Diabetes mellitus refers to a long-term disorder that occurs when pancreas is incapable of producing sufficient insulin and/or the body cells do not commendably utilize insulin. Globally, the prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus has been rising in the past two decades but at a faster rate in Low and Medium Income Countries. Diabetes being a complex endocrine disease is associated with other complications which are accountable for heavy burden to households in terms of treatment cost and decreased manpower. Self-care practices, sociodemographic characteristics and nutritional status have been shown to contribute greatly in the prognosis of diabetes. The broad objective of this study was to establish the enabling factors of poor glycemic control hence development of diabetic complications among clients in selected hospitals in Nairobi County. The study was conducted as hospital-based analytical retrospective cohort design. Kenyatta National Hospital, Mbagathi and Kayole II Hospitals were sampled to represent different levels of healthcare in the County. The study participants included 165 individuals more than 15 years of age who were attending outpatient diabetic clinics between the months of January and March 2021. The data were collected using semi-structured questionnaire uploaded in Online Toolbox Kit and extraction of data from the patient files. Analysis was done using SPSS and program R. The study showed that age (p=0.00), period after diagnosis with diabetes (p=0.00), area of residence (p=0.006), education level (0.00), education on modification of diet during management of diabetes (p=0.01), knowledge (p=0.03) and attitude (p=0.01) towards diabetes recommendations were significantly associated with poor glycemic control among diabetics. In conclusion, these factors were the enabling factors to development of diabetic complications. The study recommends that education on diet modification needs to be handled independently possibly on different sessions or days from the general diabetic education to allow better understanding by the clients

This article explores the linkage that may exist in an organization between human resource management practices, employee outcomes, organization outcomes and the performance of organizations. Literature regarding these aspects is explored which sheds some light on some of the challenges of conducting such a study. It is concluded that though there is no set of universally accepted ‘best practices’ that organizations adopt, there are bundles of ‘best practices’ that successful firms tend to integrate in their organizational strategies. However, adoption of ‘best practices’ should be done in such a way that they fit into an organization, given that ‘best practices’ that may work for one firm may not apply in another firm because of contextual factors.

This study constitutes a study of the circulation space through the assessment of the statutory requirement, standards and guideline that are put into consideration during the design of the circulation space of residential developments. The study will draw a parallel with the design criteria that are used in other more developed countries. Against this background the study will then evaluate the existing state of the circulation spaces in residential developments in Nairobi with the purpose of ascertaining ^ a. Whether this standard have been adhered to, If the standards that have been adhered to, in existing residential developments are sufficient? Why the standards have not been adhered to, in existing residential developments? The resultant effect of adherence or lack of adherence to the set standards. The study will incorporate data obtained from field observation, dispensing of questionnaire and measurement to draw conclusions and possible recommendations. The residents’ satisfaction and observed statistics will form the yardstick of gauging the suitability of the existing standard.

There is a substantial increase in the use of learning management systems (LMSs) to support e-learning in higher education institutions, particularly in developing countries. This has been done with some measures of success and failure as well. There is evidence from literature that the provision of e-learning faces several quality issues relating to course design, content support, social support, administrative support, course assessment, learner characteristics, instructor characteristics, and institutional factors. It is clear that developing countries still remain behind in the great revolution of e-learning in Higher Education. Accordingly, further investigation into e-learning use in Kenya is required in order to fill in this gap of research, and extend the body of existing literature by highlighting major quality determinants in the application of e-learning for teaching and learning in developing countries. By using a case study of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), the study establishes the status of e-learning system quality in Kenya based on these determinants and then concludes with a discussion and recommendation of the constructs and indicators that are required to support qualify teaching and learning practices

Abstract

This study was conducted in semi-arid area of Muvumba valley, Nyagatare District, Eastern Province of Rwanda. This work was formulated with the aim of assessing the effect of supplementary sprinkler irrigation on growth and yield of French beans (Phaseolus vulgaris l.) in semi-arid Muvumba valley, Rwanda. The irrigation treatments were EM (early in the morning), EL (late in the evening) and ELE (both early in the morning and late in the evening) and each treatment was replicated three times in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) for two seasons (Dry-Wet and Wet-Dry seasons). Soil water content was monitored with gravimetric method at 0.30 m depth every time irrigation was undertaken and CROPWAT 8.0 was used to estimate the crop evapotranspiration. The results obtained show that the treatments had significantly different effects on plant height, leaf width, leaf length, leaf area and leaf area index. Reduced water application due to evapotranspiration (ET) from 252.7 mm/dec during Dry-Wet season to 223.8 mm/dec during Wet-Dry season increased water use efficiency (WUE) during Wet-Dry season. The highest water use efficiency of French bean was 1.637 Kg/mm, irrigated early in the morning and late in the evening (ELE) during Wet-Dry season, and the lowest water use efficiency of French bean was 0.969 Kg/mm irrigated once only in the morning during Dry-Wet season. The results obtained also show that French bean growth parameters and yield were significantly different (p < 0.01) and were highest in both the seasons when the crop was irrigated twice a day (ELE) than when irrigated either early in the morning (EM) or late in the evening (LE). In both seasons, the highest yield of French bean was 366.8 Kg/ha with a net income of 98,414 Rwandan Franc equivalent to 103.5 USD. This yield was obtained when the crop was irrigated twice a day (ELE) during the Wet-Dry season. The results also indicated that the Wet-Dry season (yields of total irrigation regimes) had the highest yield (1,338.7 Kg/ha) with the net income of 320,443 RWF (337 USD) than. Irrigating early in the morning and late in the evening (ELE) using supplemental sprinkler irrigation system increased WUE and yield than either irrigation in the morning only (LE) or in the evening only (EM). The study recommends that it is financially viable to irrigate twice a day because it is possible to obtain higher return as compared to irrigating in the morning or in the evening only

The firms in the floriculture industry in Kenya have been facing myriad of challenges emanating from environmental concerns. The recent challenges came from the overseas markets when the Kenyan flowers were said to be the major pollutants of the environment due to their mode of transport. It took long negotiations and lobbying for the issue to be resolved. But the results were almost disastrous and it is therefore important that issues of marketing ecologically friendly products be addressed by the firms. The study sought to determine the green marketing practices within the floricultural firms in Kenya and also to assess the extent to which green marketing is practiced within floricultural firms in Kenya. A descriptive survey design was selected for the study. From the population of 104 firms, 52 firms were selected based on stratified random sampling. The data collection was through self- administered questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions. The respondents of the questionnaires were the senior managers of the selected firms. The result of the study was analyzed by the use of descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentages and mean scores. The Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to carry out the analyses. The results were then presented in the form of tables and charts. In relation to the green marketing practices, the results show that the respondents were aware of green marketing practices in the industry. Such practices were manifest in areas such as modifications of obsolete technology, embracing of entirely new technology, and elimination of some unnecessary processes of production. It is therefore concluded that green marketing practices are practiced to a larger extent within the flower firms in Kenya as seen in use of new technology, elimination of unnecessary production processes, and remanufacturing of some products using

Small-scale cereal farmers dominate agricultural activities in developing countries. These agricultural activities are characterized by low productivity due to lack of agricultural input information. This lack is restrained by the low use of ICTs caused by some factors such as the farmers’ perception of ICTs and the ICTs’ delivered information quality. We investigated these factors and their effects on ICTs’ use by small-scale cereal farmers in developing countries. Sikasso region in Mali was selected as a case. A convenient sample size of 300 cereal farmers was selected. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling technique was used to analyse the data. The results suggested that the perception i.e. relative advantage, compatibility and simplicity and the delivered information quality were able to explain 77.9% of the variance in the Use of ICTs to access and use agricultural input information. From these results, it is important to take the Relative Advantage, Compatibility, Simplicity and Information Quality as the main factors determining the use of ICTs in developing countries in the cereal production context. A further line of inquiry could be to gather data from other developing countries to validate or find out more factors in such settings.

Whereas African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) provides a long list of goods that can be exported to the United States of America (USA), Kenya has not been able to take advantage of the huge market to export textile and apparel products. This paper therefore has analyzed the factors that determine Kenya’s textile exports to the United States of America under the AGOA provisions. The paper sourced secondary data for the period 1990 to 2010 from UNCTAD, World Bank database, Statistical Abstracts and Kenya’s Economic Surveys. The study used the general export model applied by Ogun (1998) and Edwards and Alves (2005) and introduced GDP for USA as a proxy to capture the demand for Kenya’s apparel exports or purchasing ability of USA citizens, employment in the textile sector, Foreign Direct Investment from USA to Kenya, Real Exchange Rate, GDP for Kenya to capture the level of infrastructure development and a dummy variable to capture the effect of AGOA on Kenya’s apparel exports to the US. The results showed that USA GDP, Kenya’s GDP, Terms of Trade, Real Exchange Rate (RER) and the dummy had a positive and significant impact on Kenya’s textile exports while FDI and employment in textile sector had a significant but negative impact on apparel exports to the USA.

Helminthosis is a gastrointestinal infection caused by nematodes, cestodes and trematodes, which causes sub-optimal production, reproduction, early culling, work capacity, extra cost of treatment, reduced market values of the affected animals and death. The aim of our study was to investigate the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitic infections by screening for helminth eggs and coccidian oocysts using MacMaster technique and the associated factors among zebu beef calves in Isiolo County Kenya. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020 between November and December in Isiolo North and Isiolo South sub-counties. Garbatulla and Burat wards in Isiolo North and Kinna in Isiolo South were purposively selected due to high number of large herds compared to other areas. A total of 411 calves from 34 herds aged between 3 weeks and 12 months were randomly selected. Calf level and management and environmental data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires, observations and by taking measurements. Faecal samples were obtained from the rectum or immediately after defaecation for laboratory analysis. In the laboratory, faecal egg counts were estimated using the McMaster faecal floatation technique. Descriptive and logistic regression data analyses was done using STATA version 13. In logistic regression, factors with a p-value ≤0.05 in the final models were considered significant, hence retained. The overall prevalence of GIP infection was estimated at 66.9% (275/411). Concurrent helminthosis and coccidiosis prevalence was slightly low, estimated at 16.5% (68/411). Coccidia was the most prevalent type of infection estimated at 45.7% (188/411) while the prevalence of helminths was 38.4% (158/411). Strongyle infection was predominant among other helminths detected with a prevalence 29.4% (121/411) followed by Strongyloides 6.5% (27/411), Monezia 2.7% (4/411), Toxocara 1% (4/411) and Trichuris 0.2% (1/411). The factors associated with GIP infections in the final multivariate logistic regression analysis for coccidia were: Location, with Isiolo North recording a higher prevalence than Isiolo South (OR=4.906, p-value=0.000, CI=2.033-11.84), availability of drinking water was associated with lower prevalence compared to calves not provided with drinking water (OR=0.282, p-value=0.000, 0.168-0.472), calves in areas covered with lush pastures recording a higher prevalence than in areas covered with dry pastures (OR=2.604, p-value=0.009, CI=1.273-5.328), calves raised in dry floor having lesser risk of infection compared with calves raised in wet floor condition (OR=0.208, p-value=0.000, CI=0.094-0.462), calves in farms receiving extension services from animal health providers recorded a lower prevalence of coccidiosis than calves in farms without extension services (OR=0.208, p-value=0.023, CI=0.239-0.896). Calves in larger herd sizes of 20 cattle and above were at a higher risk of coccidiosis than calves raised in smaller herd sizes of less than 20 cattle (OR=1.004, p-value=0.022, CI=1.001-1.008). For strongyle infection, the factors associated in the final model were: co-infestation with other gastrointestinal helminths and coccidiosis, with coinfected calves having a higher risk of strongyle infection than non-coinfected calves (OR=27.23, p-value=0.000, CI=12.76-60.62). Calves aged between 9 to 12 months were at the higher risk of strongyle infection compared to calves aged between 3 weeks to 4 months (OR=26.7, p-value=0.000, CI=10.32-68.78), also calves aged between 4 to less than 9 months, were at a higher risk of strongyle infection than younger calves aged between 3 weeks to less than 4 months (OR=19.7, p-value=19.7, p-value=7.69-50.59), calves raised in larger herd sizes were associated with a lower risk of strongyle infection compared with calves raised in smaller herd sizes (OR=0.99, p-value=0.000, CI=0.98-1.0). Calves raised in farms with extension services available recorded a higher prevalence of strongyle infection compared to calves raised in farms where extension services were unavailable (OR=3.74, p-value=0.005, CI=1.499-9.333). The results of this study indicated that prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitic infections in calves is high, dominated by strongyles and coccidian infections and management/environmental factors and animal factors were associated with the infections. Robust integrated control program is therefore important to curb the infections which should include proper clinical and laboratory diagnosis, deworming with anthelmintics especially during rainy seasons, and treatment of calves with anti-coccidial drugs, grazing management and isolation of infected animals.