ABSTRACT The erratic pattern of rainfall over the years coupled with increasing population has left no option but to cultivate more farmlands through irrigation to meet food demand. Irrigated Agriculture as essential as it is if not done with care through good practices and use of quality water can lead to soil salinization and ecological unsustainability. In Kenya a lot of irrigated lands have been abandoned after few years of cultivation due to salinization. This study was carried out to a...
ABSTRACT Cassava (Manihot esculenta, Crantz) is an important perennial tropical crop for millions of people around the world particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is preferred due to its agronomical attributes such as ability to grow in poor soils and drought resistance. Cassava storage roots are also a good source of starch. In addition, cassava leaves and tender shoots are eaten as vegetables in many parts of Africa, Kenya included and are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and pro...
ABSTRACT In this project we compare the performance of two different estimators of the population total. One estimator is model-based and the other one is model assisted. We look at model-based properties of the two estimators. We observe that under the general model, the biases of the two estimators are different
Abstract In this work we apply a finite volume discretization technique based on a relaxation scheme to simulate the morphological evolution of the topography as a result of a dam break, that causes flooding downstream of the breach location. The considered mathematical model comprise of shallow water equations coupled with the bed updating equation which is modified to account for sediment entrainment process. Thus the model comprises a set of highly nonlinear hyperbolic partial differentia...
ABSTRACT Marine pollution is increasingly becoming a problem along the Kenyan coast. ' I Heavy metals and organochlorine pollutants have the potential to damage the delicate marine ecosystem with the result that the country's important foreign exchange earner - tourism - could seriously be affected. This study aimed at assessing the levels of cadmium, lead, copper, zinc, manganese, iron and titanium using Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescene (EDXRF) and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) in...
Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM) and iron deficiency Anemia (IDA) affect children below five years globally. Studies in Kenya show levels of stunting (26%), wasting (4%), underweight (11%) and low iron intakes (7%) among children aged 6-23 months. These children are at critical period of rapid growth marked by malnutrition which can be irreversible if not effectively addressed. The standard CSB to manage PEM is inadequate in energy and micronutrients. Spirulina powder is richer in prot...
ABSTRACT Groundwater is an important natural resource used for drinking by many people globally, especially in rural and peri-urban areas, but this resource cannot be sustainably used unless its quality is ascertained. Urbanization and the increasing population growth in the Thiririka Sub Catchment has put increasing pressure on natural resources and social services such as housing, water supply and sanitation, education and health facilities in the Sub Catchment. This increased in demand, c...
ABSTRACT Dengue virus infection is one of the major global public health problems. It is caused by one of the four dengue virus (DENV) serotypes that are transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. Following infection, an individual remains vulnerable to re-infection with a different serotype of the DENV. The infection usually occurs with clinical manifestations ranging from an asymptomatic or mild febrile illness as classical dengue fever to the potentially life-threatening illness, dengue hemorrhagic...
ABSTRACT Many authors have studied the suborbital graphs of various group actions and their corresponding properties. This thesis investigates the actions of the cyclic group and the dihedral group on the diagonals of a regular -gon and the properties of their corresponding suborbital graphs. In addition, it focuses on the action of the multiplicative group of units on , the set of non zero elements in . The properties of the corresponding suborbital graphs to this action are also investigat...
ABSTRACT Zoonotic pathogens are among the most important causes of ill health in humans all over the world. In Kenya, the encroachment of wildlife habitats has led to increased interaction between humans and non-human primates especially baboons hence potential for zoonoses transmission. However, a risk analysis for these zoonoses had not been undertaken in Kenya. The current study aimed to investigate hemoparasites and gastrointestinal parasites of olive baboons (Papio anubis) at the human�...
ABSTRACT Clean water is an essential commodity for a healthy nation. A fifth of all water used in the world is obtained from groundwater. In arid and semi-arid areas, groundwater is the main source of water for domestic and irrigation purposes. The semi-arid climate, few perennial water bodies and growing population in Mbeere South, Embu County has resulted into increased use of groundwater for both domestic and irrigation necessities. This has put pressure on these water sources leading...
ABSTRACT Overweight and obesity is an escalating problem worldwide, yet extensive data especially in Africa is still lacking. The main objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity and associated socio-economic factors, physical activity, and dietary intake among women in Nairobi, Kenya. A crosssectional design was used. Data on socio-economic factors of the women, their physical activity and dietary intake patterns, as well as anthropometric measuremen...
ABSTRACT The rapidly increasing global population, climate change and dwindling resources have made it very difficult to meet global food demand. To address the issue of food insecurity, sustainable intensification of agriculture (SIA) has been proposed. However, the consequences of poorly managed agricultural intensification can negatively affect the ecosystem. Biochar and compost application has been widely recommended as a highly promising soil fertility replenishment option to promote sus...
ABSTRACT Hydro-geophysical study of Mbano and environs, Southeastern Nigeria was carried out with the objective of estimating aquifer hydraulic parameters from resistivity data. Thirty-six (36) vertical electrical resistivity (VES) sounding data using the Schlumberger array were acquired with a maximum current electrode spread of 1000m using the ABEM Terrameter SAS 4000. Out of the thirty-six (36) VES soundings, fourteen (14) parametric soundings were carried out at the locations of existing...
ABSTRACT Hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are ubiquitous blood feeding ectoparasites that infest humans and animals and are vectors of pathogenic micro-organism of rickettsial, bacterial, viral and protozoal origin that cause severe infectious diseases in humans and livestock. Wild herbivores support a large population of these vectors and accurate and quick identification of ticks is therefore important. Morphological identification based on phenotypic criteria has been the main approach but the...