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This study critically investigates the social economic predictors of parental involvement in rural schools in Kenya and its implications on teaching and learning. Education is a major foundation for socioeconomic growth and the provision of quality education. However, teaching and learning are affected by various socioeconomic factors that this study seeks to investigate. Among the social economic predictors, family size, household income level and parents' level of education were found to significantly influence teaching and learning outcomes in Kenya's rural schools. Large families with small household income face challenges in paying school-related levies; acquire learning and teaching materials, book for extra learning activities and support co-curricular activities for their children. The article also presents the policy implications of the study, particularly on issues related to family size and household income level in parents' level of education in rural school settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kenya must invest more in education to realize her vision 2030. The government commitment to Education for All's goal has been expressed through provision of basic education in pre-primary, primary and secondary school levels. To this end, the government introduced two kitties; Free Primary Education in 2003 and Subsidized Secondary Education in 2008 (where the government paid tuition fees for the students in secondary schools), but left parents to finance Early Childhood Development and Education. Since public centers were not well equipped, only the poor parents enrolled their children. The study was carried out in Nyahururu District in 2010, to assess the impacts of the two government kitties on public Early Childhood Development and Education centers in Kenya. To evaluate the impact of the kitties on the public Early Childhood Development and Education centers, private centers were also studied together. The study revealed that while the kitties led to rising enrolment in primary, secondary school and private Early Childhood Development and Education centers, enrolment declined in public centers. The two have lowered the quality of education in public Early Childhood Development and Education centers since parents were unwilling to raise finances enough to employ and motivate teachers, buy teaching/learning resources, school facilities and school feeding program. High enrolment after Free Primary Education also took up classrooms meant for Early Childhood Development and Education in public centers.

Kenya started providing secondary school education as part of her basic education in 2008 through subsidized secondary education in 2008, but was faced by two major challenges; secondary schools are fewer than primary schools, and secondary education is more costly than primary education. This has made many students especially those from poor families fail to access and complete their secondary education. The study was carried out to find out ways in which constituency development fund has promoted access and retention of secondary school students in Laikipia West district. The objectives of the study were to find out how many students access secondary education in the district, ways in which the fund promotes access to secondary education in the district, how the fund enhances retention rates of students in the district, procedure followed to propose, rank and finance projects initiated by the fund in the district, and the problems that face constituency development committee while utilizing the fund as an alternative method of financing secondary education in the district. The study was carried out using descriptive survey. The study was carried out on a population of 45 secondary school head teachers, 15 chiefs, district education office, constituency development committee's office and 4574 students who applied for Constituency Development Fund bursaries in 2008. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 813 students who benefited from bursaries by the fund in 2008. Data was collected using questionnaires, interviews and document analysis. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Questionnaires were piloted in 5 schools and 15 bursary beneficiaries of 2008, one from each of the 15 locations in the district using test retest method. The study found out that the fund has promoted secondary education as witnessed by increased access to secondary education in the district through new and expanded school facilities like classrooms, science laboratories, and school water and electricity projects. It also enhanced retention rates of students in the district through bursaries and expanded facilities in young schools.

Africa has a high level of genetic diversity of rotavirus strains, which is suggested to be a possible reason contributing to the suboptimal effectiveness of rotavirus vaccines in this region. One strain that contributes to this rotavirus diversity in Africa is the G8P[4]. This study aimed to elucidate the entire genome and evolution of Rwandan G8P[4] strains. Illumina sequencing was performed for twenty-one Rwandan G8P[4] rotavirus strains. Twenty of the Rwandan G8P[4] strains had a pure DS-1-like genotype constellation, and one strain had a reassortant genotype constellation. Notable radical amino acid differences were observed at the neutralization sites when compared with cognate regions in vaccine strains potentially playing a role in neutralization escape. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the closest relationship was with East African human group A rotavirus (RVA) strains for five of the genome segments. Two genome sequences of the NSP4 genome segment were closely related to bovine members of the DS-1-like family. Fourteen VP1 and eleven VP3 sequences had the closest relationships with the RotaTeq™ vaccine WC3 bovine genes. These findings suggest that the evolution of VP1 and VP3 might have resulted from reassortment events with RotaTeq™ vaccine WC3 bovine genes. The close phylogenetic relationship with East African G8P[4] strains from Kenya and Uganda suggests co-circulation in these countries. These findings highlight the need for continued whole-genomic surveillance to elucidate the evolution of G8P[4] strains, especially after the introduction of rotavirus vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Push-pull technology improves agricultural productivity. However, its long-term effect on biomass carbon and soil organic carbon (SOC) is not yet known. The aims of this study were: to assess the effect of push-pull technology on (1) biomass carbon and (2) SOC, considering climatic conditions and the length of time that push-pull had been practiced on a farm; and (3) to establish the relationship between biomass carbon and SOC on farms. Aboveground biomass carbon and SOC were measured on 36 farms in western Kenya, encompassing three contrasting sites (Bondo, Siaya and Vihiga) and six cropping systems (push-pull and five non-push-pull systems). Farms in western Kenya stock between 3.0 ± 0.3 and 4.0 ± 0.4 t C ha−1 in crop biomass and between 24.4 ± 2.1 and 37.0 ± 2.6 t C ha−1 in the soil for those practicing push-pull, and between 1.1 ± 0.3 and 2.1 ± 0.2 t C ha−1 biomass carbon and between 19.2 ± 2.1 and 31.1 ± 1.7 t C ha−1 soil carbon for those without push-pull. There was no correlation between biomass carbon and SOC. Adoption of push-pull offers opportunities to mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration in plants and soils in low-, medium- and high-rainfall environments in both long and short rain seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classical allometries determine biomass from measurements of diameter at breast height or volume. Neither of these measurements is currently possible to be derived directly from remote sensing. As biomass estimates at larger scales require remotely sensed data, new allometric relations are required using crown area and/or tree height as predictor of biomass, which can both be derived from remote sensing. Allometric equations were developed from 72 trees semi-randomly selected for destructive sampling in three 100 km sentry sites in western Kenya. The equations developed fit the data well with about 85 % of the observed variation in aboveground biomass explained by crown area. Addition of height and wood density as second predictor variables improved model fit by 6 and 2 % and lowered the relative error by 7 and 2 %, respectively. The equation with crown area in combination with height and wood density estimated representative aboveground biomass carbon to be about 20.8 ± 0.02 t C ha; which is about 19 % more than the amount estimated using an allometry with diameter at breast height as predictor. These results form the basis for a new generation of allometries using crown area as a predictor of aboveground biomass in agricultural landscapes. Biomass predictions using crown area should be supported by height and wood density and the application of crown area equations for remote sensing based up-scaling should consider crown interactions with competing or coexisting neighboring trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide and has implications for a variety of diseases. This has been due to various causes such as poor nutrition, inactivity or both. The purpose of this study was to establish the prevalence of overweight and obesity among primary school children aged 10-15 years in Nairobi province, Kenya. The study was carried out in two phases. A cross-sectional design was used in the first phase to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity using BMI. The subjects in this phase included 2,620 males and 2,705 females aged 10-15 years in both private and public schools. A classic experimental design which involved an experimental group (48 pupils) and a control group (21 pupils) was then used for the second phase of the study, which involved further assessment of overweight and obesity using bioelectrical impedance analysis and skin fold measures. Data were analysed using percentiles, correlations, paired sample t-tests, independent sample t-tests and one way analysis of variance at 0.05 level of significance. Post hoc tests using Tukey HSD were applied to determine inter-group differences upon obtaining significant F ratios. The results indicated that out of the 1,479 pupils in private schools 103 (6.9%) were obese while 245 (16.7%) were overweight. On the other hand, out of the 3,846 pupils in public schools 62 (1.6%) were obese, while 220 (5.7%) were overweight. Among the 2,620 male subjects, 170 (6.5%) were overweight while 67 (2.6%) of them were obese. The results also showed that out of the total 2,760 female pupils, 295 (10.9%) were overweight while 98 (3.6%) were obese. These results showed that overweight and obesity are prevalent among primary school children aged 10-15 years in Nairobi, Kenya. The results further showed significant differences in body composition between boys and girls (p≤0.05) with female pupils being more susceptible to overweight and obesity as indicated by higher mean BMI scores compared to their male counterparts. The study therefore recommended that similar assessments in other cities of Kenya as well as among the older individuals above 15 years and younger population below 10 years be conducted so as to indicate the big picture of overweight and obesity in Kenya. Additionally the study recommended that studies focusing on the major factors influencing overweight and obesity amongst children in Nairobi province be assessed. This will help in forming the basis for prevention and management of overweight and obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tylosema fassoglense (TFG) is used as an antidiarrheal traditional medicine in Western Kenya. This study aimed to investigate the antidiarrheal activity of its aqueous extracts in-vivo and the putative mechanism (s) of action ex-vivo using Sprague-Dawley rats and New Zealand white rabbits respectively. The in-vivo antidiarrheal effects of the extract were evaluated in castor oil-induced diarrhea, the castor oil-induced enteropooling, and phenol red gastric motility tests. On the other hand, isolated rabbit's jejunal segments were used to evaluate the spasmolytic effect of TFG on spontaneous contraction, in acetylcholine-induced contraction, in presence of 80mMK+, calcium chloride-induced contraction as well as in presence of the following antagonists: naloxone, methylene blue, L-NAME, prazosin, and propranolol in the ex-vivo studies. The data were express as Mean ± S.E.M and analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test in cases of significance which was set at p < 0.05. The extract was phytochemically characterized using Liquid chromatography Mass spectroscopy (LC-MS).The extract possessed significant inhibitory effect in the in-vivo experiments. The extract exhibited significant spasmolytic effect on both spontaneous contraction and in jejunal segment pre-contracted acetylcholine as well as in presence of 80mMK+ solution. It also attenuated the spasmogenic effect of various concentration of calcium chloride. The extract's spasmolytic effect was, however, significantly attenuated in presence of several antagonists (methylene blue and L-NAME) but the adrenergic blockers (prazosin and propranolol) had no significant effect in the ex-vivo studies. LC-MS identified thirty compounds where Proathocyanidin (11.54%), Syringic acid (7.30%), and 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid (6.19%) had the highest percentage abundance. In conclusion, the results obtained in this study partially validate the traditional uses of the tubers of this plant species as an antidiarrheal. These antidiarrheal effects are probably mediated via modulation of nitrous oxide pathway, voltage gated calcium channels, and muscarinic receptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rotheca myricoides (Hochst.) Steane & Mabb is a plant species used in traditional medicine for the management of diabetes in the lower eastern part of Kenya (Kitui, Machakos and Makueni Counties, Kenya) that is mainly inhabited by the Kamba community. This study investigated the antihyperglycaemic, antidyslipidemic and antihyperinsulinemic activity of the freeze-dried extracts of Rotheca myricoides (Hochst.) Steane & Mabb (RME) in an animal model of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Type 2 diabetes was induced by dietary manipulation for 56 days via (high fat- high fructose diet) and intraperitoneal administration of streptozocin (30 mg/kg). Forty freshly-weaned Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned into the negative control (high fat/high fructose diet), low dose test (50mg/kg RME, high dose test (100mg/kg RME and positive control (Pioglitazone, 20mg/kg) groups. Fasting blood glucose and body weight were measured at weekly intervals. Oral glucose tolerance tests were performed on days 28 and 56. Lipid profile, hepatic triglycerides, fasting serum insulin levels and serum uric acid were determined on day 56. The RME possessed significant antihyperglycemic [FBG: 6.5 ± 0.11 mmol/l (negative control) vs. 4.62 ± 0.13 mmol/l (low dose test) vs. 5.25 ± 0.15 mmol/l in (high dose test) vs. 4.33 ± 0.09 mmol/l (positive control): p < 0.0001] and antihyperinsulinemic effects [1.84 ± 0.19 (negative control) vs. (0.69 ± 0.13 (low dose test) vs. (0.83 ± 0.17 (high dose test) vs. (0.69 ± 0.10 (positive control): F (3, 36) = 0.6421: p < 0.0001. The extracts also possessed significant antidyslipidemic effects [LDL levels: 3.52 ± 0.19 mmol/l (negative control) vs. 0.33 ± 0.14 mmol/l (low dose test) vs. 0.34 ± 0.20 mmol/l (high dose test) vs. 0.33 ± 0.01 mmol/l (positive control): p < 0.0001].RME significantly lowered plasma uric acid levels, as well as hepatic triglycerides and hepatic weights. Network pharmacology analysis indicated that the observed pharmacological effects are mediated via the modulation of Peroxisome proliferator-activated gamma receptor. The freeze dried extracts of Rotheca myricoides possessed significant antihyperglycemic and antidyslidemic effects. In addition it lowered serum uric levels, as well as hepatic triglycerides and hepatic weight. These results appear to validate the traditional use of this plant species in the management of diabetes mellitus. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To develop a novel measure to characterize human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) programme quality at health facilities in Kenya and explore its associations with patient- and facility-level characteristics. Methods We developed a composite indicator to measure quality of HIV care, comprising: assessment of eligibility for antiretroviral therapy (ART); initiation of ART; and retention on ART or in care, if ineligible for ART, for 12 months. We applied the comprehensive retention indicator to routinely collected clinical data from 13 331 patients enrolled in HIV care and treatment at 63 health facilities in the Eastern and Nyanza regions of Kenya from 1 January 2014 to 31 March 2016. We explored the association between facility- and patient-level characteristics and the primary outcome: appropriate staging and management of HIV, and retention in care over 12 months. Findings Of the enrolled patients, 8404 (63%) achieved comprehensive retention 12 months after enrolment in care. In univariate analyses, patients at facilities where nurses delivered HIV treatment services (including eligibility assessment, initiation and follow up of ART) had significantly higher comprehensive retention rates at 12 months. In multivariate analyses, after adjusting for both facility- and patient-level characteristics, patients at facilities where nurses initiated ART had significantly higher comprehensive retention in care at 12 months (relative risk, RR: 1.22; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.00-1.48). Conclusion Nurse-led HIV services were significantly associated with quality of care, confirming the central role of nurses in the achievement of global health goals, and the need for further investment in nursing education, training and mentoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kenya/Tanzania borderland is a critical area for conservation of biodiversity. This study was done to establish the effects of 2007 and 2009 droughts through aerial counts. Findings indicate that large mammal population collapsed, but some species crashed more than others. Total large mammal density declined over three times (−207.43%), recovering modestly (+41.59%) between 2010 and 2013. Over that time, the most abundant species was zebra (10,466.3 ± 2860.5 animals), followed by wildebeest (8921.0 ± 4897.9), Grant's gazelle (3447.0 ± 303.7), Maasai giraffe (1381.3 ± 132.7), African elephant (990.67 ± 12.60), eland (544.0 ± 311.4), Thomson's gazelle (495.3 ± 232.3), buffalo (331.3 ± 128.8) and impala (354.3 ± 61.0). The species affected most by drought was lesser kudu, followed by African buffalo, Maasai giraffe, kongoni, common eland, common wildebeest, common zebra, Grant's gazelle, gerenuk, impala, African elephant, Thomson's gazelle and fringe - eared Oryx respectively. Further, large mammal species numbers were dependent on location (χ2 = 13,647.35, df = 15, p < 0.001), with numbers being higher near protected areas. Animals with low numbers, specific diets, water - dependent and limited range were most affected by the drought. This provides a baseline for future comparisons and also future effects of droughts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Desmodium increased available N and P compared to maize monocrop and other legumes. • Desmodium increased maize shoot weight compared to maize monocrop and other legumes. • Desmodium increased maize grain yield compared to maize monocrop and other legumes. • The biomass of desmodium did not compromise maize grain yield. Low levels of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in soils in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) limit maize (Zea mays) production in smallholder farms. We tested the hypothesis that desmodium (Desmodium intortum (Mill.) Urb.), a fodder legume, and food legumes commonly grown with maize in Western Kenya avail N and P and improve the performance of maize in intercrops. We measured available N and P in 15 cm topsoil at 4, 8 and 12 weeks after planting (WAP), and corresponding maize shoot weight in three seasons: 2017 long rains (LR), 2017 short rains (SR), and 2018 LR at Thomas Odhiambo Campus of icipe at Mbita Point in western Kenya. Treatments were additive 1:1 maize-legume intercrops; maize-bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), maize-cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.), maize-crotalaria (Crotalaria ochroleuca G. Don), maize-desmodium, maize-green gram [ Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] and maize-groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.), and maize monocrop as a control, replicated four times in a complete randomized design. This experiment was established in 2003 and treatments were repeated every season on the same plot (for 31 seasons up to 2018 LR). At the beginning (year 2003), experimental plots were infested with 100 g of striga seeds per 250 g soil. Across the three last seasons corresponding to this study, we observed an increase in available N in maize-desmodium plots compared to maize monocrop plots. Available P measured at 4, 8 and 12 WAP in 2017 SR and at 4 WAP in 2018 LR was higher in maize-desmodium than in maize monocrop at the same sampling times (P < 0.05). The shoot weight for maize grown with desmodium was consistently higher than that for maize grown in monocrop. Maize grain yield for maize-desmodium was 5.0, 3.1 and 4.3 Mg ha−1 in 2017 LR, 2017 SR and 2018 LR, respectively, compared to 0.5, 0.4 and 1.8 Mg ha−1 for maize monocrop in the three respective seasons. Other intercrops were comparable with maize monocrop. Historic maize yields were constantly higher in maize-desmodium than maize monocrop and other maize-legume intercrops. We show that desmodium improves N and P availability, growth and yield of maize. We recommend studies on biological N fixation and changes in rhizosphere to understand mechanisms behind observed improvement in N and P availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Push-pull increased or maintained maize grain yield. • Biomass productivity was higher in push-pull than other maize-based systems. • The efficacy of push-pull increased with duration which it has been used in a farm. • Agro-ecological conditions alter the advantages of push-pull technology. • The response of maize to legume integration depends on agro-ecological conditions. Push-pull is one of the sustainable intensification technologies for the control of stem-borers, striga weed and fall armyworm. Even though the effectiveness of push-pull in addressing these constraints has been evaluated under different agro-ecological conditions and on research stations, performance of the technology relative to other common maize-based cropping systems in farmers' fields and the impact of the push-pull age is not yet understood. We hypothesized that, a) maize grain yield and aboveground biomass from push-pull system is higher than other common maize farming systems; b) duration of use of push-pull, and climatic conditions have an influence on its efficacy; and c) the presence of legumes in maize farms positively affects system performance. We compared maize grain yield, aboveground biomass and striga emergence of push-pull system with common maize farming systems: (1) maize monocrop (2) maize-bean intercrop, (3) maize-cowpea intercrop, (4) maize-green gram intercrop, and (5) maize-groundnut intercrop in 45 farms in three contrasting sites (Vihiga, Siaya and Bondo) in western Kenya. Push-pull increased maize grain yield by 2.33 and 1.77 Mg ha−1 in Vihiga in 2017 long and short rains, and 2.15 Mg ha−1 in Bondo in 2018 long rains, and aboveground biomass by between 2.84 Mg ha−1 in Vihiga in 2018 long rains and 8.94 Mg ha−1 in Bondo in 2018 long rains. Striga emergence declined in push-pull systems by up to 100 % and its performance varied with sites and seasons. Farms that had practiced push-pull for less than 2 years had a higher number of striga than farms which had practiced it for more than 2 years for the first season; the number decreased and was similar to that for farms which had practiced push-pull for above 2 years in the two subsequent seasons. Farms with legumes had similar maize grain and aboveground biomass as maize monocrop in all sites and seasons, and higher number of striga in Siaya in 2017 short rains and 2018 long rains, and Vihiga in 2018 long rains. These findings show that push-pull is similar or superior to other maize farming systems in terms of maize grain and biomass production; and that while its performance is influenced by agro-ecological conditions, its efficacy in controlling striga increases over time, and its productivity is not compromised over time on the same farm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]