Proposal Titles for Projects and Theses (PT)

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Fabrication of Rapid Diagnostic kit Casing using Degradable Cellulosic Material as an Alternative to Plastic
(2013-12-14) Njogu, M.J.; Ng'ang'a, M. M.; Naumih, N.; Thuo, M. M.
Diseases continue to be a major challenge in developing countries with massive impact on the already overburdened economies. The demand for health service is ever increasing due rapid population growth. Since most medical instruments are bulky and expensive, rapid diagnostic kits for early disease recognition have been used to a great extent. The worldwide clinical diagnostics industry is valued at approximately $19 billion. Currently rapid diagnostic kit casings are made of plastic because of its advantages during the fabrication, however little attention has been given to the life of the kits after use. Plastic casing used in diagnostic kits ta.ke a long time to degrade and this led to adverse.effect in soil and water pollution. Some kits have been developed for highly infectious diseases like HIV and TB. Their disposal creates biohazard waste accumulation especially in developing countries where regulation and management of bioharzardous waste is not developed yet. There is high risk of environmental contamination, exposure to human beings and animals. This study aims at adopting casings derived from degradable cellulosic materials to replace the non-degradable plastic casing. This will be achieved through chemical grafting to form a monolayer of hydrophobic molecules on the surface of cellulosic materials. The exposed hydroxyl groups (OH) in cellulosic materials will be functionalised without compromising mechanical properties. The surface modification of cellulosic materials will be tested for wetting properties by goniometor. Surface morphology and composition of modified will be screened by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The suitable cellulosic materials identified will be used in fabrication of degradable, affordable and completely incinerable of diagnostic kit casing. Fabrication of the casing will ease accumulation bioharzardous waste in developing countries.
Application of Genetic Engineering Approach in the Control of Cassava Brown Streak and Bacterial Blight Diseases
(2013-12-14) Njiru, J. M.; Mgutu, Allan Jalemba; Tripathi, L.
Cassava is the fifth most important food crop in the world. Cassava's importance in Africa and South America can't be overstated. As a drought-tolerant crop that does well in poor soils, it enhances household food security and is a source of income that provides livelihood to 800million people globally. Annual global production of cassava is estimated at 232 million tonnes; an average yield of 12.5 tonnes per hectare. Diseases and pests are the greatest biotic problems to cassava production across the East" and Central Africa (ECA) sub-region causing yield losses. Cassava bacterial blight (CBB) caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis (Xam) is the most destructive bacterial disease in all cassava growing areas of the world causing yield losses of about 50% to 75%. Cassava is vulnerable to at least 20 different viral diseases, cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), being one of the most important viral diseases in Africa. CBSD is more lethal than other cassava viral disease because it causes severe necrosis within the edible storage roots. Crop improvement efforts through conventional breeding have aimed at attaining CBSD and CBB resistance, however these efforts have been largely unsuccessful due to the nature of the cassava plant for example poor flowering and low pollen fertility. This study aims at generating CBB and CBSD resistant plants through genetic engineering. Hypersensitivity response assisting protein (Hrap) gene will be used for transforming cultivar 60444. The constitutive expression of the Hrap in plants generates durable resistance against plant bacterial pathogens. This study seeks to use the Hrap gene to generate CBB resistance in cassava. There is no robust genotype-independent transformation protocol that has been developed for African farmer preferred cultivars. Through this study :;t protocol for transformation of three farmer preferred cultivars (TME 14, Mkombozi, Albert) using friable embryogenic callus (FEC) as the explant will be optimized, then transform one of the cultivars for resistance against CBSD using the optimized protocol. Post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) offer significant potential for controlling RNA plant viruses like CBSD. Therefore this study aims at using the RNA interference (RNAi) approach in developing CBSD resistant lines. The presence, integration and expression of the transgenes will be confirmed by PCR, Southern blot and RT-PCR analysis followed by screen house evaluation to gauge resistance. Data on different stages of optimization during transformation and regeneration will be collected and analysed by ANOV A (p<0.05) and means will be separated using LSD (p<0.05). For FEC and cotyledon induction a completely, randomized design (CRD) will be used for all experiments with the FEC as the observation unit and the plate as the replicate. At list three replicates will be set per experiments. The regeneration Frequency (RF) and transformation frequency (TF) of all the cultivars will be determined
Optimization of Genetic Transformation Protocol for Selected Banana and Plantain (Musa spp.) Cultivars Preferred in Africa
(2013-12-14) Wanja, K. E.; Runo, Steven; Oduor, R.; Tripathi, L.
Bananas and plantains (Musa spp.) are important staple food for rural and urban consumers and provide a source of income for resource poor farmers in the humid tropics of sub-Saharan Africa. However, banana production is severely limited by several pests and diseases, such as banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW), Banana bunchy top virus, Banana streak virus, black leaf streak, Fusarium wilt, weevils and nematodes. The application of conventional breeding for both disease and pest resistance has resulted only in limited success due to the long generation times and the high sterility and triploidy of most cultivated bananas and plantains. Genetic transformation offers an alternative and viable means for introduction of agronomically important traits into these cultivars. However, to be successful, these applications require a rapid and efficient plant regeneration and transformation protocols for both banana and plantain. Currently, most transformation protocols for banana use cell suspensions. However, establishing cell suspensions is a lengthy process, highly cultivar-dependent and most farmer-preferred banana and plantain cultivars are recalcitrant to generation of embryogenic cell suspensions. Thus optimization of cultivar-independent transformation protocol using meristematic tissues becomes a prerequisite for agronomic improvement of bananas and plantains. The objective of this study will be to optimize a genetic transformation protocol of banana and plantain cultivars using mcristematic tissues and also develop transgenic plants resistant against BXW. Multiple bud clumps (MBCs) and intercalary meristematic tissues of 10 cultivars (Grande naine, Gross Michel, Gonja Manjaya, Nusu Ngombe, Ngombe, Mpologoma, Uganda green, Kayinja, Zebrina and Calcutta 4) will be co-cultivated with Agrobacterium strain EHA 105 harboring a binary vector pCAMBIA23 0 1 or modified pCAMBIA2300-GFP, followed by selection and regeneration of kanamycin-resistant plantlets. The effect of different parameters including acetosyringone concentration, length of infection time, sonication and vacuum infiltration on transformation efficiency will be determined. Transgenic plants will be subcultured for several cycles under selection to di Ill!e chimeras and progenies will be tested for presence of transgene. Histochemical GUS and GFP assays at different stages of transformation will be used to test the uniformity of transformed plants. The presence and integration of the nplIl and gusA genes in the progenies will be confirmed by PCR and Southern blot analysis, respectively. The optimized protocol will be used to transform' cultivars Mpologoma and Kayinja with hypersensitive response assisting protein (Hrap) gene. Hrap gene has been shown to intensify the harpin-., mediated hypersensitive response and consequently conferring resistance to a wide range of pathogens in plants. The trans genes have been reported to enhance the hypersensitive response induced by virulent pathogens that act through the release of proteinceous elicitor harpinj; in tobacco, Arabidopsis and banana .~'1BCs and meristematic tissues will be used for the transformation followed by selection, regeneration and evaluation of the resultant transgenic lines Lor resistance against nxw. This study will augment the ongoing genetic improvement of bananas and plantains and contribute to the food security of communities living in Africa.
Adoption and Sustainability of Small Hydro Power and Biogas Plants and their Contribution to Energy Poverty Alleviation in Kirinyaga County
(2013-12-14) Njiru, C. W.; Letema, S. C.; Maingi, S. M.
Energy is an essential component in the development of any nation. In the last decades, the main sources of energy have been fossil fuels mainly petroleum, coal and natural gas, but they are major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases contribute to climatic changes, thus a need for a shift to clean renewable energy sources such as biomass, solar, wind, geothermal and hydropower to reduce greenhouse gases. Many developing countries, Kenya included, are facing major challenges in energy provision and many rural populations are experiencing energy poverty exhibited by lack of access to electricity and reliance on traditional fuels for cooking. The main purpose of this research, therefore, is to examine the contribution of adoption of small hydropower and biogas plants to energy poverty alleviation in Kirinyaga County. The research design will be exploratory case study. The sampling procedure will be purposive sampling for those who have adopted biogas and those connected to the small hydro power projects. Sampling of non adoptees of biogas and small hydro power and those connected to the national grid will be through simple random sampling based on administrative divisions. Data collection will be through structured interviews for schools principals, managers of community based organizations, biogas contractors, small hydro power projects operators and government institutions that support them. Questionnaires will be administered to users and non-users of small hydro power and biogas plants. Visits will be made to the farms and small hydro power stations to make observations. Focus group discussions will be used to validate obtained information or capture new information. Primary data will be analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics (chi-square) for questionnaires and in themes for interviews, focus group discussions and observation. Secondary data will be analyzed through content analysis and descriptive statistics. The study findings will give the status of energy in rural Kirinyaga County, contribution of small hydro power and biogas plants to rural energy poverty alleviation and recommendations for improving renewable energy policies and practices.
The Potential for Soil Carbon Sequestration under Different Land Management Practices in Small Holder Farms of Murang'a County, Kenya
(2013-12-14) Ng'ang'a, L. W.; Letema, S.; Thuo, A.D.M.
Carbon sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems mitigates the Green House Gases (GHGs) effect and combats land degradation. This makes soil carbon sequestration a vital ecosystem functions that contributes to soil structure, water-holding capacity, cation exchange capacity, and the soils ability to form complexes with metal ions and to store nutrients. However land management practices have significant influence on the ability of soils to store the carbon stocks. This study will be carried out in Murang'a County in the central region of Kenya. The study will assess the potential for soil carbon sequestration udder different land management practices in small holder farms of Murang'a County. Small holder farmers are experiencing declining productivity due to continuous cropping without adequate addition of inputs like fertilizer and manure. Declining soil fertility causes substantial net losses of soil carbon resulting in increased carbon flux to the atmosphere. There is need to sustain efforts for carbon sequestration through sustainable land management practices.' The main objectives of the study are to; measure the amount of soil carbon stocks at different depths under different land use types; assess how the different land management practices affect the amount of organic carbon sequestered by soils and determine if there are significance differences in soil carbon stocks among the two major soil types. This study will sample soils at different soil depths of; 0~30, 30~60 and 60-90 cm to evaluate the soil organic carbon stocks at the three different depths under different land use. Samples will be analysed for soil bulk density, percent organic carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, potassium, pH and C: N ratio. Determination of organic carbon will use Walkley-Black chromic acid wet oxidation method. A questionnaire will be administered to the farmers whose farms will have been identified for soil sampling in order to capture the land management practices 'currently in use. Data collected will be analyzed to generate general or summary statistics. Data will also be subjected to Analysis of Variance to evaluate if there exists significant difference in the vertical distribution of soil organic carbon stocks and cross the land use types and management practices. Effects of land management practices on the soil organic carbon stocks at different depths and in different soil types will also be evaluated. The study is expected to show the potential sequestration capacity of soils in the study 'area under the different management practices and land use types. An evaluation will be done to assess if the stocks available are adequate for carbon market participation. This is expected to inform the policy direction on small holder farmer's participation in the carbon market and also show which land use types and management practices accrue significant carbon stocks. Finally data from this study can be used to model a baseline scenario for future soil carbon stocks assessment and trend analysis in Murang' a County.
A Sociolinguistic Study of the Structure and Use of an Emerging Sheng among Matatu Crew in Nakuru Town, Kenya
(2013-12-16) Nyong' a, C. A.; Kebaya, C.
This study looks at the morphological restructuring of Swahili words to a new emerging Sheng in Nakuru Town. The study looks at the speech repertoire of matatu crew and their interlocutors and analyzes how in-group and out-group correlate with the new emerging Sheng. It is difficult to follow a conversation in the emerging Sheng and thus it is against this background that an attempt will be made to unravel the new formations in the emerging Sheng and the changes they undertake morphologically. The study will thus look at the processes involved in changing the words from Swahili to the emerging Sheng The theoretical framework for this study will consist of Speech Accommodation Theory as explained by Coupland and Giles (1991) and The Lexical and Word Based Morphological Theories as propounded by Bauer (1983). Research instruments used for data collection include unstructured interviews, tape recording and observation notes.The data will be analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively.
Phonological Nativisation of Kipsigis Loanwords
(2013-12-16) Tanui, F. K. T.; Mwangi, P.; Njoroge, Martin C.
Nativization is the linguistic readjustment that a language experiences at the phonological, morphological, syntactic and lexical levels due to the influence of local languages and various Socio-cultural factors. This study is on the nativization of loanwords in Kipsigis and the main objectives are to i) identify and categorise the loan words in Kipsigis language ii) describe the phonological processes involved in their nativization and iii) account for these changes using Distinctive Feature Theory and CV -Phonology theories. The Distinctive Feature Theory and CVPhonology Theory will guide the collection, analysis and interpretation of the data. The methodology will involve a generation of Corpus of words (nouns) from respondents in a semistructured interview, but tape recording will also be used to back up the data. Data collection will be done in two villages in Bomet County namely; Chebirbelek village (an urban area) and Chesoton village (a rural setting). The number of respondents targeted will be forty half from Chesoton and half from Chebirbelek from the 20 in each village 10 will be men ant the other 10 will be women from the lOin each gender 5 will have at least a KCPE certificate and above while the other 5 will be those who have not stepped into the formal system of education or do not possess a KCPE cerficate. Whi Ie tenets of CV -Phonology notations wi II be used to analyse the resyllabification strategies, Distinctive Feature theory will be used in differentiating phonemes. The results of the research will hopefully assist in understanding the process of language transfer and also in identifying possible errors / substitutions that students make in learning a new language. Lastly, it is hoped that this study will stimulate further research in the areas of Kipsigis phonology and nativisation.
Contribution of Children's Involvement in Housework on Academic Competence in Early Childhood at City Primary School, Nairobi County
(2013-12-16) Kulundu, A. E.; Ng'asike, J. T.; Wambiri, G.
Early childhood education is now recognized as critical in laying the foundation for holistic development of young children during the formative years. Research in early childhood emphasizes the interplay between the home and the school in enhancing quality holistic experiences in children in the early years. However, the rise in industrialization and technological advancements in modem day society have led to a lot of changes in child rearing practices especially in the urban areas. These changes include: a greater number of mothers seeking employment, absentee fathers, employment of domestic servants in the homes, a more demanding education system and so on. These changes have had tremendous effects on childhood experiences that have all along been significant to the development of children including the participation of children in housework. Participation of children in housework is a traditional practice that has been imperative in the holistic development of school children including academic competences. However, current research does not show whether this practice is still being done, especially in the urban households where the effects of modernity are the greatest. This gap in knowledge is the basis for conducting this study. This is a descriptive survey, whose purpose is to find out whether or not school children in urban households are being involved in housework and how this relates to their academic performance in the school activity areas. Qualitative methods of data collection and analysis will be used during the study. Purposive sampling will be used to select the specific settings and respondents relevant to the study. It will be done among six to eight year old children, parents and teachers at City Primary School, Nairobi County. The sampling frame will be 77 respondents which is 30.08% of the population. Naturalistic observations of the children at home and at school and in-depth interviews and questionnaires will be the primary sources of data. In addition, document analysis, field notes, journals and tape recording will provide additional secondary data. A pilot study will be done among children and patents at Ngara Road primary school, to test the validity and reliability of the instruments. Qualitative analysis procedures will be used to analyze the data collected and the generated theory will be compared to existing theory. This knowledge is likely to inform parents, teachers and policy makers on the role of housework in developing academic competence in early childhood.
Sustainability of Women's Development Projects Funded by NGOS in Kisumu Central Constituency - Kisumu County, Kenya
(2013-12-16) Adhola, G. A.
The NGOs and other donor agencies playa crucial role in the development of a nation especially in the developing countries like Kenya. The women development projects contribute significantly to uplifting the standard of living of the projects' beneficiaries. However, some development projects are not sustained and mostly collapse shortly after the termination or withdrawal of donor support. Out of this concern, the proposed study will establish the determinants of sustainability of women development projects funded by NGOs in Kisumu Central Constituency, Kisumu County. Specific objectives will be to: investigate the nature ofwomen's development projects funded by NGOs in Kisumu Central Constituency, establish mechanisms for sustainability in women's development projects funded by NGOs in Kisumu Central Constituency; identify challenges faced by women development projects funded by NGOs in Kisumu Central Constituency, Kisumu County, identify strategies to ensure sustainability in women's development projects funded by NGOs in Kisumu Central Constituency, Kisumu County. The study will use the descriptive survey design approach. The target population of the study will be 13 financial managers, 23 project coordinators and 13 project managers from 13 NGO funded women's development projects in Kisumu Central Constituency. Research instruments for data collection will include questionnaires for project coordinators and financial managers from the NGOs, focus group discussion for the women beneficiaries from the projects and observational schedule. Quantitative data analysis will be performed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) whereby descriptive statistics such as frequency, means, standard deviation and percentages will be computed. Data will be presented using tables, bar graphs and pie charts. The study will be useful to women development projects as a source of knowledge for sustainable development; it may assist NGOs funding women projects to work on policy to ensure sustainability of projects.
Determination of Prohylactic Activity of HIV-Protease Inhibitors and their Interractions with Antimalarials.
(2013-12-16) Mburu, D. T.; Makumi, J. N.
Malaria is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa with children under 5 years and pregnant women at the highest risk. Over years, there has been an enhanced effort all over the world to find an effective drug or a vaccine against the protozoa. However most antimalarial drugs have been countered by increased resistance by parasite to the drugs rendering them ineffective. Among potential targets for new modes of chemotherapy are malarial proteases, which appear to mediate processes within the erythrocytic malarial life cycle, including the rupture and invasion of infected erythrocytes and the degradation of hemoglobin by trophozoites. Aspartic proteases playa key role in the biology of malaria parasites and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV -1). Most antivirals used in HIV therapy target these proteases that cleave a viral polyprotein precursor into individual mature proteins. Plasmodium falciparum, the most virulent human malaria parasite, expresses a number of aspartic proteases, known as plasmepsins. The convergence in dependence of the two parasites on the aspartic proteases makes them similar targets for chemotherapy. Malaria and AIDS share a wide geographical overlap in occurrence both being more prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and the interaction of the two diseases results in co-infection which clearly has major public health implication. Given their known dependence on proteases, it appears the protease inhibitors (PI) in the treatment certainly exert a certain degree of antimalarial effect. This has also been demonstrated in in vitro and in vivo with the most potent compound, lopinavir, active against parasites at concentrations well below those achieved by ritonavir-boosted lopinavir therapy. The objective of this study will therefore be to assess the antimalarial activity of protease inhibitors in mice models, and assess if they have protective role when taken before malaria infections and whether their co-use with the malarial drugs has any interactions that would affect their utilization. Three HIV protease inhibitors Ritonavir, Saquinavir mesylate and Nelfinavir mesylate hydrate (Sigma Aldrich) currently available in Kenyan markets will be used. Mice (5 for each group) infected with Plasmodium berghei will be treated with each of the protease inhibitors (PIs). Parasitaemia will be determined every 3 days by microscopy and cure/survival rate over a period of 30 days recorded. Another group will be treated with a combination of ritonavir and conventional antimalarial drug artemether-lumefantrine (coartem) to assess their interaction and another prophylactic assay. The effects of inhibitors on P. bergei morphologytshape and cell integrity) will be assessed by light microscopy of Giemsa-stained smears. Data will be entered in excel spreadsheet and analyzed with student's T-test and ANOVA to determine whether the observed differences between the mean parasitaemia of the treatment groups is significant and testing significance within and between groups respectively. Statistical significance will be considered at P<0.05. Results of this study will generate useful information that can be used by malaria control programs especially in areas where both HIV/AIDS and malaria are endemic hence co-infection is high .
Identification and determination of antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Salmonella serotypes isolated from patients at Kisii level-S hospital in Kisii County, Kenya
(2013-12-16) Bundi, M. J.; Nyamache, A. K.
There are close to 2,700 serotypes of Salmonella that have been described so far. Some of these serotypes are epidemiologically and clinically important since they cause various infections in human beings. In recent years, Salmonella related infections have been on the increase due to contamination of food and water sources. These infections are managed and treated using first line antibiotics such as ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfixozasole, tetracycline and nalixidic acid. However, improper use of these drugs has led to emergence of antibiotic resistant strains. Therefore, the main aim of this study will be to isolate and identify the main serotypes of Salmonella that cause infections among patients visiting Kisii level-5 hospital. The study will also determine whether the isolated serotypes have developed antimicrobial resistance. In this study, 169 blood and stool samples will be obtained from patients seeking treatment in the hospital and- cultured in selective Salmonella meaia-to-is01ate--Sa-fme-nelltl-friIDl 0therenteropathogens. The isolates will be identified into serotypes using colonial morphology, biochemical tests and serological serotyping. The isolation frequency of the various serotypes and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns will be determined by use of Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method according to the National Committee of Clinical and Laboratory Standards. The data obtained will be analyzed using chi square, multiple logistic regressions and ANOV A test. The findings will be used in future management of Salmonella infections .
Validity of Venous Blood in the Diagnosis and Management of Patients with Metabolic Acid-base Disorders
(2013-12-16) Gatua, W. K.; Makumi, J. N.; Ngeranwa, J.J.N.
Acid-base metabolic disorders are conditions that alter the normal body homeostasis that regulate the pH of blood in order to maintain normal biochemical functions. Maintenance of a constant pH is important for enzyme function, cellular uptake and use of metabolites and minerals, conformation of biological structures and uptake and release of oxygen. Patients with diabetes mellitus are prone to development of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) which is excessive production of ketone bodies such as acetone and ~-hydroxy butyric acid with resultant reduction in pH of blood. Acute and chronic kidney diseases also usually lead to excessive loss of bicarbonate ion in urine which eventually causes acid-base metabolic imbalance in the body. These two medical conditions necessitate frequent blood sampling in order to monitor and manage the resultantacidosis. However, arterial puncturing is invasive and apart from being more painful, could also be hazardous. Therefore, there is need to determine whether venous blood gas (VBG) analysis could replace arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis. Traditionally, arterial blood samples collected via the invasive arterial-puncture are used to assess the acid-base status of the blood. The proposed study aims at evaluating the validity of venous blood acid-base analysis and its clinical agreement with arterial blood in the diagnosis of acid-base disorders. In addition, reference values of acid-base parameters such as pH, Partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pC02), Partial pressure of oxygen (P02), bicarbonate ion (HC03 "), base excess (BIE), and Oxygen Saturation (02) in addition to electrolytes such as potassium, sodium, chloride and ionic gap will be established in venous blood samples. Thus, a cross-sectional study composed of two groups; cases (patients with acid-base disorders such as DKA and kidney disease) and controls (healthy individuals), will be carried out. A total of 250 subjects (cases) with acid- base metabolic disorders in the medical wards, Critical Care Unit and Renal Unit at KNH will be recruited. An additional 120 healthy subjects will be recruited for the establishment of reference values for acid-base parameters. About 2.0 m1 of both venous and arterial blood samples will be removed simultaneously from each patient and an equal volume of venous blood will be taken from each subject in the control group. Specific organ (liver, kidney, heart and the pancreas) function tests will be carried out by determining the levels of the following enzymes and endogenous compounds; aspartate Transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Alanine Transaminase (ALT), gamma glutamyl transferase (y-GT), bilirubin, urea, creatinine, uric acid, inorganic phosphorus, total protein, albumin, creatine phospho kinase (CPK) , lactate dehydrogenase, (LDH) and 0,- amylase. This study will be expected to introduce the use of venous blood gas (VBG) in the diagnosis of acid-base disorders instead of arterial samples. Immediate benefit to the patients will be decreased pain during sampling and also samples can be drawn using the same intravenous (IV) line that is used to draw blood for other laboratory tests, thus necessitating only one puncture. In addition, the sensitivity and predictive values of VBG and the level of agreement between VBG and ABG, will be established.
Determinants of Employee Morale and Satisfaction among PUBLIC Servants in Kenya: The Case of Study of the Public Service Commission (PSC)
(2013-12-16) Ohando, E. O.; Minja, D.
The study is intended to investigate the determinant of staff morale and satisfaction among public servants in Kenya focusing case of study of the public service commission. The study will be based on samples that are representative of the population representing staff at PSC using descriptive and inferential statistics to provide information on estimations, association description, relationship' of data and prediction among others. The source of information shall be primary from the respondents and secondary data as explained from literature reviews and case studies by other researchers. The researcher will adopt the descriptive survey method with a target population of 209 respondents. The target population will be stratified into six departments existing at the PSC. The research adopted in this study will be descriptive survey aimed at collecting information from the respondents on nature of work, perception, work conditions, management style, policy, and attitude and seeks to describe and analyze the behavior of staff and their groups from the perspective of the study. The researcher shall examine what will have been collected in a survey classify, analyse compare data and interpret results of data collected. The data will then be coded to enable the responses to be grouped into categorical variables for analysis purposes using descriptive and inferential statistics to enable researcher draw reasonable conclusions or inferences about characteristics of populations based on sampled data. The analysis of collected and coded questionnaires will be done by using SPSS version 20.The result of data analysis will be presented in form of tables, charts and graphs as appropriate for clarity, ease of understanding and draw conclusions.
Status of Men and Women Saving in the Informal Finance Groups in Gachagi Informal Settlement Area - Thika Town Constituency, Kiambu County, Kenya.
(2013-12-17) Mwangi, J. W.
This study aims at establishing the status of men and women savings in the informal finance groups in Gachagi informal settlement in Thika town Constituency of Kiambu County. This study focuses on the informal finance groups that exist in the informal settlement. The study will seek to fulfill five objectives: to establish the types of informal finance groups that exist in the study area; to identify the factors for the preferred informal finance groups by men and women; to analyze the challenges facing slum men and women in the informal finance groups; and to identify the strategies to scale up saving for the slum men and women in the informal finance groups. The research will be based on Descriptive survey design. This design was purposively selected because it describes the situation the way it is. The site of the study is Gachagi slum in Thika Town Constituency, Kiambu County. This locale was chosen because there are different types of informal finance groups in which both men and women use to accumulate and manage their savings. The target population of this study will be 20 informal finance groups, the DSSO, the Chief and slum elders found in Gachagi slum. Out of the 20 informal finance groups, 10 are ROSCAs, 5 are Welfare/clan groups, 3 AS CAs and 2 investment groups. Out of the 20 informal finance groups 35% will be randomly sampled to get a sample size of 7 informal finance groups. Cluster random sampling will be used to select 3 ROSCAS, 2 welfare/clan groups, 1 AS CAs and 1 investment group. In addition, the DSSO, the Chief and two slum elders will also be included in the sample. Data collection methods will be interviews, observation and focus group discussions. The literature review has been done to establish what has been documented with respect to the status of men and women savings in informal finance groups and in particular the informal settlement dwellers. This study will be based on Behavioral Life Cycle Hypothesis. The data collected will be arranged according to the emerging themes that will be identified based on the research objectives of the study. Descriptions will be organized and complemented with tables and graphs. Verbatim information will be quoted and discussed using narratives.
Symbolism in David Mulwa's Drama: A Study of Glass Houses, Clean Hands and Inheritance
(2013-12-17) Ananda, H.; Mugubi, J.; Mutahi, J.
This study will focus on the symbolism in three plays by David Mulwa, critically analyzing and discussing them as dramatic texts. These plays, written and published in English are Clean Hands (2000),Glass Houses (2000) and Inheritance (2004). The symbolic approach will be used to evaluate sign systems and how they relate to the writer's societal perception of the world. The stylistics approach will help analyze and evaluate the plays against a background of form and content. This will help us to understand how symbolism as a technique applied by the playwright, conveys the content of the selected texts. The major task in the proposed study is to examine the vision of the playwright, as well as his technique of dramatic construction. Conducting this study is necessitated by the need to investigate and validate the assumption that Mulwa's drama uses symbolism to provide various dimensions of thought to expound on certain ideas and themes about his society. It is our key premise that social, historical and political realities in Africa and particularly East Africa form a creative reservoir for the playwright. The objectives of the study will be achieved through extensive library research, internet services and critical analyses of the plays. The data collected from all these sources will be synthesized for presentation as a project. The study is projected to reveal an understanding of symbolism in David Mulwa's drama and how it reflects the reality in the plays to the social-political and cultural context outside them.
Psychological Challenges and Coping Strategies of Parents of Children with Intellectual Disability in Selected Special Units in Embakasi Division of Nairobi County, Kenya.
(2013-12-17) Marigi, M. C.; Kathungu, B.; Kangethe, R .K. W.
The Kenya Society for Mentally Handicapped estimates that in Kenya 3.6 million people are living with intellectual disability. Intellectual disability is often a challenge to both the individual and the parents. In Kenya, the concern for persons with intellectual disability has increased since independence. Though much focus has been given to provision of servipes and education to children with intellectual disability, little has been invested in understanding the psychological well being of parents of children with intellectual disability in Kenya, and particularly identifying the psychological challenges they face and what can be done to reduce or mitigate their effect. This is despite the crucial role such parents can play in ensuring that children with intellectual disability are nurtured to fully actively and productively live in society. Therefore, the current study seeks to address this gap by investigating the psychological challenges and coping strategies of parents of children with intellectual disability in selected Special Units in Embakasi Division of Nairobi County, Kenya. The study will be guided by the theory of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Murry Parkes' theory of psychological Transitions. The study will use a descriptive survey design. The target population is parents of children with Intellectual disability in Embakasi Division of Nairobi county. Purposive sampling will be used to select two units, while stratified random sampling will be used to select respondents from the units. Data will be collected using questionnaires and structured interviews, and analyzed using quantitative and qualitative teclmiques. Data will be analyzed by means of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) using descriptive statistics such as means, frequencies, percentages, standard deviation and inferential statistics namely the chi-square. The study is expected to yield data on psychological challenges experienced by parents of children with intellectual disability and the coping strategies used by parents to deal with these challenges. The study findings will provide crucial information which could guide policy makers to include parents' needs in formulation and implementation of policies concerning children with intellectual disability.
Optical and Electrical Characterization of CdxSel_xS and CU2STHIN Films for Solar Cell Application
(2013-12-17) Moraro, M. C.; Njoroge, W. K.; Munji, M. K.
Solar energy from the sun is abundant, most affordable, clean to use and inexhaustible. Solar energy, has therefore, been harnessed to generate electricity using solar cells. Solar cells convert solar energy directly into electricity. Properties of thin film solar cells strongly depend on vawus deposition techniques among them is the Chemical Bath Deposition (CBD). This technique yields stable, adherent, uniform and hard films with good reproducibility by relatively simple process. In this research, CBD will be used to deposit thin films of Cadmium Seleno-Sulphide (CdxSel_xS) and Copper (I) Sulphide (CU2S) on glass substrates. Optoelectronic properties of both films will be investigated. Electrical properties like sheet resistivity (p) will be investigated using four point probe method. Optical properties like reflectance and transmittance will be determined using UV-VIS NIR 3700 spectrophotometer in the range between 300-2500nm. Transmittance and reflectance will be simulated by scout software from which other optical parameters like band gap (Eg), refractive index (n), extinction coefficient (k) and absorbance (u) will be calculated. Conditions that will give CdxSel_xS and CU2S optimum opto-electric properties will then be selected and used to fabricate a p-n junction thin film solar cell. The fabricated thin film will be characterized for solar cell applications by simulation method. Thus the solar cell's diode characteristics like dark current (L), open voltage (Voc), fill factor (FF) and conversion efficiency (11) will be obtained.
Genetic Characterization of Selected Sweetpotato Varieties for Dual Food and Feed Utilization
(2013-12-17) Mbithe, M. J.
The sweetpotatolpomoea batatasL. (Lam.) is a symbol in the fight for a global nutrition plan that can save millions of children and help build a healthier and more productive future. In world crop statistics, sweetpotato is currently the sixth most importantfood crop after rice, wheat, potatoes, maize, and cassava. In the developing countries it is ranked fifth after maize, rice, wheat and cassava, whereby it is a smallholder crop tolerant of a wide range of edaphic and climatic conditions and grown with limited inputs. Consequently, it has been relied on as a source of calories since its vines and/or storage roots can be used for direct human consumption, as well as providing inexpensive, protein-rich fodder for animals. It is thus a cheap, nutritious solution for developing countries needing to grow more food on less area for rapidly growing populations. However identification of those sweetpotato varieties which have optimal morphological features suitable for both food and feed has not been done. This study therefore seeks to genetically characterize selected 14 Ugandan farmer's sweetpotatofamilies to identify those with superior morphological characteristics suitable for dual purposes. In the early screening stages plants will be raised from true seeds after scarification. Germination of the seedlings will be done in special trays. A selection of single true seed plants will be done, after which vines will be generated. Those selected among true seed plants are will then enter observation yield trials (OTs). OTs will be carried out in order to discard those which clearly do not meet the lowest acceptable gross morphological, descriptors. In addition to the morphological identification, nutritional analysis of the various nutrients and molecular characterization of the selected varieties will also be done. Analysis of variance will be used as a statistical method to find out if significant differences exist between the varieties. It is expected that the current study will: (i) Allow selection and publishing of sweetpotato varieties with optimal characteristics for both food and feed (dual purpose). (ii) Contribute to the advancement of ongoing research on sweetpotatoes.(iii) Contribute towards sustainable food production, one key area of concern in the realization of vision 2030 in Kenya and other developing countries.
Determinants of Negative Perceptions towards Narok County Council by the Resident Communities.
(2013-12-17) Lemita, L.; Kisombei, G.; Kiruthu, Felix Macharia
The Narok County Council offers a range of services for the community living in its area of jurisdiction - Narok North and South Districts. Some of these services include provision of bursaries to students from poor families in both secondary and tertiary institutions. Through LATF, which is a fund from the central Government to all local authorities, the council sponsors capital projects like construction of schools, road repairs, sinking boreholes and dispensaries. The council is also responsible for Early Childhood Education by employing teachers in these centers. It also mobilizes the community for disease awareness, like HIV/AIDS, markets cleaning and funding the disabled and other less fortunate members of society. Other services provided by the council include defraying medical bills, managing cattle dips and market planning. With this important role in the provision of services, the council still faces a big image problem. In the recent past the council experienced massive public demonstration against it, culminating in the destruction of council property. It's against this background that this study seeks to identify factors responsible for this negative perception towards the council by the public with a view to come up with suggestions or recommendations to boost the council's image/reputation. The location of this study is the County Council ofNarok area of jurisdiction - Narok North and South districts. The target population will include a sample of the people living in both Narok North and South districts, the council's senior, middle level and junior officers. Others include councilors, area members of parliament and key informants. Descriptive survey design will be used in the study. Both random and non-random sampling techniques will be employed in the study to select samples to be studied. The researcher will use questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions and observations to conduct the study. The data will be collected by following systematic procedures. The data will be analyzed using statistical and graphical techniques which include measures of central tendency (the mean, median, and mode) and measures of dispersion (the variance, range). Graphical presentations will include histograms, bar-graphs, cumulative frequency curves and pie-charts. The literature reviewed covered countries in Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East. The literature included books, journals, Academic papers, newspapers, official council and ministry records.
Trends and Determinants of Participation of Girls in Primary School Education in Suba District, Kenya
(2013-12-17) Omwayi, H. A.; Kombo, D. K.; Wawire, V. K.
The study is set to investigate the trends and determinants of participation of girls in primary school education in Suba District, Kenya. The research problem is that despite the tremendous gains made by the Kenya government to improve the participation in education, such as the introduction of Free Primary Education, girls in primary schools in Suba District have continued to register low participation. The research will be conducted in Suba District of Homa Bay County, a typical ASAL region having high poverty level, poor climatic conditions, high dropout rates and low enrollment level, with a unique and strong Luo patriarchal culture which is different from other ASAL studies that have mainly focused on the culture where Female Genital Mutilation has been studied. The main objective of the study will be to establish enrollment, completion and dropout rates of girls in primary schools in Suba District in order to further improve their participation. The study will employ descriptive survey design. To adequately achieve the objectives of the study, purposive sampling will be used to select 21 out of the 108 schools within three Divisions of Suba District which are Lambwe, Mbita and Mfangano. Stratified Random Sampling will also be used to select 23.3% of each school population, from Standard Seven to Eight for the study which will give rise to three boys and four girls per class, "totaling to 294 pupils. The sample size will include 294 pupils, 42 dropouts (girls), 42 class teachers, 21 head teachers/deputy head teachers and 1 Education Officer totaling to 400 respondents. Data coHection instruments will be interview schedule for the head teachers, the Education Officer and school dropouts. The focus group discussions will be used for the pupils, while the questionnaires will be for the class teachers. Documentary Analysis of Statistical Books will be done at the District Education Office while Admission Book and Class Registers will be analyzed at school level. Data will be collected using qualitative and quantitative methods, where trends in pupils' participation will be computed quantitatively and descriptive analysis will be used to report the results of the data.

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