hydrologic data that can be used.

Most projects that are implemented fail because the organizations that are carrying out the projects do not factor in some critical elements of project implementation that are frequently overlooked. In order for organizations to implement projects that meet a time, budget and scope criteria, the right conditions must be in place. Organizations need to be aware of the critical factors that could determine a successful implementation. This research examined what critical factors influence success of Information technology based projects implementation in commercial banks, based on the problem that there is less research on critical factors focused on IT projects within the banking industry. The four objectives under study were; Establishing how top management support influences successful project implementation in Kenya Commercial Bank; determine how human resource influences successful information technology project implementation in Kenya Commercial Bank; Examine how teamwork influences successful information technology project implementation in Kenya Commercial Bank; Establishing stakeholder involvement on successful information technology project implementation in Kenya Commercial Bank. A descriptive research design was used for the study, with a case study methodology to analyze an institution that implements several Information technology based projects. The target population was 132 Human resource Personnel out of which convenience sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 42. Data was collected by using questionnaire at project implementation levels of the organizations. The data collected was analyzed using statistical Package for Social Sciences. Finding from the research showed that there was a higher emphasis on skills of the personnel, teamwork of the project team as well as stakeholder involvement towards achieving successful IT project implementation at the Kenya Commercial Bank. The study made the following conclusions; Top management is a significant factor that influences success of IT projects at the Kenya Commercial Bank; Experience of the Human resource, in terms of working in project teams, enhances and influences success of IT projects implementation; Stakeholder involvement plays a role in IT project implementation at the Kenya Commercial Bank. The recommendations are as follows; Top management at Kenya Commercial Bank should engage in consistent communication with project teams to identify their needs and progress in achieving successful implementation of IT projects. Staff should also be encouraged to work in teams through collaborative activities to achieve organizational goals. Kenya commercial Bank should also engage users of IT systems at all stages of project management, from the design and planning stage to the implementation stage.

This research focused on competitive priorities adopted by tech startups in Nairobi, Kenya, and how the competitive priorities adopted impacted the growth of tech startups. The research questions were: What is the competitive priorities adopted by tech startups in Nairobi, Kenya? What are the growth determinants of tech startups in Nairobi, Kenya? What is the effect of competitive priorities on the tech startup growth in Nairobi Kenya? Are the competitive priorities of tech startups in Nairobi similar to Silicon-valley startups? To achieve these objectives the study used a descriptive research design. Data were collected from 50 tech startups in Nairobi Kenya using questionnaires with the respondents mainly the founders, cofounders, owners, and software engineers. The results of the study indicated, that among the four main competitive priorities, quality was the most adopted followed by cost then flexibility, and lastly delivery speed. The results of the study also showed that the growth rate of tech startups in Nairobi is 22.7% as of 2020. The growth metrics were the number of employees, User Engagement, Customer Retention, and Number of downloads, Installations, or signups. The study concludes that Cost, delivery speed and flexibility competitive priorities influence the growth of tech startups in Nairobi. Silicon Valley startups, on the other hand, prioritize innovativeness and are quick to adapt to innovations and technology thus resulting in disruption and competitiveness globally. The study suggested that further research is necessary on the adoption of other competitive priorities such as innovation, customer retention, sustainability, customer service, and their influence on the growth of tech startups in Nairobi, Kenya.

A gas sensor is a selective device used in monitoring the presence or concentration level of a particular gas in the ambient atmosphere. Gas sensors operate on the principle which is anchored on any of the following three classifications, that is, spectroscopic, optical, and solid-state gas sensing methods. In spectroscopic techniques, the gas sensor is based on basic gas properties such as molecular mass or vibration spectrum, while for optical gas sensors; measurements of the absorption spectra are involved. Solid-state gas sensors apply the fact that there is a change in the electrical properties of a sensing material whenever there is exposure to gas. Data collected on hydrogen sensors indicate that all the sensors have a low response time and are less sensitive to respond to even very low leakages of hydrogen. This work was prompted by the fact that there is continued research and study of new gas sensing materials, and therefore a likelihood in improvement in terms of response to the gas sensing properties as well as widen the choice and variety of hydrogen gas sensors fabricated using different types of materials. Thin films of Nb:TiO2 for gas sensing applications have been deposited using radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The samples were deposited at different partial pressures and sputtering power. The objectives were to analyse the optical, electrical and gas sensing properties of the thin films. The general results on optical and electrical properties of pure TiO2 and doped 2%wt Nb: TiO2 and 4%wt Nb: TiO2 have shown the different amount of thin-film transmittance depending on deposition conditions. The increase in partial pressure has been observed to cause a decrease in transmittance in doped TiO2, which has been attributed to competition for oxygen molecules between TiO2 and NbO phase. The deposition power has also been observed to give similar results in terms of transmittance, this is because at lower power a thinner film forms while at a higher deposition power a thicker film is formed thus resulting in to decrease in transmittance. The amount of doping influences the number of free electrons and thus influencing the optical and electrical properties of thin films. The band gaps for the three types of thin films were observed to vary depending on the deposition conditions. The drop in bandgap after the post-deposition annealing was observed and is fact attributed to improved crystallinity due to an increase in electrically activated charge carriers. Finally, the sensing capability of the thin film device has been observed to improve with annealing, a factor that has been attributed to the crystallinity and charge carriers.

Globally, there is growing interest to integrate nutrient–dense foods such as insect flour into food products to achieve nutritional goals and address food insecurity. Though cereal–based porridge is widely consumed in many sub–Saharan African countries, there is a lack of information on its enrichment with edible cricket, Scapsipedus icipe. The objective of this study was to develop and determine the nutritional composition, anti–nutrient content, sensory acceptability, microbial safety and storage stability of porridge flour formulations enriched with edible cricket. Porridge was prepared from the flour formulations with a cricket content of 0%, 10%, 15% and 20% (w/w). A sensory evaluation pretest, indicating 10% cricket-finger millet-amaranth flour as the most desirable porridge, informed the basis of using 10% cricket, 60% finger millet, and 30% amaranth for the preparation of four porridge flour samples, using traditional processing methods: germination, fermentation and roasting. Untreated formulation and an existing finger millet-based commercial porridge flour served as control. Cricket enriched formulations had high protein (2– folds), crude fat (3.4–4–folds) and energy (1.1–1.2–folds) compared to the commercial flour. Processing by germination and fermentation resulted in high phytic acid degradation (67% and 33% respectively) and improved mineral bioavailability. The iron content of the formulated flours ranged from 8.6–19.5 mg/100 g with the germinated sample having the highest content (19.5 mg/100 g). Zinc content was in the range of 3.1–3.7 mg/100 g while the range obtained for calcium was from 234.9 mg–278.6 mg/100 g. The commercial flour recorded zinc and calcium contents of 1.86mg/100g and 312.7mg/100 g respectively. Cricket enriched formulations had significantly (p < 0.05) higher content of vitamin B12, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, nicotinamide and thiamine when compared to the commercial flour. A total of 44 fatty acids methyl esters (FAMEs) were detected in the porridge flour oil extract using Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (GC– xiii MS). Of the 24 saturated fatty acids (SFAs) detected, Methyl hexadecanoate (palmitic acid) contributed the highest proportion followed by Methyl octadecanoate (stearic acid) across the flour samples. In addition, Methyl 9E–octadecenoate (oleic acid) was the predominant monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) whereas Methyl 9Z, 12Z–octadecadienoate (linoleic acid, LA) contributed the highest proportion of the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Αlpha–linolenic acid (ALA) was detected in all the cricket-enriched samples while docosapentaenoic acid (DHA) was only present in the fermented sample. Fermentation process caused a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the levels of PUFAs (30%) and MUFAs (14%) and a decrease in the SFAs (3%) while roasting process caused a significant (p < 0.05) increase in both MUFAs and SFAs by 27 and 10%, respectively. Total flavonoids were reduced during germination (42%) and roasting (10%) but increased during fermentation (13%), while tannin content decreased during germination (29%). Panelist–based sensory evaluation revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) among the porridge samples. Results suggest cricket formulations at 10, 15 and 20% were all acceptable with significant variations. 10% cricket formulation had the highest scores for all attributes. On the effect of processing, roasted and fermented samples had the highest sensory scores compared to the germinated porridge sample with the least overall acceptability score. The total viable plate count for the formulations ranged from 2.4 to 4.1 log10 CFU/g, whereas mold and yeast count was in the range of 1.4 to 1.7 log10 CFU/g. Roasted flour formulation had low counts of bacteria, yeasts and mold and low moisture content. The flour formulations packaged in paper bags exhibited higher variations in terms of microbial loads and moisture content as compared to those packaged in aluminium bags. This observation shows that enrichment combined with proper processing may improve the nutritional quality of cereal–based foods and reduce the levels of anti-nutrients. High sensory rating and low microbial count confirm that cricket flour can be used as an effective functional ingredient to enrich porridge flour.

challenges faced by teachers in Kenya after retirement

Faced with the reality of competing in a global environment while having to act in a local environment, Multinational Company (MNC) subsidiaries create competitive advantage through response strategies that adapt to both the changes in their international environment and their national environment. A survey was carried on all the researchbased multinational pharmaceutical company subsidiaries in Kenya to establish the changes that have occurred in the international business environment, their impact on their businesses and the response strategies that they have adopted to cope with these changes. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire, which consisted of structured and semi-structured questions. Data was collected from a total of ten (10) companies, which constituted the population of companies targeted for the survey as per the inclusion criteria. The study findings suggest that changes have occurred in the international business environment of the multinational pharmaceutical companies (MNPCs). The ratings for changes in the global industry environment and the macroenvironment were higher than those for changes related to globalisation of the industry. The results further suggest that these changes in the international business environment have had an impact on various aspects of the businesses of the MNPC subsidiaries in Kenya. These changes appear to have had the greatest impact on activities related to marketing and sales and the least impact on the research and development activities of these subsidiaries. The research findings further established that the research based MNPC subsidiaries in Kenya have adopted a range of response strategies to these changes which when ranked in descending order of mean score, were related to the marketing and sales function; stakeholder engagement activities; approach to business; and international business. From the results of this study, it can be concluded that the changes in the international business environment have impacted on the business of the research-based multinational pharmaceutical company subsidiaries in Kenya. These changes have in turn led to the adoption of a range of response strategies by these subsidiaries. These response strategies appear to be guided by the pressure for local responsiveness vis-à-vis the pressure for global integration; and the corporate context which is dictated by their headquarter offices.

AGRO PATORAL

Over the last 20 years MFIs have provided financial services to people dealing with small and micro businesses or farmers who did not have access to loans from commercial banks. This research study focused on the role of Micro Finance Institutions in alleviating poverty and attaining food security among small scale farmers in Central Division, Machakos County. The research study emphasis as on Faulu Kenya and Kenya Women Finance Trust MFIs which have enabled small scale farmers get empowered through provision of unsecured loans. These MFIs have mutated from small scale NGOs to fully fledged banking institutions. Farmers have accessed agricultural credit from these MFIs and have financed investments successfully and have improved their food security status and increased household incomes in a significant way. The study hinged on Maslow’s theory of basic or physiological needs that emphasizes on attaining the minimum requirements that are essential for a decent standard living. These needs are critical and their presence leads to satisfaction, self confidence and valuable. The study used descriptive survey to collect primary data. The main tool for data collection was the questionnaire which was administered to the MFI funded agricultural project leaders together with the beneficiaries of these projects. The questionnaire focused on operations of MFIs in small holder farming, MFI project financing, accessibility of the loans and the extent to which the respondents have alleviated poverty and attained food security using the MFI loans. Qualitative data involved looking for themes and contents in the qualitative data generated from the sets of questionnaires used in the study. The study focused on the following factors; Government policies, Educational factors, Socio economic factors and Technological factors. These formed the basis of examining the impact of effective implementation of the MFI funded agricultural projects. The quantitative method involved deriving statistical descriptions and interpretation of data using descriptive statistics. The quantitative data and the findings were presented using description, frequency tables and subsequent discussions. Interms of data analysis the researcher used both qualitative and quantitative methods. The sample population was a group of 140 respondents chosen through stratified random and purposive sampling. The researcher got back 90 completed questionnaires which were analyzed using the SPSS (v17). Research findings were derived through regression and correlation analysis and from the study; technological factors were ranked the highest with a Pearson’s Correlation factor value of 0.793 making it an extremely important independent variable. Socio economic factors ranked next with a Correlation value of 0.765 making it the second important independent variable. The effect of Government policies recorded a correlation value of 0.712 making it a fairly important independent variable. Education factors had the least effect in relation to effective implementation of the MFI funded agricultural projects with a correlation value of 0.554. In conclusion, effective implementation of MFI funded agricultural projects in Central Division; Machakos County has been as a result of interplay between technology and Socio Economics with Government involvement and education aspects contributing minimally though important. The researcher recommends that more studies relating to MFI funding should be done in Machakos County. Other factors especially ICT that influence the implementation of MFI funded projects in the county should also be investigated with a view to achieving sustainable food production and increased household incomes.

A cross-sectional study of canine cutaneous myiasis (CCM) was conducted from March to August, 2021 in eight sub-counties of Kitui County, Kenya. The aim of the study was to determine the etiology, prevalence, risk factors and pathological lesions associated with canine cutaneous myiasis in dogs. Face to face questionnaire interviews were conducted for assessment of risk factors that determine the occurrence of canine cutaneous myiasis in the study area. A total of 400 dogs were physically examined for the presence of skin lesions characteristic of canine cutaneous myiasis. At least two larvae were collected from each dog by application of digital pressure at the base of the lesions. The fly larvae causing CCM were preserved in 70% ethyl alcohol, transported to laboratory where they were processed, characterized and identified. From 400 dogs sampled, 180 (45%) had furuncular skin lesions due to third stage larvae of myiasis causing flies. These furuncles were concentrated on the ventral parts of the body of the dogs. Two cases of cutaneous myiasis in goats were also encountered during the study. Intensity of infestation was 434 and 6 dipteran maggots from dogs and goats, respectively. All dipteran larvae samples (440) were identified as Cordylobia anthropophaga fly larvae (100%). Freshly harvested C. anthropophaga larvae were cultured for four weeks and adult “tumbu” flies hatched, captured and identified. Analysis of questionnaires using chi-square revealed that there was a statistically significant association among different dog breeds, housing structures, their hygiene measures and environmental hygiene (p˂0.05) and myiasis. However, there was no statistically significant differences in the prevalence of canine cutaneous myiasis among different dog age and sex groups (p>0.05). Complete canine necropsy examination was conducted in four dogs purchased with severe canine cutaneous myiasis infestation from Kitui County. Grossly there were multifocal furuncular skin lesions extending throughout the thickness of the skin epidermis to the dermis. The skin lesions were characterized by thick, firm consistency, cutaneous edema and congestion. Some of these had live maggots. The underlying skeletal muscles were bright red due to hyperemia. There was regional lymphadenopathy in affected body regions. Microscopically, there was disruption, discontinuity and desquamation of the stratified squamous epithelium of stratum corneum of the skin which were the entry points for the C. anthropophaga larvae into the dogs` skin. There were circular cavities surrounded by a fibrous capsule, mixed inflammatory cells infiltrate with predominant eosinophils. Underlying skeletal muscles had coagulative necrosis, proliferation of fibroblasts and deposition of eosinophilic collagen fibres and infiltration of mixed inflammatory cells. During necropsy, various ectoparasites and endoparasites were recovered and included ticks, fleas, tapeworms and nematodes, an indication of poor dog management practices in the area. In conclusion, C. anthropophaga larvae of tumbu fly were the etiological agent associated with canine cutaneous myiasis, that was predisposed by poor housing and hygiene and had high occurrence and caused furuncular lesions in animals in Kitui County, Kenya. More studies on seasonal prevalence, distribution in various counties, etiological survival limits, public health importance and control strategies of CCM in the country are recommended.