Baringo County Research Articles

Species extinction, traditional healing therapy, and religious worldview among the Tugen and Marakwet people of Kenya

This study sought to investigate how species extinction affected traditional herbal therapy, and how together they affected the religious attitudes of the people involved. This was an ethnographic study conducted among the Tugen and Keiyo people of Kenya in the Baringo and Elgeyo Marakwet Counties. Twenty participants were interviewed, involving 6 medicine persons, 8 people that have received traditional herbal therapy, and 6 experts on traditional medicine accessed through the snowball technique. Findings revealed that among the Tugen and Keiyo people of Kenya, traditional medicine men and women harvested roots, leaves, barks, fruits, or flowers, from indigenous trees, and made concoctions that were served to sick people to give them healing. In the Tugen and Keiyo understanding, healing from traditional medicine came as a package, involving not just the concoction, but also the rituals performed by the medicine persons. Reports have emerged that out of these practices, several ailments, common or chronic, have been successfully addressed. This study concludes traditional herbal therapy, involving the use of rituals and herbs, contributes to both physical healing of the people, spiritual healing of a community in relation to God, social healing of people in relation to their view of nature, and emotional healing of the people. This study recommends that the Christians of the Tugen and Elgeyo escarpment should campaign for the replanting and protection of indigenous trees along the escarpment.

Circulation of Ngari Virus in Livestock, Kenya.

Ngari virus (NRIV) is a mosquito-borne reassortant orthobunyavirus that causes severe febrile illness and hemorrhagic fever in humans and small ruminants. Due to limited diagnostics and surveillance, NRIV has only been detected sporadically during Rift Valley fever virus outbreaks. Little is known on its interepidemic maintenance and geographic distribution. In this study, sera from cattle, goats, and sheep were collected through a cross-sectional survey after the rainy seasons between 2020 and 2021 in two pastoralist-dominated semiarid ecosystems, Baringo and Kajiado counties in Kenya. NRIV was detected in 11 apparently healthy animals (11/2,039, 0.54%) by RT-PCR and isolated in cell culture from seven individuals. Growth analyses displayed efficient replication in cells from sheep and humans in contrast to weak replication in goat cells. NRIV infection of a wide variety of different vector cells showed only rapid replication in Aedes albopictus cells but not in cells derived from other mosquito species or sandflies. Phylogenetic analyses of complete-coding sequences of L, M, and S segments of four viruses showed that the Kenyan sequences established a monophyletic clade most closely related to a NRIV sequence from a small ruminant from Mauritania. NRIV neutralizing reactivity in cattle, goats, and sheep were 41.6% (95% CI = 30 to 54.3), 52.4% (95% CI = 37.7 to 66.6), and 19% (95% CI = 9.7 to 33.6), respectively. This is the first detection of NRIV in livestock in Kenya. Our results demonstrate active and undetected circulation of NRIV in the three most common livestock species highlighting the need for an active one-health surveillance of host networks, including humans, livestock, and vectors. IMPORTANCE Surveillance of vectors and hosts for infection with zoonotic arthropod-borne viruses is important for early detection and intervention measures to prevent outbreaks. Here, we report the undetected circulation of Ngari virus (NRIV) in apparently healthy cattle, sheep, and goats in Kenya. NRIV is associated with outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever in humans and small ruminants. We demonstrate the isolation of infectious virus from several animals as well as presence of neutralizing antibodies in 38% of the tested animals. Our data indicate active virus circulation and endemicity likely having important implications for human and animal health.

Storage conditions and postharvest practices lead to aflatoxin contamination in maize in two counties (Makueni and Baringo) in Kenya

Abstract Aflatoxins are known to cause devastating acute and chronic effects in humans and animals. The objective of the study was to determine the influence of postharvest practices and storage conditions on aflatoxin contamination in maize in two counties. Aflatoxin levels in 144 maize samples from different maize storage conditions were determined. While sampling, a structured questionnaire was also administered to evaluate farmer’s postharvest practices. Makueni County had the highest percentage of aflatoxin positive samples with up to 174 ppb attributed to the long storage under unfavourable conditions. On the other hand, Baringo County had lower positivity associated with the harvesting season at the time of sample collection. The type of storage condition had a significant effect on the extent of contamination and accounted for 11% of the variation (R 2 = 0.11). Gunny bags were the most common type of storage condition and had the highest level of contamination in both the counties. Metallic bins had the lowest level of contamination. Aflatoxin G1 and G2 were predominant in samples from Baringo County, while aflatoxin B1 and B2 were predominant in samples from Makueni County. The study concluded that the type of storage condition significantly contributes to the aflatoxin contamination in the stored maize. Proper drying of maize to the recommended moisture content and subsequent storage in hermetic structures will reduce the cases of aflatoxin contamination.

Growth Performance of African Catfish (Clarias Gariepinus) Fed on Diets Containing Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia Illucens) Larvae Under Aquaponic System

Cost of fish production can be reduced by replacement of high-priced fishmeal (FM) with insects sourced ingredients. Four months feed experiment was conducted at a fish farm in Baringo County, Kenya to investigate effects of substituting fishmeal (FM) with black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFLM) on survival and growth performance of C. gariepinus under aquaponic system. Three test diets 35% crude protein content (CP) in which FM was substituted by BSFLM at 25%, 50% and 75% were formulated and experimented with commercial diet of 35% CP. Four weeks old C. gariepinus were stocked in 12 tanks at a density of 50 fish/tank and subjected to the diets. Fish were sampled every three weeks; water parameters were sampled weekly and mortality recorded on occurrence. Diet with 50% BSFLM obtained better FCR for formulated diets with no significance (P<0.05) for FCR and survival. Weight gain of control diet (97.07 g) was significant (P<0.05) compared to formulated diets 64.09g, 69.78g and 67.77g for 75%, 50% and 25% of BSFL replacement respectively. Growth performance and survival demonstrated that BSFLM has potential to substitute FM up to 75%. The fish productivity can be improved and feed cost reduced by incorporating fully defatted BSFLM with CP higher than 25.3% used for the diets.

Phlebovirus diversity in ticks from livestock in arid ecologies in Kenya

Phleboviruses are emerging pathogens of public health importance. However, their association with ticks is poorly described, particularly in Africa. Here, adult ticks infesting cattle, goats and sheep were collected in two dryland pastoralist ecosystems of Kenya (Baringo and Kajiado counties) and were screened for infection with phleboviruses. Ticks mainly belonged to the species Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Hyalomma impeltatum, and Hyalomma rufipes. A fragment of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene was identified in thirty of 671 tick pools, of which twenty-nine were from livestock sampled in Baringo county. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that twenty-five sequences were falling in three clades within the group of tick-associated phleboviruses. The sequences of the three clades showed nucleotide distances 8%, 19% and 22%, respectively, to previously known viruses suggesting that these sequence fragments may belong to three distinct viruses. Viruses of the group of tick-associated phleboviruses have been found in several countries and continents but so far have not been associated with disease in humans or animals. In addition, five sequences were found to group with the sandfly-associated phleboviruses Bogoria virus, Perkerra virus and Ntepes virus recently detected in the same region. Further studies are needed to investigate the transmission and maintenance cycles of these viruses, as well as to assess their potential to infect vertebrates.

Impact of Electronic Braille Note-Taking Devices Use on Academic Performance of Visually Impaired Learners in Selected Special Primary Schools in Kenya

Owing to technological advancements, Electronic Braille note-taking (EBN) devices have been developed and are currently in use by learners with visual impairment in Kenya. This study intends to examine the impact of EBN devices on academic performance of visually impaired learners in selected special primary schools in Kenya. The study used a descriptive design while applying both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Six special schools were purposively sampled: St. Francis Special School in West Pokot County, Marigat Special School in Baringo County, Kiomiti Special School in Kisii County, Korara Special School in Bomet County, Kibos Salvation Army School for Visually Impaired in Kisumu County and Salvation Army Thika Special Primary School in Kiambu County. The data was analyzed both descriptively and thematically. The results were presented in form of tables and figures. The findings of the study show that the EBN devices as used in the primary schools for visually Impaired learners in Kenya have a positive impact on their academic performance. This study recommends that the stakeholders of schools with Visually Impaired leaners to increase the supply and distribution of EBN devices to the schools so as to achieve the recommended 1:1 device to learner ratio.

Cultural beliefs influencing access to maternal healthcare services in East Pokot Pastoral communities, Baringo County, Kenya

The purpose of this study was to assess the cultural beliefs influencing access to maternal healthcare in East Pokot Pastoral Communities, Baringo County, Kenya. The study was founded on the choice-making model and the theory of access. The research methodology was directed by the descriptive survey design. The target population was 5720 women of reproductive age between 15 and 49 years and their partners, community leaders, government health facilities administrators, traditional birth attendants and community health workers from the pastoralist communities in East Pokot in Baringo County, Kenya. A stratified purposive sampling technique included stratified and purposive sampling techniques were used to sample 146 participants. Data was collected using Focus Group Discussions and in-depth interviews. Using the Nvivo software, the data were coded and tracked and the findings were presented using narratives with quotations. The study found that the cultural beliefs that the community members held at times barred the women from accessing maternal healthcare services in the East Pokot sub-county.

Sandfly Blood-Feeding Habits and Competence in Transmitting Ntepes Virus, a Recently Discovered Member of the Genus Phlebovirus.

Phleboviruses transmitted by sandflies are among emerging public health threats. A novel Phlebovirus named Ntepes virus (NTPV) was recently described and found to infect humans from a wide geographic area in Kenya. However, the entomologic risk factors of this virus such as the potential vectors and the transmission cycles remain poorly defined. This study assessed the ability of the colonized sandfly Phlebotomus duboscqi to transmit NTPV and determined the bloodmeal host sources of field-collected sandflies from the area where NTPV was found in Baringo County, Kenya. Five-day old laboratory-reared P. duboscqi were orally challenged with an infectious dose of NTPV (≈106.0 pfu/ml) and incubated for up to 15 days postinfection. Individual sandflies were dissected into abdomens, legs, and salivary glands and screened for the virus infection by cell culture. Of the 205 virus-exposed sandflies, 19.5% developed non-disseminated infections in the midgut, with no evidence of virus dissemination or transmission in legs and salivary glands, respectively. The midgut infection rates decreased with increasing extrinsic incubation period (Spearman's correlation, ρ = −0.71). Blood-fed specimens analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of a region of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA, revealed almost exclusive feeding on humans (98%) represented by the sandflies Sergentomyia schwetzi, S. clydei, S. antennata, S. squamipleuris, S. africana, and Phlebotomus martini. One specimen of S. clydei had fed on cattle (2%). These findings suggest P. duboscqi is an incompetent laboratory vector of NTPV. The high human-feeding rate by diverse sandfly species increases the likelihood of human exposure to pathogens associated with these sandflies. Assessment of the susceptibility of Sergentomyia species to NTPV is recommended given their high human-feeding tendency.

Analysing ICT resources available for integration in teaching and learning Kiswahili fasihi simulizi in public secondary schools in Kenya

This study sought to analyse ICT resources available for integration. The study adopted the Siemens Connectivism Learning Theory. The study used mixed method research (MMR). The exploratory sequential design was used, and data were collected from school Principals, Kiswahili teachers and students. Using Krejcie and Morgan’s table for arriving at the sample size, 113 public secondary schools were randomly selected from a population of 172 secondary schools in Baringo County. The total participants were 636 principals, teachers and students. Instruments for data generation were questionnaires, interviews, checklists and tests. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Descriptive statistics and ANOVA analysed quantitative data and ANOVA. Qualitative data was presented in themes. The study concludes that ICT resources in most public secondary schools are inadequate, and teachers are not well skilled and competent enough to integrate these resources in teaching and learning. The study recommends that the cost of ICT equipment and resources be reduced by waiving import tax and that computer-assisted instructions be assembled locally. On the other hand, school administrators and managers should plan and set aside funds to purchase ICT resources to promote ICT integration.

Multi-criteria approach to assess groundwater potential: a case study of Baringo County, Kenya

Abstract In this study, the groundwater potential zones in Baringo County (Kenya) were identified using an integrated approach of Remote Sensing-Geographic Information System (RS-GIS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) techniques, and thematic layers of rainfall, slope, lithology, soil type, land use, drainage density and lineament density. The data were validated using borehole yield and fluoride data obtained from boreholes in the area. Using RS-GIS-based methods to identify potential groundwater zones is more convenient and less expensive compared with the conventional methods. Rainfall, lithology, soils and land use/land cover were found to be the most significant factors influencing groundwater with weighted values of 31, 24, 18 and 10% respectively. The very good, good and poor potential zones covered 0.39, 65.33 and 34.27% area coverage of the study area respectively. Low yield boreholes were found in the poor groundwater potential zones and vice versa. Moderate yield boreholes were found in the good groundwater potential zone. The majority of the boreholes with acceptable fluoride concentration was found in the good groundwater potential zones, while those with high fluoride concentration levels were found in the poor groundwater potential zone. Generally, from this study, it can be concluded that remote sensing and GIS in conjunction with AHP are important tools in monitoring and evaluating groundwater resource potential areas.

Building blocks of community positive health: the contribution of Kenyan communities

BackgroundBeyond the health system, people draw on a complex system of everyday community resources to strengthen human and environmental health. These resources, and the community members who use them, are often overlooked by traditional approaches to planetary health. We aimed to apply a resourcefulness approach to define community positive health and the systems of resources that support this, and to define ways in which communities can pursue and sustain health agendas driven by local priorities. MethodsThrough a multi-site, mixed-methods research project, we worked with different groups of community members across three diverse field sites in Kenya, in the Baringo, Siaya, and Nakuru counties. We used a mixture of qualitative (78 focus discussion groups), participatory (67 activities, such as cognitive mapping, community timelines and mapping, tree diagrams, patient journeys, and walking interviews), and data-driven approaches to understand community concepts of positive health and collaboratively define the building blocks that shape community positive health. FindingsPreliminary research findings indicated that community positive health was defined by building blocks that included nutrition, clean water, education, and adequate local infrastructure. Crucially, these building blocks were underpinned by intangible community resources, such as culture, knowledge, and social cohesion. With cognitive mapping, we understood how communities leveraged these building blocks into a functioning community-level system. However, one of the greatest challenges felt by each community was the detrimental effects of climate change, contributing alongside human action and inaction to droughts, floods, and natural resource degradation. InterpretationThis initial stage of research defined community positive health and uncovered systems of local resources. Findings will be refined in a further stage of research to co-produce a pilot-tested, validated toolkit to enable resourcefulness-based approaches to community positive health. This output will be supported by an inclusive knowledge-building process that will set the stage to support communities to make more effective decisions about the use of local resources. FundingBelmont Forum by the UK Natural Environment Research Council.

Sentiment Analysis Model for Public Participation Forums in County Governments

Public participation is important because it helps to close the gap between the public, private sector and the government. However, a successful devolution process in Kenya is hampered by a lack of/inadequate public participation in county governments. Communications gaps are one of the arguments made for this development. The main objective of the study was to develop a sentiment analysis model for use in public participation forums in County Governments in Kenya. The study was conducted through the design thinking process. The population of interest of this study comprised of county management and staff also area residents in Nakuru, Busia and Baringo counties who have participated in public participation forums before. The Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) approach was used to create the cloud NLP package and obtain user sentiment magnitudes for the sentiment analysis model. Following that, cross validation was utilized to assess the performance indicators during the design stage, and users took part in the model's assessment. The overall conclusion of validation is that the model performed as expected and recorded instrumental results in increasing effective public participation in county governments in Kenya and strengthen the devolution process. This study recommends that the model can be cascaded to all the counties in Kenya to improve the efficiency of public participation.

Action against invasive species: Charcoal production, beekeeping, and Prosopis eradication in Kenya

Prosopis juliflora is an invasive alien leguminous tree introduced as a way of combating desertification, deforestation, and improving soil fertility. Over time, the tree has reported significant negative externalities to farmers. Different strategies such as management through utilization and complete eradication have been proposed to reduce these externalities. We investigate the various factors associated with adherence to these strategies. In the first place, we assess the correlates of charcoal production, beekeeping, and willingness to completely eradicate Prosopis. We then examine the welfare effects of charcoal production and beekeeping. We use survey data from 530 smallholder households in the Baringo county of Kenya who are currently contending with infestation from the invasive tree. Besides other factors, we show that a positive perception about Prosopis invasion increases the probability of engaging in charcoal production and is adversely related to beekeeping and the willingness to completely eradicate Prosopis. Delving into welfare and poverty effects of these activities, we find charcoal production to be income increasing. We argue that a blend of both management and eradication of Prosopis could offer a win-win solution to both improving the welfare and socio-economic conditions of households while also ensuring environmental and ecological safeguards, with implications for broad-based sustainability.

The Impact of Poverty in Parents and Caregivers’ Participation towards Community Child Wellbeing Activities among the Pastoral Communities of Baringo, Marsabit, Turkana and West Pokot in Kenya

Participation and involvement of parents and caregivers in community child wellbeing activities influences the achievement and cognitive development of children, youth, and even young adults (Melhuish et al., 2008; Sylva et al., 1999) [1]. The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of poverty in parents and caregivers’ participation towards community child well-being activities among the pastoral communities of Baringo, Marsabit, Turkana and West Pokot Counties in Kenya. It uses the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) and Poverty Probability Index (PPI) for classification of households as either rich or poor. Households with MPI score ≥ 0.33 or PPI ≥0.5 were classified as poor, otherwise rich. The data for this study were taken from both primary and secondary sources.
 The study results showed that overall, nine in ten of the sampled households were poor while one in ten were rich. Among the households classified as rich, six in ten (62.7%) compared to five in ten (53.8%) of those classified as poor participated in child wellbeing activities.
 Based on the study findings and Pearson Chi-Square test results, the study concluded that there was a significant relationship between poverty and participation of caregivers in community child wellbeing activities. The relationship reflected that caregivers from poor households had a higher risk of not participating in child wellbeing activities than those from rich households. The study recommended the need for accelerating interventions aimed at poverty alleviation. Such interventions may include but not limited to: increasing access to education, supporting poor households through cash transfer programmes, adoption of disaster risk reduction strategies in pastoral economies and women economic empowerment.

Prevalence of brucellosis in livestock keepers and domestic ruminants in Baringo County, Kenya.

Brucellosis is widely distributed in more than 170 countries around the world, where it poses a huge threat to animal husbandry and human health. Brucellosis is a worldwide re-emerging zoonotic disease that poses serious public health problems in many developing countries including Kenya. However, prevalence of brucellosis has not been determined in Baringo County, Kenya, yet there is a continuous movement of cattle resulting from trade and grazing, thus predisposing many herds to brucellosis infection. We investigated the sero-prevalence of brucellosis in humans and domestic ruminants: sheep, goats, cattle and camels among livestock keeping communities in Baringo County, Kenya. In addition, we analyzed the seropositive samples for molecular detection of Brucella species. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey using quantitative data collection methods. The diagnosis was carried out using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA) and the real-time PCR assays. The sero-prevalence of brucellosis among human blood samples was 0.6% (n = 4/640) in Baringo County. About 22.30% (n = 143/640) of animal blood samples examined tested positive for Brucella genus-specific ELISA test. Cattle had a high prevalence of 22.88% (n = 93/322) followed by camels 20.00% (n = 21/105), goats 15.48% (n = 24/155) and subsequently sheep at 8.62% (n = 5/58). Overall, 7.5% (n = 6/80) of the seropositive samples amplified with the genus-specific primers. Brucella melitensis was detected in one out of the six genus positive samples, while none amplified with the B. abortus target. Even though there was high prevalence of brucellosis among livestock in Baringo County, the highest prevalence was invariably noted in cattle, followed by camels, goats and sheep, respectively. Livestock keepers had low prevalence of brucellosis. This implies that there was low risk of transmission of brucellosis between livestock keepers and their livestock.

Building Resilience to Climate Change Related Disasters in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands a Case of Baringo County

The main objective of this study was to determine how households cope with effects of Climate Change Related Disasters (CCRDs) in arid and semi-arid Lands such as Baringo County. The study used a descriptive survey design. Purposeful sampling and stratified proportionate random sampling procedures were used to obtain the sample. A sample of 376 households were selected for the study in Baringo County. Questionnaire, key informant interview schedule and observations were the main instruments of data collection. Analysis of data was done using the SPSS. Percentages were used to analyze CCRDs. Drought, storms and floods are climate change related triggers of disasters that affect Baringo County. About 80 percent of the households strongly agreed that drought is the most common hazard affecting the County. Vegetation clearance is the main cause of CCRDs in Baringo County. Hence, the need to increase awareness on climate change and encourage people to use alternative sources of energy and plant trees. Majority of the households engaged in rainwater harvesting that enable them cope with impacts of drought and floods. Early warning and monitoring of the disasters can help to reduce vulnerability.

Principals’ Involvement of Students in Decision Making and Discipline in Public Secondary Schools in Baringo County, Kenya

The persistent student indiscipline in form of unrests in secondary schools and their never-ending desire to destroy school property probably reflects a feeling of disaffection rather than that of a sense of ownership of the schools they attend. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of principals’ involvement of students in decision making on their discipline in public secondary schools in Baringo County, Kenya. This study was anchored on Assertive Discipline Model as advocated by Canter and Canter (2001). The research employed descriptive survey research design. The study employed proportionate stratified random sampling technique. The target population was 121 principals, 920 class teachers and 242 students. Stratified proportionate random sampling was used to obtain 41 principals 292 teachers and 80 students. Questionnaires for teachers and students were used for data collection, while interview guide was used to gather data from principals. Reliability was determined through test-retest method and calculated using Pearson’s correlation coefficient resulting in coefficient value of 0.8 and 0.72 for teachers and students questionnaire respectively. Content Validity was ensured through expert judgment. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics that included mean and standard deviation while inferential statistics included correlation analysis assisted by SPSS and presented in tables and graphs. The findings showed the existence of a positive relationship between the principals’ involvement of students in decision making and students’ discipline(r=0.753; p=0.00). Most of the principals used student involvement strategies such as allowing students choice of dressing code and choice of menu decisions. This study concludes that involving students in choosing time of study, food menus and the choice of entertainment, and management of students and welfare issues influenced student discipline reasonably. Thus the study therefore recommends that secondary school board of management should actively involve students in all areas of decision-making in school with particular emphasis on decisions relating to the welfare of the student. The study recommends future research on the influence of BOM governance on students discipline in secondary schools.

Ethnomedicinal uses of stingless bee honey among native communities of Baringo County, Kenya

Stingless bees live in tropical and subtropical areas around the world, however, stingless bee honey and other products have traditionally been used in the tropical and sub-tropical parts of the world to treat various diseases since ancient times. Little has been done to document these traditional medicinal uses, particularly in Africa. Therefore, an ethnomedical survey was conducted in Baringo County, Kenya to document knowledge on medicinal uses ofstingless bee honey. The study was a cross-sectional survey in which semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect data from randomly selected 327 residents in five sub-counties of Baringo County. Of these, 139 (42.5%) were men and 188 (57.5%) were women, with a mean age of 36.7 (range 18–94). Majority of the participants (29.8%) had primary education, 29.2% had attained secondary education and only 9.2% had no formal education. The results indicated that over 90% of the community members are not only aware of stingless bee honey, but also its medicinal uses. Treatment of respiratory disorders, infections, gastrointestinal disorders, sore throat and wounds are top most medicinal uses of stingless bee honey by the community. Importantly, the medicinal use of stingless bee honey was perceived to be associated only with mild side effects including nausea, throat irritation and loss of appetite, which are mainly due to intake of excessive amounts. Majority of participants 170 (52.8%) indicated that stingless be honey was not readily available despite the existing huge demand.In conclusion, stingless bee honey is a popular therapeutic remedy for various health conditions among the native communities in Baringo County. Future pharmacological studies are needed to evaluate and validate the reported traditional therapeutic uses of stingless bee honey and its unique therapeutic properties. In addition, the potential of farming the local stingless bee species should be explored to meet demand and prevent overexploitation of the wild occurring stingless bee colonies.

The effect of socio-cultural factors on the access of women to elective leadership positions in Kenya

This study sought to determine the effects of socio-cultural factors on women’s access to elective leadership positions in Eldama Ravine Constituency, Baringo County. The study was guided by the radical theory, liberal feminism theory, and black feminism theory that demonstrated how patriarchal society’s cultural gender constructions can constrain women from accessing leadership positions. A mixed-method design was used during the study. The target population comprised those who participated in the elective leadership position and the households as they play a crucial role in highlighting why women struggle to access leadership positions. Data was collected using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. 112 respondents participated in the study. A pilot study was conducted at Mogotio Constituency, Emining Ward, to test the reliability of the instruments. Data were analysed using the frequency distribution, cross-tabulation and chi-square by capturing the respondents’ narratives. The study established that men are seen as leaders while women as ‘slaves’, it is because the women that intend to contest for leadership positions are not well supported. In addition, women are overburdened by household chores that tend to limit them for political positions more than their counterparts, the men. The study recommended that policies and strategies support more women in leadership positions be implemented. Therefore, policymakers should strategise on how to implement it. Equally, Non-governmental Organisations should be involved when preparing policies and strategies.

Traditional remedies and other characteristics among human snakebite survivors in Baringo county, Kenya, 2010-2020: a case series.

Seeking traditional remedies following snakebites leads to avoidable deaths in rural settings in developing countries. In this case series study, we identified and recruited 169 snakebite survivors in Baringo county, a hard-to-reach region in northwestern Kenya, who experienced snakebites from 2010 to 2020 using a snowballing technique. We explored associations between traditional and hospital care in managing snakebites and other characteristics. χ2 tests assessed these categorical differences. Fifty-four (33%) of the survivors used traditional remedies to manage snakebites. The majority (56%) were men and aged >18y (72%); 59% had low education levels and income. They sourced water from rivers or lakes (93%) and used charcoal as an energy source (74%). These survivors (>67%) resided in households practicing free-range and stall-feeding animal husbandry systems and in houses with thatch roofing or an earthen floor structure. Also, >62%reported muscle tremors, fever and chills, while 80% visited health facilities for further treatment. Community sensitization covering the risks of non-effective remedies and escalation of training to traditional healers could improve the speed of referrals in hard-to-reach snakebite hotspots. Medical anthropology studies could explore the enablers of continued use of traditional remedies in snakebite management in rural communities.