Abstract

kituji high school

Background: Drug prescribing and use during pregnancy is common and essential for either treating a pre-existing condition or a condition that develops during pregnancy. Use of various drugs during pregnancy cause possible adverse outcomes. In Kenya, there has been an increase in cases of adverse birth outcomes congenital malformations, neonatal deaths, premature labour, and stillbirths, among others. It is exceedingly difficult to assess the effect of drugs on the fetus during clinical trials due to ethical reasons. Therefore, pregnant women constitute a uniquely vulnerable population for which the risks of medication use must be separately assessed. Objective: To determine the association between adverse birth outcomes and medication used during pregnancy among mothers who delivered at Kenyatta National Hospital. Methodology: An unmatched case control study was conducted at Kenyatta National Hospital. The cases were mothers who delivered babies with adverse birth outcomes and the controls were mothers who delivered normal healthy babies. A structured, interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the mothers and also their medical records including their ANC records were reviewed. The adverse birth outcomes included preterm, birth defects and still birth. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to assess the relationship between drug use and selected outcome variables. Results: Preterm birth was the most common adverse birth outcome at KNH with a frequency of 27.6%, followed by stillbirth (15.3%) and congenital malformations (7.14%). Majority (48.4%) of the women received drugs from Pregnancy Risk category A. A few drugs from category D were prescribed and there was a difference in their use with more women in the case group (13.9%) compared to the control group (8.7%) on these medications. The risk of developing ADBOs increased 6-fold with nifedipine (OR 6.42), 4-fold if the mother had used carbamazepine (OR3.97) and 3-fold with magnesium sulphate (OR 3.11) after adjusting for social-demographic, past obstetric history, co-morbidities, pregnancy complications, and maternal delivery outcomes. Conclusion: Preterm birth is the most common adverse birth outcome among women attending antenatal clinic at Kenyatta National Hospital. Most women are exposed to drugs during pregnancy and there was a risk of adverse birth outcomes due to medication factors. Prescribing medication to pregnant women should be carefully evaluated and measures put in place to monitor and prevent the potential known and unknown medication risks to the developing fetus. URI

In the Construction industry of Rwanda, front-end construction project management is not well practiced. Although the term “front-end construction project management” is a fairly new expression in the project management body of knowledge, it simply means intense construction project management action in the early stages of the construction project. Accordingly, relatively greater attention and thoroughness are given to the project at the very inception and formulation of the project in order to set a more concrete basis for the project implementation and evaluation. The degree to which the front-end management concept is adopted in a project determines the probability of the project success. Persistence of project delays, cost overruns and other aspects of poor project performance in Rwanda can therefore be attributed to this lack of keenness in the earliest construction project management. Review of the literature related to project performance and construction project management practice reveals that front-end management of construction projects remains scanty in many construction industries and Rwanda is one of them. In a bid to address that situation, the aim of this study is to develop a management framework for enhancing the front-end construction project management in the public construction sector of Rwanda, particularly at the Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA). The specific objectives of the study are to: (i) examine the effectiveness of the organizational structure of RHA in assuring front-end construction project management on building projects; (ii) identify front-end construction project management factors affecting project performance and evaluate its tools, techniques applicable in RHA; (iii) explore the extent to which front-end construction project management is currently applied in RHA and ( iv) formulate or develop a framework for front-end construction project management for government building construction projects in Rwanda. Data for the study were both qualitative and quantitative. They were collected mainly from the RHA workers, using a questionnaire and an interview guide. Data analysis has been done using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. It was observed that the RHA institutional set-up, staff capability and project management procedures inhibit front-end construction project management practice there. Additionally, the people expressed the need for change towards the more effective project management practices. From the data analysis results, a framework that might enhance front-end construction project management at the RHA was synthesized. From this study, it can be concluded that the practice of construction project management at the RHA is professional but rather weak. It does not measure to the standards of intensity associated with the front-end construction project management concept. The researcher therefore recommends enhancement of the project management function of the RHA, through adoption of the framework developed in this study, boosting of the staffing level and further training of the existing staff. This way, project performance should be improved in the public construction sector of Rwanda.

The aim of this study was to establish the extent of stakeholder involvement in the strategic management process in health-based non-governmental organizations in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study had two objectives: to determine the extent of stakeholder involvement in the strategic management process of the health-based NGOs in Nairobi County and to establish factors influencing the stakeholder’s involvement in the strategic management process of NGOs in Nairobi County. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design and data were collected from 83 Non-Governmental Organizations in Nairobi through structured questionnaires. Frequencies and percentages as well as factor analysis were used in analysing the data. The findings reveal that health-based nongovernmental organizations in Nairobi engage stakeholders to a great extent before any decisions or policies are made but they do not involve them in assessment of the strategic manegement process. The study also revealed that there are various factors that influnce the extent of stakeholder involvement. the factors that greatly influence stakeholder involvement in the strategic management process include: it is a legal requirement expert knowledge of a stakeholder group; and the authority held by a stakeholder to the success of an activity. In conclusion, the health-based non-governmental organizations operating in Nairobi County do involve their stakeholders in the strategic management. However, the level of involvement varies according to stakeholder’s power and influence in the organization. The researcher recommends survey on the health-based non-governmental organizations that operate in the country; a case study can be done to give in-depth data and a study may be done to find out whether stakeholder involvement in health-based non-governmental organizations may lead to long-term success in organizations.

Optimization of biogas production from a given substrate and digester is an issue that needs to be addressed during the development of anaerobic digestion. To maximize the biogas production rate, the operating parameters that influence anaerobic digestion must be controlled and monitored. The research was carried out using a 0.15 m3 laboratory digester. The study was aimed at evaluating the effect of different cow dung and maize silage mix ratios of 1:1; 1:3 and 3:1 which were compared to pure substrates at a constant temperature of 20℃, temperature (20°C, 25°C and 30°C with 3:1 feedstock mix ratio) and the stirring of 100 rpm for minutes was varied at different intervals of 1 hour, 2 hours, 6 hours and 12 hours with no stirring as a control.

Abstract

The value of non-financial listed firms on the Nairobi Securities Exchange was investigated, as well as its relationship with corporate governance, idiosyncratic risk, and economic factors. The study specifically sought to ascertain how listed nonfinancial companies' values are impacted by corporate governance. The intervening, moderating, and joint effects of idiosyncratic risk and economic factors, respectively, were investigated to establish the relationship between corporate governance and value among non-financial listed companies on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. This study created a framework based on agency theory to investigate whether corporate governance increases the value of non-financial listed companies when idiosyncratic risk and economic factors are considered. Between 2010 and 2019, a deliberate sample of 29 businesses was investigated, accounting for 62% of the 47 non-financial listed businesses on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. Secondary data with 290 firmyear observations were drawn from the Capital Markets Authority's database, the Nairobi Securities Exchange's trading data used for idiosyncratic risk data, the Central Bank of Kenya's database, and the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics database of economic factors statistics. To quantify corporate governance, a composite index of independent directors, gender, ownership concentration, director board meetings, and audit committee meetings was developed. The non-financial listed firm value was estimated using Tobin's Q, a market-based measure. Descriptive statistics were generated to establish the primary characteristics of independent research variables, and diagnostic tests were run to determine whether independent variables were statistically and substantively appropriate. To investigate the relationships, the hypotheses were tested using multiple regression panel data analysis and Pearson's Product Moment Correlation analysis. A random-effects model in Stata 13 was used to examine the relationships between the 3,480 data points for 29 non-financial companies registered at the NSE in the previous 10 years (2010–2019). The null hypotheses one and two for the direct and intervening effects of corporate governance and idiosyncratic risk on the value of non-financial firms listed on the NSE, respectively, were not rejected, according to the study results. The third and fourth hypotheses were rejected because economic factors moderated and idiosyncratic risk intervened respectively on the relationships between corporate governance and the value of listed non-financial firms on the NSE. Many studies have focused on corporate governance and company value while ignoring the moderating effects of economic factors as well as the intervening effects of idiosyncratic risk, so this study filled a gap in the finance literature. Furthermore, because the majority of corporate governance research has focused on industrialized economies, this study's finding contributes to the knowledge gap in a growing economy. The finding that corporate governance has no relationship with the value of non-financial firms based in Kenya is critical because it can reduce a company's ability to produce value and pave the way for financial fraud in publicly traded firms. Therefore, the CMA, NSE, and Kenyan government can use the study's findings to guide regulatory processes and evaluate current corporate governance requirements for listed firms.

Sorghum is the second most important cereal crop in Kenya after maize, grown on an area of 117000 ha -1 with about 144000 tonnes being produced annually. Striga hermonthica is among the major causes of sorghum yield loss especially in Western and Nyanza regions of the country. Farmers have traditionally managed Striga using cultural methods but the most `effective and practical solution to poor smallholder farmers is to develop Striga resistant varieties. A field trial consisting of Sixty-four sorghum genotypes comprising of wild relatives, landraces, improved varieties and F4 progenies were evaluated in a sickplot (field with Striga inoculum capable of causing up to 100% incidence in susceptible sorghum genotypes) and in a potted trial at KALRO-Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization Alupe during the 2019 rainy season. The experiment was laid out in a square lattice design with three replications. These accessions were also genotyped using Diversity Array Technology markers to assess their diversity. In another experiment, Marker Assisted Selection (MAS) was used to transfer Striga resistance quantitative trait loci into adapted farmer preferred varieties Gadam and Kari-Mtama-1. Crosses were also made between known Striga resistance namely N13, Framida, SRN39 and Hakika as donor sources and Gadam and Kari- Mtama-1 as the female parents to obtain F1 and BC1F1 generations. Backcross generation crosses were genotyped using DArT markers to trace heterozygous alleles and to confirm successful backcrossing. The (ASNPC) selection criteria was used to identify resistant genotypes in the trials. Wild genotypes GBK045827, GBK044336, GBK047293 and GBK048921, improved varieties F6YQ212, ICSV III_IN and F4 population F6YQ212 × B35, B35 × Lodoka and B35 × ICSVIII_IN had lower ASNPC values than N13, the resistant check under sickplot conditions. Four wild genotypes GBK016109, GBK016085, GBK045827, GBK048152, one improved variety F6YQ212 and three F4 population crosses F6YQ212 × B35, LODOKA × Landiwhite, ICSVIII_IN × E36-1 had lowest ASNPC values in the potted trial. Genotypes SRN39, F6YQ212, GBK045827 and F6YQ212 × B35 were the most resistant to Striga in both field and potted trials. MACIA, B35, E36-1, OKABIR × AKUOR-ACHOT and LODOKA × ICSVIII_IN were the most tolerant to Striga recording superior yield performance in both trials. Negative correlation was observed between yield traits (100 grain weight, dry panicle weight, yield (t/ha) and Striga related traits across both trials while Striga response related traits (ASNPC, NSmax, NSFC) significantly (<0.001) correlated positively with each other in both trials. Days to flowering and plant height were also negatively correlated to yield and Striga resistance. xiv The overall best performing genotypes in terms of Striga resistance and yield in both trials were Macia, SRN39,GBK 045827 and GBK 016085. SNPs generated from DArT-sequencing grouped the genotypes into three major clusters, with all resistant checks grouping in the same cluster except N13. The results from this analysis revealed successful backcrosses for the crosses Gadam × N13 × Gadam, Gadam × Framida × Gadam and Gadam × SRN39 × Gadam with heterozygous allele percentages ranging from 63% to 77%. High heritability values for yield and ASNPC suggest additive gene action and selection for improvement of these trait will be beneficial. Demonstrated genetic gain for Striga tolerance points the possibility of development of Striga tolerant varieties that give substantial yield under Striga pressure. The study showed that Striga resistance and Striga tolerance alleles are available within the local wild relatives, in local landraces and in improved sorghum genotypes and there is need tap into this potential to improve sorghum production in the crop.

Abstract