The study sought to assess the influence of financial planning practices on the financial performance of manufacturing companies listed in the Nairobi security exchange, Kenya. The study's specific objectives will be to assess the influence of financial planning. The study was guided by pecking order theory and adopted a causal research design with a target population comprised of nine (9) manufacturing companies operational during the study period. Thus the study used a census-sampling technique where all the manufacturing companies listed in the Nairobi security exchange were used. The study used data extraction form to collect data from the published financial statement from the firms. Annual panel data for 2015 to 2019 sourced from the Nairobi Stock Exchange was applied. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, where the research hypotheses were tested at a 95% significance level. The study findings could be important to the management of manufacturing firms, other stakeholders, the government, scholars, and academicians. The results established that debt management had a weak negative insignificant relationship with financial performance. At the same time, net worth and long-term investment had a significant positive relationship with financial performance. The study concluded that long-term investment and net worth had a significant positive effect on financial performance. The study recommended that the firms reduce debt financing to a specific celling to reduce the negative impact on financial performance. Debt finance should also be converted to equity, and firms should invest more in high returns with low-risk investments to improve financial performance.

Corporate governance has shown to improve financial reporting quality. Following a series of NGOs collapsing due to financial reporting quality issues, corporate governance has recently received a lot of attention in Kenya. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between governance and financial reporting quality in NGOs in Nairobi County using a descriptive design. The population of the study was 285 registered NGOs in Nairobi County between 2016 and 2020. The sample size consisted of 74 NGOs selected using The Slovin's Formula. Systematic sampling was utilized to choose the appropriate sample size where every 4th NGO was selected limiting sampling bias. The research was based on secondary sources of data from annual reports by NGOs. The published reports were sourced from the NGO board website. Average firm data was used for analysis. Various tests were done to check on the assumptions of the regression model. They included normality, heteroskedasticity, and multicollinearity. The descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis were used for analysis generated through SPSS. From the model summary, corporate governance had a strong relationship with FRQ. Corporate governance variables used in this research were found to contribute 64.9% change in FRQ. This shows that corporate governance variables controlled by firm size are major factors in financial reporting quality of NGOs. From the ANOVA, the model fitted the data ass the significance value was less than 0.05. From the descriptive, financial reporting showed a mean of above 60%. This indicates that 60% of the NGOs had their reports signed by auditors on time with the quality differing so much across the NGOs. Board composition averaged at 64% and differed so much across the NGOs. From the regression analysis, board composition showed a positive and significant effect on FRQ. Correlation analysis indicated that a positive and significant relationship exited between board composition and FRQ. From the descriptive statistics, gender diversity showed a mean of 33.9%. From the regression, board diversity showed a positive but insignificant effect on FRQ of NGOs. From the correlation analysis showed a positive relationship between board diversity and FRQ. From the descriptive statistics, board independence showed a mean of 38.45%. Board independence showed a positive effect on FRQ. Correlation analysis showed a positive and significant coefficient. Firm size showed an average log of assets of 14.29. Firm size showed an insignificant positive relationship with FRQ. Findings showed that the ratio of independent to total board members was below 50%. Board independence showed a positive effect on FRQ. Correlation analysis showed a positive and significant coefficient. Firm size showed an insignificant relationship with FRQ. The study concludes that corporate governance variables have a relationship with FRQ of NGOs in Nairobi County. The study recommends that NGOs increase the number of non-executives, female and independent directors in order to enhance FRQ. A similar study in a rural county and adopting primary data is recommended.

The study’s objective was to establish the effect of working capital management on financial sustainability of NGOs with income generating activities in Kenya. The paper had operating surplus ratio as the dependent variable and average collection period, current ratio, acid ratio and cash ratio as the independent variables. Descriptive and cross-sectional design was used and with a populace of 33 NGOs in Kenya while utilizing Secondary data. Mode of statistical data with the aid of SPSS was Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The study found out that that Average Collection Period, Current Ratio as well as Acid Ratio and Cash Ratio had a 92.6% impact on the financial sustainability of NGOs with income generating activities in Kenya depicting a strong relationship and that working capital management is vital in influencing the financial sustainability of NGOs with income generating activities in Kenya. The results also showed that the P value was 0.000. This exhibited that the regression model was substantial and the model was fit. It was also evident that the financial sustainability of NGOs with income generating activities depend 0.004 of average collection period. Importantly, at 95% confidence level, the financial sustainability of NGOs with income generating activities had a level of significance of less than 0.05 with Average Collection Period at 0.000 level of significance indicating that it influences Financial Sustainability. Current Ratio at 0.225>0.05 level of significance, Acid Ratio at 0.447>0.05 level of significance and Cash Ratio at 0.860>0.05 level of significance did not influence Financial Sustainability of Income generating activities NGOs. This led to a conclusion that Average Collection period influences Financial Sustainability while Acid Ratio, Current Ratio and Cash Ratio did not influence Financial Sustainability of NGOs with income generating activities. Further, the researcher came to a conclusion that ACP, current ratio and acid ratio have an effect on operating surplus ratio and recommended that the state ought to implement policies to alleviate the adverse effects of financial sustainability among NGO’s. Additionally, the outcome prompted a conclusion that ACP, current ratio, acid ratio and cash ratio have 92.6 % impact on financial sustainability of NGOs with income generating activities in Kenya meaning that 7.4% is as a result of other factors hence a recommendation to do more research involving all factors affecting financial sustainability. Also, the research recommends that further studies to consider the use of primary data sources to help to give in-depth information and reliable data in determining the bearing of working capital management on financial sustainability of NGOs with income generating activities in Kenya.

Background: The chronic use of antipsychotics among mentally ill patients requires a careful balance between effectiveness and the consequential adverse effects or drug-drug interactions. Studies characterizing the prescribing patterns of antipsychotics and the potential drug-drug interactions in resource-constrained settings remain scarce. Study Objectives: To characterize the drug use patterns and potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs) among the mentally ill adult patients at Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kenya (MNTRH). Methodology: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study of 167 patients at MNTRH. A pre-designed semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the relevant socio-demographic and clinical data, which was coded and entered into Microsoft Excel 2016 for descriptive analysis and then exported to STATA 13. Fischer’s exact and Pearson’s Chi-square tests were used to identify the association between the predictor and outcome variables. A student t-test and one-way analysis of variance were done to compare the effect of various predictor variables on the outcome investigated. A binomial logistic analysis was done by regressing the patients’ profile against the outcome variable to identify the independent predictors. The statistical tests were computed at P≤ 0.05 and a 95% confidence level. Results: The majority of the participants were males (64.7%) and aged below 45 years (76.6%) with a mean age of 36.7 (SD 13.4) years. Most prescriptions contained first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs) (79.2%), and almost half (45.2%) had second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs). Approximately half of the patients (53%) and 38% were on dual and monotherapy antipsychotic, respectively. Only 35.9% of the patients used a standard dose of antipsychotics (≤1000mg of chlorpromazine equivalents), while 53.3% used supramaximal doses. The two most common pDDIs were between olanzapine/carbamazepine and haloperidol/amitriptyline. Patients using supramaximal doses were twice as likely to have pDDIs (OR = 2.23, 95% CI, P=0.023). Having a higher number of FGAs prescribed significantly increased the odds of a patient receiving a supramaximal dose by up to 18 times (P <0.001). The addition of an SGA to a regimen significantly increased the chances of a pDDI (OR=4.01, 95% CI, P<0.001). Conclusion: Psychiatric disorders were mainly managed using FGAs at a much higher frequency than in developed countries. Polypharmacy contributed to patients receiving supramaximal chlorpromazine dose equivalents and adjunct therapy with anticholinergics. Drug-drug interactions can be minimized by avoiding polypharmacy with SGAs and using lower doses of antipsychotics. Close on-treatment monitoring is essential to reduce adverse drug events. Recommendations: Psychiatric disorders should be treated with SGAs as opposed to two or more FGA concurrently to ensure that patients benefit from lower doses of CPZeq, which are associated with a lower risk of extrapyramidal side effects. Future studies should come up with a scaled guideline that informs the clinical efficacy of various doses of CPZeq, particularly involving the FGAs to inform practice and policy.

In this project, I worked on a creative writing in the form of a novella, which I gave the title The African Sunrise. There is need to address the challenges that are facing the boy child in our modern society such as it is being done for the girl child so that the boy child is not found lagging behind in future. My research findings indicated that activists, NGOs and the government are giving most attention to the girl child forgetting that there is a higher chance for boys to be influenced into drugs, to drop out of school, to be influenced into crime and to be imprisoned. This novella reflects the lives of young boys and the challenges that they face as they grow up especially in the lower class citizens such as drug abuse, alcoholism and petty crime, among others. This creative writing aimed at giving hope to the youth that no matter what problems they may encounter, there is hope in the end and that there is room for correction of delinquent behaviour.

The study sought to establish the effect of financial innovation on the financial intermediation efficiency within the banking sector in Kenya for the period beginning on 01st January 2012 and ending on 31st December 2020.Secondary data collected from the Central Bank of Kenya website was utilized. This data was grouped on quarterly averages based on the financial reporting timelines of the banking sector in Kenya. The predictor variables used include: Volumes of Mobile banking transactions; internet banking transactions; Point of Sale; RTGS; Automated Clearing House and Automated Teller Machines. The outcome variable was interest rate spread, which is the difference between the lending rates and deposit rates, as proxy for financial intermediation efficiency. The study focused on the aggregate banking sector. The study adopted a descriptive research design and the data was analyzed using a multiple regression model. The F-value had a significance of <0.001 which is less than p-value of 0.05, an indication of significant statistical relationship between the outcome and predictor variables under the study. The results from the regression analysis indicated that volume of mobile banking transactions was positively and significantly affecting the efficiency of financial intermediation. Internet banking and Agency banking were positively but insignificantly affecting financial intermediation efficiency. Automated clearing house and ATMs’ volumes were adversely and insignificantly affecting the efficiency of financial intermediation. The adjusted R2=0.844 indicating that 84.4% of the change in financial intermediation efficiency was influenced by the predictor variables under the study. The study also established that R=0.931, meaning that the predictor variables had a strong correlation with the outcome variable. Therefore, the study concluded that, financial innovation is a huge determinant of the financial intermediation efficiency in Kenya, highly influenced by the Mobile Banking Transactions. The recommendations thereby were: Banks to continuously research on the technology based banking; carry out rigorous mass sensitization programs and campaigns; designing of the technology based banking platforms to be done in conformance with the consumers requirements and expectations; create an integrated one stop comprehensive financial services platforms; offer rebates on savings/deposits rates done on the financial innovation platforms; continuous maintenance ix of the alternate banking channels ;creation of digital centers at bank branch levels; offer information and financial support to agency banking agents and install security measures to safeguard information /financial losses. The study suggests that: The same kind of study to be conducted after a significant period of time (post the interest rate capping period); another study that entirely focusses on individual banking institutions and same scope be extended to the other subsectors of the finance sector including insurance and microfinance institutions.

The government of Kenya has adopted the centralized textbook procurement of textbooks for schools in order to achieve recommended student to textbook ratio. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of centralized textbooks procurement on marketing strategies of textbook Publishers in Kenya a case of Kenya Literature Bureau. The study was anchored on marketing mix theory which encompasses careful selection of seven P’s in order for business organization achieve its objectives and the Ansoff Product-Market growth matrix theory which involves varying product growth and market growth for marketing forecasting process. The research was a case study since the unit of analysis was a single entity that had respondents from heads of departments of the organization that is, Business Development, Sales and Marketing, Finance and Administration, Procurement and Customer Relations departments were interviewed for the study. Primary data was utilized by the researcher, which was obtained by way of interview guide. Content analysis was used since data collected was qualitative in nature. The results in this study showed that effects of centralized textbook procurement within the Kenyan publishing industry are directed by government a direction which in turn changes market response thus the affecting marketing strategies of players .Proper communication, dissemination of market information, intensive market research among others are very key during external business environment change.

This work aimed at improving the small ruminant livestock value chains in Machakos by establishing interventions in animal health and women empowerment through their opportunities in vaccine value chain (VVC).The study evaluated the roles, constraints and opportunities for women and men, along the Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia vaccine value chain (CCPP_VVC). Focus Group Discussion (FGD), Outcome mapping (OM), focus meal (FM), and key informant interviews (KII) were used to appreciate the context of vaccination in the area. 228 participants were consulted including VVC stakeholders and model farmers. Principal takeholders identified included the vaccine manufacturers, vaccine importers, distributors, agro vets, public veterinary services, private veterinarians, local leaders and farmers. Woman Empowerment in Livestock Index survey was calculated from 300 households whose data was selected from 398 interviewees(KEVEVAPI, distributors in Machakos County agro-vets, vaccinators and, mostly small-scale women farmers). 8% of farmers were found to have access to vaccine but only 1% of them had easy access. 84% of farmers had low access to the vaccine suppliers. The findings revealed that among barriers for access to vaccine are lack of awareness, knowledge about vaccine, lack of finance, government inability to meet the demand and low veterinarians (particularly women) /farmer ration in the public sector. The conclusion was a need to develop an understanding gender disaggregated level of contribution by men and women to the value chain and how the benefits of contribution areshared. Such knowledge is important to empower women’s participation in the VVC and also to increase vaccine access to smallholder farmers and consequently improve goats’ production and the wellbeing of farmers’ families. URI

Health workers and managers planning and budgeting practices are unknown, yet they are key influencers of the processes. However, they rarely have the knowledge or participate in the process. This study investigated the relationship between health worker and managers knowledge on planning and budgeting, and participation in the county health planning and budgeting processes. Few studies have focused on assessing health worker knowledge and application in the planning and budgeting processes. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study that employed mixed-method approach using both quantitative and qualitative data. The sampling frame from which the study participants were drawn was N=2,229 as at June 2016. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to the health workers and purposively selected health managers. The study sample comprised of n=257 health care workers in Nairobi County, while the health managers were 25. Data was coded and analysed using SPSS. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the relationships between knowledge and participation in health planning and budgeting. Logistics regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between knowledge and participation in health planning and budgeting. The findings of the study established that 47.5% of the health workers were not trained on planning, and slightly over a half 51.8% had not been trained on health budgeting. Among those trained on health budgeting only 23% (29) had been trained with the relevant budget training in relation to the PFM system, which is important for county health planning and budgeting. The study findings also established that 69.6% of the health workers were participating in the planning and budgeting higher than those that had actually been trained. Among the purposively selected health managers, 32% had been trained on budgeting. The health workers and managers shared “low satisfaction” with the

Background: Treatment of infertility is a major global problem which has remained a challenge in many ways. The cornerstone of in vitro fertilization (IVF), which forms the end point in care of infertile couples, is controlled ovarian stimulation (COS). However, predictability of outcomes has remained elusive despite identification of several biomarkers. Metaphase II (MII) oocytes are the mandatory prerequisite to IVF. However, there appears to be no relevant studies that focus on prediction of MII outcomes as an indicator of the potential for fertilization in patients that are undergoing IVF. This study focuses on the value of serum AMH in predicting MII oocyte outcomes in women undergoing COS. Objective: To determine the role of serum AMH as a predictor of Metaphase II (MII) oocyte yield during controlled ovarian stimulation in a private fertility clinic in Nairobi. Methodology: Retrospective descriptive cohort study that compared the processes in ovarian stimulation (OS) that culminate in production of MII oocytes in subjects with normal and low serum AMH. It was done at a private fertility clinic in Nairobi. Odds ratios (OR) and p values were used to compare the outcomes of OS between the two groups. Results: Among those who had normal serum AMH levels, 17(28.2%) were aged more than 35 years as compared to19 (73.1%) among those who had low serum AMH (OR 0.1, 95%CI 0.1-0.4, p value <0.001). Normal response (5 to 14 follicles) on day 5 predominated in both groups but it was more preponderant among those with low AMH (normal AMH with 34 (57.6%) of the patients compared with 17 (65.4%) among those with low AMH, OR 0.7, CI 0.3-1.9, p<0.001). However, hyper response (>15 follicles) occurred in 23 (39.0%) and 1 (3.8%) respectively (OR 15.9, CI 2.0-126.1, p<0.001) for normal and low serum AMH respectively. The pattern was similar on day 7 follicular count. Normal total oocyte harvest (5 - 14) occurred in 24 (40.7%) of patients with normal serum AMH compared to 9 (34.6%) among those with low AMH (OR 1.3, 95% CI 0.5 – 3.4, p value 0.597); while 24 (40.7%) and 1 (3.8%) of those with normal and low serum AMH respectively had > 15 oocytes (OR 17.0, 95% CI 2.2 – 135.2, p value <0.001). There were 19 (73.1%) of patients with low serum AMH who had low MII oocyte yield compared to 16 (27.1%) in patients with normal serum AMH (OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.1-0.8, p value 0.014) and this difference persisted after controlling for age. Among those with normal serum AMH, 30 (50.8%) had MII oocyte yield between 5 to 14 oocytes compared to 7 (26.9%) of patients with low serum AMH (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.0-7.7, p value 0.040) whereas 13 (22.1%) of patients with normal serum AMH had MII oocyte yield of more than 15 oocytes compared to none in patients with low serum AMH. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of serum AMH as a predictor of MII oocyte yield were 86.0%, 54.3%,72.96% and 73.1% respectively. The trend was similar for total oocyte harvest. Conclusion: Serum AMH is a qualitative and quantitative predictor of MII oocyte yield as well as the preceding total oocyte harvest and follicular count. Hence, the levels of serum AMH can be used to provide counselling on possible outcomes of COS.