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Yield stability in small red inter-racial common bean lines in Kenya
No full textAgronomic performance of new common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) varieties may vary considerably in diverse agro-ecological zones, due to genotype-environment (G x E) interactions. A multi-site evaluation is, therefore, crucial in elite lines selection as it considers simultaneously both yield and stability of performance, making selection of genotypes more precise and refined. This study aimed at assessing the agronomic performance and yield stability of 24 F1.7 small red bean lines, selected for multiple disease resistance, using molecular markers from 16 inter-racial bean populations. The study lines were evaluated in low, medium and high altitude agro-ecological conditions in Kenya. G x E effects for grain yield were highly significant (P<0.001), implying that the agronomic potential of the small red bean lines varied with agro-ecological zones. Tigoni, the high altitude (2130 m above sea level) test site had the highest grain yield (3,809 kg ha-1). There were no significant differences between medium altitude (1820 masl) Kabete (1,100 kg ha-1) and low altitude (1150 masl) Mwea (1,025 kg ha-1) sites. Number of pods per plant was strongly positively correlated with seed yield (r=0.85***), and could be adopted by breeders as an indirect selection method for grain yield. The G x E interaction on grain yield was high (14.4%), implying that most of genotypes should be selected and recommended to specific environments. The high yielding line, KMA13-25-09 (3,385 kg ha-1), was the least stable across sites. Disease severity score for target diseases was low to intermediate regardless of the genotypes and sites
Factors Influencing Community Participation in National Government-constituency Development Funded Projects; a Case of Mwingi Central Constituency, Kitui County, Kenya.
No full textThis study aimed at investigating the factors influencing community participation in NG-CDF projects in Mwingi central constituency. The study was based on four objectives; to establish the extent to which demographic characteristics of the people influence community participation in NG-CDF projects in Mwingi central Constituency, to find out the extent to which cultural beliefs influence community participation in NG-CDF projects in Mwingi central Constituency, to establish the extent to which the level of awareness influence the community participation in the NG-CDF projects in Mwingi central constituency and to determine the extent to which accountability influence the community participation in NG-CDF projects. The target population included all NG-CDF stakeholders which was the 63,305 Adult residents of Mwingi central constituency which comprises of six wards. Stratified random sampling technique was used to arrive at the sample. The sample population for this study was 366 respondents who were composed of 300 community members, 60 PMC committee members, five top NG-CDF committee officials and the NG-CDF manager. In order to get the sample size, the researcher used Krejcie and Morgan (1970) table which translated to a sample size of 366 respondents. Piloting of the instruments was done in Mwingi west Constituency which was not be part of the main study. Descriptive survey design was used largely in this study. The data was then analysed using central tendency analysis with statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). The research findings were documented as a research project report. The findings revealed that demographic characteristics of the participants significantly influenced community participation in NG-CDF projects. The findings generally revealed that culture does not affect community participation to a great extent. It was further revealed that the level of awareness greatly influenced the community participation in NG-CDF projects. The study further revealed that accountability influenced the community participation because NG-CDF was associated with very high levels of corruption, which was discouraging and causing apathy among the constituents. The researcher recommends that; Cultural values such as respect for communal work, obedience to elders and those in leadership should be integrated in projects to strengthen them while those that impact negatively on participation such as denying women leadership positions be eradicated tactfully. The study further recommends that the government should make strategies which will enable each village and ward administrator to have copies of the NG-CDF Act, which will make it possible for them to avail it to people to read/understand the contents. It is suggested that similar studies should be done in other constituencies to compare results. Studies should also be done in other counties with aim of coming up with a policy framework on community participation in NG-CDF projects country wide
Regulatory Compliance of Drug Safety Reporting in Clinical Trials Approved by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Kenya
No full textBackground
Drug safety reporting in clinical trial is a continuous activity that goes throughout a products life cycle. Drug safety reporting compliance in clinical trials is important in identifying participant’s safety concerns and protecting them from adverse events. Standards for drug safety reporting and managing adverse events in clinical trials are internationally accepted and have to be maintained during clinical trials. This study was conducted to establish if drug safety reporting in clinical trials complies with national and international guidelines.
Objectives
The study aimed to determine the compliance of drug safety reporting in clinical trials approved by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Kenya, with national and international clinical trials guidelines.
Methods
A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Pharmacy and Poisons Board which is a regulatory body established under the Pharmacy and Poison’s Act CAP 244 to regulate clinical trials. Clinical trial protocols and reports of adverse events submitted to Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Kenya from 2013 to 2017 were reviewed. Information was abstracted from the files using a checklist to determine if the clinical trial protocol and safety reports conform to the requirements set out by Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) and International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use - Good Clinical Practice guidelines (ICH-GCP). Data obtained was used to compute indicators that reflect the extent of compliance to regulatory requirements. Descriptive data analysis was done using STATA version 10 software.
Results
Out of the 69 clinical trial protocols analysed 63 (91.3%) were internationally sponsored trials compared to 6 (8.7%) that were locally sponsored trials. Twenty four clinical trial protocols were Phase I; Phase II were 23 while 22 were Phase III. A review
of the clinical trial protocols showed that 37 (53.6%) had an explicit objective on drug safety evaluation.
On safety reporting methods and pathways assessment; clinical trials protocols with provisions for safety reporting to local ethics research committee (ERC) were 69 (100%).Protocols that had provision for safety reporting to the sponsor were 53 (76.8%).Sixty (87.0%) protocols had provision for safety reporting to PPB. Protocols with provisions for sponsor to report to regulatory agencies outside Kenya were 42 (60.9%). Protocols that had a data collection tool with a case report form of reporting suspected unexpected serious adverse reactions (SUSARs) were 63 (94.0%).
Out of the 28 safety reports reviewed with respect to completeness and causality, 20 (70.4%) of the safety reports were complete while 8 (29.6%) of the safety reports were not complete as the patient code, age or type of suspected unexpected serious adverse reactions/serious adverse events (SUSAR/SAE) was not stated. Drug safety reports with age included were 94.4%. The type of suspected unexpected serious adverse reactions/serious adverse events (SUSAR/SAE) was stated in 38.9% of the safety reports. The start date of adverse event was stated in 5.6% of the safety reports and end date was included in 38.9% of the safety reports. Causality was stated as probable in 4 (12.5%) of the drug safety reports.
In relation to reporting timelines of serious adverse events (SAEs); 40 (58.8%) clinical trial protocols complied with PPB guidelines on reporting timelines to PPB of not later than twenty four hours. Fifty seven (82.4%) clinical trial protocols complied with PPB guidelines reporting timelines to sponsor of not later than twenty four hours. On description of reporting timelines of suspected unexpected serious adverse reactions (SUSARs); 6 (9.0%) clinical trial protocols complied with PPB guidelines of reporting timelines to sponsor of not later than seven calendar days with follow up reports within eight days.
Measures taken by the sponsor to mitigate serious adverse events were hospitalisation in which 22 (78.6%) of the safety reports had their clinical trial participants hospitalised. For 26(37.5%) studies the sponsor formed a data and safety monitoring board (DSMB) to conduct an interim data analysis and review emergent safety issues. In one case (1.6%), the clinical trial was terminated early as the study objective had
been achieved. Expedited reporting was done in 8 (11.6%) trials that showed a significant risk by the sponsor to the regulatory body.
Conclusion
The study identified gaps in drug safety reporting in clinical trials which different stakeholders can use to improve communication between themselves to ensure timely reporting of adverse events. There is need for a safety data base that will ensure safety reports are complete, quantification of adverse events and follow ups are done. There is need for the regulatory body to carry out more inspections of clinical trial sites to improve drug safety reporting.a
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, ; bDepartment of Mental Health, School of Medicine,
Moi University, Eldoret, Keny
Determinants of Information Communication Technology Project Performancein a Software Implementation Company Africa: a Case Study of Indra Limited
No full textMost information systems including current ICT projects in Africa fail either totally or
partially. Explanations of why some Information Systems fulfill their expectations, whereas
others fail, are complex and multi-factorial. The purpose of this study was to establish the
determinants of information communication technology project performance in a software
implementation company in Africa. The study was carried out in Indra and had the following
objectives: to examine how top management support influences ICT project performance in
organizations in Africa ,to evaluate how organization and project culture influences ICT
project performance in organizations in Africa ,to determine how project planning influences
ICT project performance in organizations in Africa and to establish the interrelationship
between the factors affecting information communication technology project success.
The target population of this study included all cadres of Indra and its client’s staff. The
total population in the study was 304. A descriptive research design was adopted. Random
sampling was used in this study. The study made use of closed ended questionnaires as
instruments of data collection. Quantitative data was first coded then analyzed using
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). After interpretation, the findings were
presented in tables using frequencies and percentages.
The study revealed that the influence of top management support is significant on strategic
planning, and on project management. Also, the results suggest that the influence of partners
and supplier’s management is significant on training and education. Furthermore, the findings
show that the influence of communication management is significant on project management,
on project team competency, and on stakeholder’s management. Areas for further research
work included a study on: factors contributing to lack of senior management support in
projects. These would highlight the issues underlying the failure of project implementation
and inform decision makers on the
necessary actions to be taken
Factors Influencing Implementation Of Strategic Plans In Equity Bank (Kenya) Limited
No full textThe general objective of this study which was examine the factors influencing strategic plan implementation in Equity Bank (Kenya) Limited. The study was guided by stakeholder theory, resource-based view and institution theory. In this study the research design that was adopted was the case study which implied that the data collected was from one organization. Data for this project was collected from primary sources through personal interview. The data was analyzed using content analysis technique given its nature was qualitative. The study sought to establish and examine the factors influencing strategic plan implementation in Equity Bank (Kenya) Limited. The study concluded that there are various factors which affect strategic plan implementation in Equity Bank. These factors include organization structure, organization culture, leadership styles, use of technology, communication styles and resources availability. The study also concluded that the effect of these factors was positive. The study also concluded that all these factors are intertwined and the effect of each is somehow pegged to the effect of the other. For instance, organization structure is related to the type of leadership style adopted. Similarly, the mode of communication is related to the leadership style that is in place. Hence, the study concluded that there is need to consider all these factors for the realization of successful strategic plan implementation. Further, the study concluded that Equity Bank had adequate resources requisite for implementation of strategic plans. The study also concluded that Equity Bank has an effective human resource department which ensures that the employees are equipped to implement the bank’s strategic plan. Further, the study concluded that there exists conflicting organizational goals and responsibilities which affect the implementation of the bank’s strategic plan. These include conflicting organization goals between departments or between units within a department which slowed down the process of strategic plan implementation. Based on the study findings the study recommends that companies in the banking industry should take into consideration factors that affect implementation of strategic plans. This is because successful implementation of strategic plans impacts organization performance positively. This would thus result into improved performance through realization of the bank’s strategic goals and objectives. Since this study was qualitative, the study recommends that a similar study be conducted but adopt a quantitative approach. This would help to clearly define the magnitude of effect of specific factors on implementation of strategic plans. This would thus help other commercial banks and private companies to understand what factors to consider for successful implementation of strategic plans
Relationship Between Ownership Structure and Dividend Policy in the Sugar Industry in Kenya
No full textThe study sought to establish the scrutinize the link between ownership structures and disbursement policy in the sugar business in Kenya; to measure the link between government ownership and dividend policy amongst sugar establishments in Kenya; and explore the link between private dividend policy and ownership amongst sugar establishments in Kenya. To realize the objectives the study used descriptive study design. The target population was eleven operational sugar factories in Kenya. The study utilized secondary information that entailed time series data gathered over a period of approximately 5 years; from 2013-2017. The information collected comprised of dividend pay-out ratio, proportion of common shares of the state divided by cumulative common shares in issue; proportion of common shares of the institution divided by cumulative common shares in issue; percentage of common shares held by foreign investors divided by cumulative common shares in issue; ROE,
Liquidity ratio. Normality test was measured by the Shapiro Wilk test, The Shapiro Wilk test pointed out that the data points contained in the sample were not normally distributed. Heteroscedasticity was measured by the Breusch-Pagan (BP) test which showed that there was no heteroscedasticity in the data set imply that there was equal variability in the data set. Multicollinearity was measured by variance inflation factor. VIF values of government ownership, institutional ownership, foreign ownership, liquidity and pay-out ratio are less than 10 showing have fair multicollinearity. Profitability has a VIF greater than 10 indicating strong multicollinearity. The variables under study were analysed for their descriptive statistics which were presented in the form of mean, standard deviation, maximum, minimum and skewness. The findings as per the descriptive statistics revealed that other than liquidity all other variables had standard deviation greater than the mean implying a high volatility in the sense that a change in the data values implies unpredictability of the variable. Correlation analysis was used to determine whether a change in another variable accompanies a change in another variable. From the correlation matrix above, the findings reveal that there is a weak positive correlation(r=0.035) between dividend pay-out and government ownership. There is a weak positive correlation (r=0.080) between dividend pay-out and institutional ownership. Foreign ownership and dividend pay-out were weakly negative correlated (r=-0.053) with dividend pay-out. There was a weak positive correlation (r=0.191) between ROE and divided pay-out. Liquidity was also weakly positive correlated (r=0.191) with dividend pay-out. From the model summary the study deduced that the coefficient of determination r-squared was 0.22861. This suggests 22.861% of the variation in dividend pay-out is accounted for by model or that the model is 22.861% efficient in estimating the relationship. The study concluded that all the five independent variables had a positive effect on dividend pay-out. The extent of the positive impact on dividend pay-out varied form one variable to another as indicated by different coefficients. Nonetheless, ROE was concluded to have had a stronger influence on dividend pay-out. The study was also conducted with the aim of establishing associations between dividend pay-out and government ownership, institutional ownership, foreign ownership, ROE and liquidity. It was concluded that government ownership, institutional ownership, ROE and liquidity had weak positive correlation with dividend pay-out while foreign ownership was weakly negatively correlated with dividend pay-out
Monitoring The Distribution Of Water Hyacinth, Using Remotely Sensed Data: Case Study Of Lake Victoria, Kenya
No full textThe objective of this project was to apply the recent Landsat 8 OLI & TRS Thematic Mapper imagery in mapping the distribution, quantify the area covered by invasive floating vegetation commonly known as water hyacinth as well as assess the changing pattern (change detection) of the weed on the Lake Victoria. Selected period of study was from 2013 to 2019, considering the month of April when the cloud cover is relatively less than 10%. The process involved pre-processing of raw downloaded Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS TM satellite images by radiometric and atmospheric correction, geometric rectification, layer stacking, and sub-setting to extract area of interest. Pre-processed images were then subjected to supervised classification by maximum likelihood, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and post-classification. In supervised classification, spectral signatures for each image were obtained through data training. Both classification techniques were used to obtain water-vegetation maps followed by quantifying the changes through change detection technique. The results indicated a fluctuating but significant percentage in area occupied by floating vegetation. The highest was in 2014 and lowest in 2015 recording 9.7% and 1.9% corresponding to 33211 and 6435 hectares respectively. The change detection analysis results depicted a massive decline in floating vegetation by about 79.8%. In contrast to the table 17 which points out a strong increment of the floating vegetation by 79.913%. However the general change indicate that the floating vegetation decreased overall from 5.779% in 2013 to 4.693% in 2019. In contrast, water did not change a lot, but it increased by approximately 3.937% between 2013 and 2019
Translation Errors in Crouwdsourced Translations: an Analysis of Kiswahili Fcebook User Interface Content
No full textThis study is set out to investigate translation errors in crowdsourced translations for Facebook’s Kiswahili user interface. These errors were identified, categorized and their apparent assessed. In order to achieve the study’s purpose, data on translation errors was collected from Facebook user interface by taking screenshots of texts that were selected through purposive sampling. Translation errors were then identified based on the basic concepts of the Dynamic Equivalence Theory proposed by Eugine Nida, and the content analysis method. The errors were grouped into three categories; grammar errors, stylistic errors and accuracy errors. The analysis of these errors revealed that they arose mainly from literal translation, lack of provision of a context on the part of Facebook and lack of translator training. The study also assessed apparent translation strategies that were used by translators which may have led to these errors. These were mainly word-for-word translation and oblique translation. Moreover, the study provided a basis for further studies by recommending the use of a hybrid translation approach between crowdsourcing and outsourcing, arriving at a stronger translation approach which leverages on the strengths of both approaches
Influence of Teacher-preparedness on Pupils’ Performance at Kenya Certificate of Primaryexamination English Subject in Public Primary Schools, Kenya
No full textThis study investigated Influence of Teacher-preparedness on learner performance in Kenya
Certificate of Primary Examination (KCPE) English subject in public primary schools in Kenya.
The purpose was to investigate the influence of teacher-preparedness on learner performance in
English subject. To achieve this teacher-preparedness was deconstructed into four key variables
namely academic qualification, teaching experience, availability and use of professional
documents, and availability and use of teaching and learning resources/school infrastructure) and
their influence on performance of KCPE in English subject in schools in Kenya. The study was
guided by descriptive survey research design. Atotal of 84 public primary schools from Machakos
County were sampled. A total of 448 questionnaires were distributed to both teachers and
pupils.168 teachers who teach English subject in candidate classes and 280 pupils of class seven
participated. The return rate for teachers and pupils was 134 and 243 respectively giving an
average of 84.1%.Data was collected using questionnaires for teachers and learners, and
observation schedule. Data from questionnaires and observation schedule was analyzed. Research
hypotheses tested using regression analysis and t test showed that teacher qualification, teaching
experience, availability and use of learning resources/school infrastructure and availability and
use of professional documents significantly influenced KCPE performance in English subject in
Kenya. Study findings show that there exist significant relationships between: academic
qualification and pupils’ performance, availability and use of professional documents and pupils’
performance, availability and use of school resources/infrastructure andpupils’ performance at
Kenya Certificate of Primary Examinations in English subject in Kenya. Study also did find a
general but significant general relationship to exist between teaching experience and pupils’
performance for reason that pupils’ performance increased significantly with increase inteachers’
teaching experience from 3 years upwards to 23 years after which pupils’ performance at Kenya
Certificate of Primary Examinationin English subject in Kenya showed a significant decrease
with further increase inteachers’ teaching experience. This implies that keeping teachers with a
teaching experience of over 23 years in classroom is not productive; that the Government needs
to weigh in on quality of teacher qualifications in Kenyan schools; and that Government and
other stakeholders in Education sector should endeavor to provide requisite learning
resources/infrastructure in order to enhance pupils’ performance at Kenya Certificate of Primary
Education exams in English subject in public primary schools in Kenya. The study concluded that
there is need to systematically address variables found to be causing pupil candidates to perform
poorly at Kenya Certificate of Primary Examinations in English subject in Kenya particularly in
public primary schools to stem out the deteriorating performance of English subject at this critical
level of Education whereat basics of English language are engrained in young minds as a tool for
cross-border communication. Study concluded that strategies need to be formulated for reversal
of the downward trend in the learner performance of KCPE in English subject in schools in
Kenya. The study recommended that there is need to step up teacher-preparedness strategies in
order to reverse this downward trend of poor performance in English subject. It also
recommended for need to strengthen Directorate in charge of teacher supervisionin Ministry of
Education charged with monitoringand evaluation of teacher-preparedness at all teaching levels
in Kenya’s learning institutions
The effect of land use change on soil fertility parameters in densely populated areas of Kenya.
No full textThe current study seeks to assess sustainability of agricultural land use by identifying the effect of land use change on soil quality using cross-sectional data collected through a household survey among 525 farm households in densely populated areas of Kenya. Soil samples were collected, analyzed and compared across three land use types: undisturbed, semi-disturbed and cultivated. To achieve these objectives, descriptive, Nutrient Index approach and Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis methods were used. Results indicate that within a period of five decades, agricultural land use has led to a decline in Total Organic Carbon (-72%), Magnesium (-65%) and Boron (-61%), Iron (-22%) and Total Nitrogen (-15%). The drivers of deterioration identified were cutting across inherent properties such as soil chemical (pH), physical (soil mapping unit) and biological (organic carbon) attributes, farmer practices (agricultural commercialization) and exogenous factors (population density and Agro-ecological zones). The study concludes that indeed conversion of land from natural vegetation is associated with deterioration in soil quality and therefore policy needs to create incentives for the build-up of soil organic matter, replenishment of soil macro and micro nutrients. Blending of commercial fertilizers with targeted micro-nutrients, maintenance of soil conservation techniques and long term fallowing are encouraged