School of Pure and Applied Sciences
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Item Effectiveness of albendazole on soil transmitted nematodes among school children-: a case of Kakamega County, Kenya(2019-03-25) Ngonjo, T.W.; Okoyo, Collins; Simiyu, Elses; Kihara, Jimmy; Lelo, Agola Eric; Kabiru, Ephantus; Mwandawiro, CharlesBackground: Recent assessment by WHO on Soil Transmitted Nematodes (STN) point that their morbidity is still high in people mainly in children. A. lumbricoides globally infects 1.2 billion people and T. trichiura 795 million worldwide. Infections with Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus 740 million leading to 135,000 deaths per year. It became necessary to find out the effectiveness of Albendazole on soil transmitted Nematodes among school children- a case of kakamega county, kenya. Methodology: Study respondents were selected fom public primary school children in Kakamega County. A total of 731 and 665 (pre & post) children in 7 primary schools in three sub counties of Kakamega County were recruited in the study. Pre-treatment survey was done in March, 2014 and follow up in September 2014. Fecal samples were examined for the presence of STN . 14 days after treatment using Kato- Katz method. The total number of eggs were expressed as eggs/gm of feaces (epg). Pretreatment prevalence was 43.5% for Ascaris lumbricoides, 1.8% for hookworm and 0.9% for Trichuris trichiura. Results: Mean intensity of hookworm, A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura infections in the pre-and post-surveys were reduced by 1.2%, 98.4% and 100% respectively. Prevalence decreased to 2.3% for Ascaris lumbricoides and 0 % for T. trichiura. Post treatment prevalence of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura infections were significantly reduced by 94.8% and 100% respectively. A slight increase in hookworm prevalence was observed. However, this increase was not significant (p=0.993). Conclusion: The therapeutic efficacy of Albendazole indicated a good reduction in parasite burden. Albendazole satisfactorily reduced STN infection while for hookworm there was a non-significant increase in prevalence.Item Pervasiveness of green ICT awareness amongst Kenyan ICT personnel(2013-01) Wabwoba, Franklin; Wanyembi, Gregory W.; Omuterema, Stanley; Mutua, Stephen MakauThere has been growing concerns about the rising costs of doing business and environmental degradation world over. Green ICT has been proposed to provide solutions to the two issues yet it is not being implemented fully in developing nations like Kenya despite the availability of the technologies of doing it. The study investigated pervasiveness of green ICT awareness amongst the ICT personnel, how they perceive it to be relevant to their organisations and the drivers towards implementation of the same. The study surveyed ICT personnel in four cases using a questionnaire on a seven scale likert scale. The study established that awareness level of green ICT in Kenya is low when compared with developed nations. It also established the green ICT drivers and how ICT personnel perceived it to be relevant to their organisations. The study recommends the raising of green ICT awareness levels through aligning the ICT personnel’s capacities.Item The Impact Of Policy Changes In The Education Sector On The Development Of The Book Publishing Industry In Kenya(Unisa Press, 2009) Mbengei, Bernard; Francis, GallowayThis article explores the impact of policy changes in the education sector on the de-velopment of the book publishing sector in Kenya. The article begins by detailing the current status of the book publishing sector in Kenya. Then the interdependence between the education and book publishing sectors is highlighted. The government policies that have shaped the education system in Kenya are analysed with a view to establishing how they have affected the book publishing sector. An overview of the new school textbook policy that was introduced in 1998 is presented in order to show how it has influenced the textbook production and procurement. Then the introduction of the Free-Primary Education (FPE) is discussed because it is the most recent development in the education sector that has provided tremendous impetus to the development of the book publishing industry in the country. The challenges encountered by the Government of Kenya in implementing the FPE and those faced by the book publishers in producing books for the school market are analysed. Finally, a way forward is proposed in the form of recommendations that can contribute to positive growth and mainstreaming of the school textbook publishing sub-sector in Kenya. A literature review approach isused in which sources that include newspapers, government and institutional websites, journals, books and dissertations have been consulted.Item Ecological studies of the Helminth parasites of fish in Lake Naivasha, Kenya(Karatina University, 1999) Aloo, P. A.In many parts of the world, wild stocks of fish are dwindling especially in Africa where drought, pollution and over-exploitation are some of the causative factors. The continent is not spared other climatic catastrophies such as global warning with its effects on the flora and fauna (both terrestrial and aquatic). This may lead to the manifestation of diseases caused by parasitic organisms, which have been known to co-exist with their hosts. The work reported here attempted to highlight the importance of studying the ecological relationship between parasites and their hosts in their wild environments i.e. the microhabitats (fish) and the macrohabitat (the lake). This work aimed at determing the distribution of four teleostean fishes Oreochromis leucostictus (Trewavas), Micropterus salmoides (Lacepede). Tilapia zillii (Gervais) and Barbus amphigrama (Boulenger) as hosts of the parasites, to establish the occurrence and prevalence of helminth parasites in each of the four species and to determine and quantify the relationships between the helminth parasites and the teleostean hosts. The distribution of the four fish species as hosts of the helminth parasites was studied for a period of two years. The occurrence of the helminth parasites, intensity of infection in each species, prevalence of each parasite on each host, differential establishment, seasonal variation in prevalence and intensity of infection and the effects of these parasites on their hosts were determined. The effect of water chemistry on the intensity of infection was established by comparing the main Lake Naivasha which is fresh and the more saline Oloidien Bay. Statistical tests used to establish the relationship between the parasites and their hosts were the chi-square, analysis of variance, split-plot technique and regression analysis. The results showed a significant variation in the monthly distribution of the fish species within the lake (F11,32=4.07, P<0.001). Fish abundance also varied within the sampling sites with Oreochromis leucostictus being the most abundant. Depth was found to be the only single factor influencing the distribution of fish in the lake with fish numbers decreasing with depth (b=3.04; t11=4.15, P<0.01). It was established that there are four helminth parasites whose larval stages infect Lake Naivasha fishes viz: a nematode, Contracaecum sp.; an acanthocephalan Polyacanthorhynchus kenyensis, a trematode Clinostomum sp and a dilepidid cestode of the genus Amirthalingamia. A differential establishment of these parasites on the hosts was observed. (F5,2860 =14.044; P<0.001). No significant variation was observed in the monthly occurrence of the parasites (F11,132=1, P>0.05). Host specificity was also revealed among the parasites with two parasites Clinostomum and Amirthalingamia being very specific on O. leucostictus and T. zillii respectively (F15,2860=21.63; P<0.001). A strong relationship between the intensity of infection and the sex of the fish was also revealed (X2(1)=64.43; P<0.001). Although the relationship between the age of the fish and the intensity of infection with Contracaecum sp. was not significant (t4=0.425;P>0.05), the intensity of infection of O. leucostictus with P. kenyensis increased with age (t4=7.061; P>0.01). These parasites showed no harmful effects no harmful effects on their host from the observation of the relationship between intensity with Contracaecum and the condition factor of the fish (F3,33=0.02; P>0.05). In conclusion, Lake Naivasha fish species do not harbour any ectoparasites but they are infected by larval stages of four endoparasitesItem Distance librarianship in Kenyan universities(Regional Institute of Information and Knowledge Management, 2015) Murumba, Joan WakasaRationale of study – Many institutions of higher learning in Kenya are now delivering their programmes through distance learning and the library is providing support by offering information resources and services to students who are off campus. This research sought to establish the effectiveness of libraries in providing information resources and services to open and distance learners (ODLs).Item The Impact of Information Management Practices on the performance of County Governments in Central Kenya: A Case of Nyeri County(2016-04) Ngirigacha, Esther Wairimu; Kwanya, TomInformation management is critical in influencing an organisation’s ability to sustain a long-term competitive advantage. This chapter, resulting from a research study, examines the impact of information management practices on the performance of county governments in Central Kenya using the Nyeri County government as a case study. The study specifically sought to determine the information management practices used by the Nyeri County government; and establish the effectiveness of these information management practices in supporting government activities. The study was designed as a survey and targeted 82 management and administrative county staff in the six sub-county offices of Nyeri County (in Tetu, Kieni, Mathira, Othaya, Mukurweini, and Nyeri Town) and the Nyeri County governor. The study adopted census sampling design due to the small number of the potential respondents and also because this method was bound to enhance the reliability of the findings. The choice of a census design maximised the confidence level while at the same time greatly reduced the margin of error. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used as the main data collection instruments. The study found out that effective use of information management practices has enabled the Nyeri County government to be more responsive and consistent in service delivery as well and projected an image of good faith in a bid to audit and improve governance. These practices were effective mainly because they improved service delivery in the county office, and maintained convenient, secure and efficient storage and retrieval of county government information in the county government offices. The findings of this study may be used by the governors as the base upon which to review the county accountability and transparency principles and practices.Item Enhancing Organisational Performance in Kenyan Universities Through Effective Tacit Knowledge Management(2016-04) Murumba, Joan Wakasa; Kwanya, TomKnowledge is an important asset and tacit knowledge is located in the minds of people. To succeed, organisations have to make the best use of their knowledge assets. This can be achieved through diverse initiatives such as mentorship programmes, team learning and development, communities of practice, development of knowledge sharing platforms, storytelling and enhanced channels of communication. Universities, just like all the other organisations must strategically respond to the current developments in the knowledge society and specifically in the management of tacit knowledge assets. This chapter reviews literature on tacit knowledge management to unravel how universities in Kenya manage and utilise their tacit knowledge to improve organisational performance, as well as the challenges they face in this process. The authors propose a tacit knowledge management framework for consideration by universities in Kenya and beyond. The authors reviewed literature on tacit knowledge management in relation to universities in Kenya. They specifically analysed documents on the strategies for managing tacit knowledge as well as the challenges hampering their effectiveness. Well defined organisational strategies, good leadership, knowledge sharing culture, mentorship, communities of practice and customised technology are seen to be catalysts of tacit knowledge management. While, the lack of incentives and rewards, insufficient mentorship programmes and lack of recognition of human capital inhibit tacit knowledge exploitation which negatively influences organisational performance. The authors established critical contributions of tacit knowledge management on organisational performance. These findings may be used to support relevant policy development in academic institutions. Universities may also benefit by implementing or adapting the proposed tacit knowledge management framework.