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Differences Between Health- and Skill-Related Physical Fitness Profiles of Kenyan Children from Urban and Rural Areas: The Kenya-LINX Project
(MDIP, 2025-04) Kinuthia,Stanley Kagunda; Stratton,Gareth; Wachira,Lucy Joy; Okoth,Victor; Owino,George Evans; Ochola,Sophie; Richards,Amie Bethan; Kiplamai,Festus; Onywera,Vincent; Swindell,Nils
Abstract: Physical fitness is a key indicator of children’s health, yet amidst rising inac tivity and obesity, data on Kenyan children are scarce. This study assessed health- and
skill-related fitness differences between rural and urban Kenyan children while examining
demographic influences. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), BMI, strength, flexibility, speed,
agility, and coordination were assessed in 1131 children aged 11.07 ± 0.9 years (52.7% girls)
recruited using stratified cluster random sampling. Significant rural–urban disparities were
observed. In urban areas, 16.6% were overweight and 2.8% obese, compared to 4% and 0.6%
in rural areas (p < 0.001). Conversely, 44.5% of the rural cohort were underweight versus
13.7% urban cohort (p < 0.001). Multivariable regression revealed that rural children demon strated superior CRF (β = −4.68 laps, p < 0.001) and lower back flexibility (β = −2.77 cm,
p < 0.001), while urban children excelled in speed and coordination (β = 3.68 bounces,
p < 0.001) and grip strength (β = 2.16 kg, p < 0.001). Boys outperformed girls in explosive
leg power (β = −6.75 cm, p < 0.001) and CRF (β = −6.92 laps, p < 0.001). These findings
highlight fitness inequities among Kenyan children, emphasising the need for equitable,
targeted, and inclusive physical activity opportunities.
Caregiving and Children’s Preschool Attendance: A Case of Tharaka Nithi Preschool Randomized Controlled Trial Intervention Project
(kenyatta university, 2025) Mwoma,Teresa; Onywere,Simon; Okeyo, Fred; Naivasha,Dorothy; Waudo,Judith; Onditi, James; Ouko,Hudson; Mwangi,Margaret; Iguna,Joseph; Oteyo,Samson; Mvungu,Eunice; Gachara,Esther; Meghir, Costas; Henningham,Helen
Caregiving is a service provided for children with the primary objective of taking care of them and
ensuring that they are safe and have opportunities to learn and develop positive relationships with
their caregivers and peers while their parents are away. Caregiving takes the forms of home-based
care, centre-based care, school-based care, family child care and family, friend, and neighbour
(FFN) care. The paper utilises preliminary findings on school attendance from a randomised
controlled trial on the effects of a preschool intervention on child learning and women’s economic
empowerment in Tharaka Nithi County in school-based care. The research sought to test whether
a preschool-based intervention in a rural setting in Kenya influences child development and
women’s labour market participation in a cost-effective manner. The project examines the impact
of allowing three-year-old children to attend preschool versus the regular pre-primary education
programming, which allows children aged 4 years and above to attend preschool. Implementation
of the intervention started in January 2024 in 60 intervention schools where five three-year-old
children were admitted to a playgroup (PG) in the pre-primary one (PP1) class. Twelve mentors
and sixty caregivers were recruited and trained alongside sixty PP1 teachers from the sampled
preschools to implement an adapted PP1 curriculum. The twelve mentors coached teachers weekly
on the implementation of the curriculum in the five schools assigned to them. This paper presents
preliminary findings on preschool attendance for the PG and PP1 children based on weekly
attendance data from term one and term two of the 2024 school calendar year on the day the
mentors visited the school. Findings reveal that school attendance was low during school openings,
midterm breaks, and the last weeks before the schools closed. Public holidays, as well as
extracurricular activities coupled with children being sent home for school levies, also contributed
to children not attending school regularly. The findings further show that the attendance rate in
term one was slightly higher than in term two
The Role of Competitive Strategies in Enhancing Performance of Selected DT-Saccos in Nairobi City County, Kenya
(EdinBurg, 2025-03) Muchiri,Timothy; Muthimi,Janet
The contemporary operational environment of organizations is characterized by rapid shifts
and heightened unpredictability, driven by factors such as evolving consumer behaviour,
globalization, increased competition, and market deregulation. This study investigates the
impact of competitive strategies cost leadership, differentiation, customer focus, and growth
on the performance of deposit-taking Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOs)
within Nairobi City County, Kenya. Grounded in the resource-based view, configuration
theory, and goal-setting theory, the study utilized a descriptive research design targeting 215
administrative employees across various SACCOs. A stratified proportionate sampling method
was employed to select 109 participants. Data were collected using semi-structured
questionnaires, and analyzed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS),
focusing on descriptive and inferential statistics, including regression and correlation analyses.
The findings revealed that cost leadership strategies, particularly cost adjustments and
competitive pricing, significantly improved operational efficiency and organizational
performance. Differentiation strategies centred on offering unique value-based products, were
also positively correlated with better performance outcomes. Additionally, customer-focused
strategies were shown to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty, while growth strategies,
such as market penetration and product development, contributed to increased SACCO
performance. The study concludes that the effective implementation of these competitive
strategies is essential for boosting the performance of SACCOs. Recommendations include
investing in technological innovation, fostering strategic alignment, and institutionalizing
continuous strategy monitoring. Future research should explore the impact of organizational
culture and external environmental factors on SACCO's performance.
Simple and Fail-safe Method to Transform Miniprep Escherichia coli Strain K12 Plasmid DNA Into Viable Agrobacterium tumefaciens EHA105 Cells for Plant Genetic Transformation
(bio-protocol, 2025) Siamalube,Beenzu; Ehinmitan,Emmanuel; Maina Ngotho; Onguso,Justus; Runo,Steven
Agrobacterium-mediated gene transformation method is a vital molecular biology technique employed to develop transgenic
plants. Plants are genetically engineered to develop disease-free varieties, knock out unsettling traits for crop improvement,
or incorporate an antigenic protein to make the plant a green factory for edible vaccines. The method’s robustness was
validated through successful transformations, demonstrating its effectiveness as a standard approach for researchers working
in plant biotechnology. It enables the introduction of foreign DNA into plant genomes. Conventionally, plant genetic
transformation has relied on time-consuming, costly, and technically demanding procedures, such as electroporation and
chimeric viruses or biolistic methods, which usually yield variable transformation efficiencies. This study presents a simple
and fail-safe protocol that involves a modified freeze-thaw and heat-shock concoction method. This approach involves a
streamlined plasmid miniprep procedure to isolate high-quality plasmid DNA from Escherichia coli K12 strain, followed
by a target-specific transfer into A. tumefaciens EHA105 strain. The optimized method minimizes DNA degradation and
maximizes uptake by Agrobacterium cells, making it a reproducible and accessible protocol for various genetic engineering
applications. The transformation efficiency is consistently high, enhancing plasmid uptake while maintaining cell viability,
requiring minimal specialized equipment and reagents. The proposed protocol offers significant advantages, including
simplicity, reliability, and cost-effectiveness, positioning it as a valuable alternative to traditional techniques in the field of
plant biotechnology.
Instructional Strategies and Their Influence on Academic Performance of Learners with Emotional and Behavioural Disorders in Nandi Central Sub-County, Kenya
(EJSER, 2025) Chemaiyo,Caroline; Murugami,Margaret; Otube,Nelly
Some researchers argue that the most difficult learners to teach are those with emotional
behaviour disorders. This is mainly due to the heterogeneous nature of this disability.
Despite this, there exist appropriate research-based strategies to teach such learners. The
main aim of this research was to investigate the strategies used to teach learners with
EBD in the Nandi central sub-county and as well the challenges faced by teachers as they
do so. Public schools should provide programs that enhance the educational and
academic progress of both typically developing learners and those with EBD. Every child
is entitled to free, appropriate education regardless of their disabilities. Academic
performance of pupils with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBDs) in Kenya has
been continuously dismal in both internal and external examinations. They commonly
drop out of school prematurely and are more likely to be imprisoned at some point in
their lifetime. This is because teachers use the same old strategies over and over again.
This was mixed-method research that adopted a descriptive research design. The study
was guided by Jean Piaget's constructivism theory (1995). According to Piaget, learners
construct knowledge through experiences and interactions and not passively through
receiving information. Constructivism motivates students to take an active role in their
education. This is through relating new concepts to their own life experiences. It
advocates for learner-centric approaches. The main tools of data collection in this research ...