Ecosystems In Kenya Research Articles

Managing Ethical Challenges in Social Enterprises

This paper aims to conduct an in-depth analysis of ethical issues faced by social enterprises operating in Kenya by examining the nature and complexity of these challenges. Furthermore, the research aims to explore strategies put in place by these social enterprises to promote ethical practices in their operations and discourage unethicality. This research used a qualitative approach to examine ethical issues in Kenya’s social enterprises. Semi-structured interviews with nine social enterprise leaders in Kenya were conducted. The paper provides empirical findings on the ethical issues that social enterprises in Kenya face and the strategies they have instituted to manage these ethical issues. Findings show that the ethical issues encountered are donor dependence, stakeholder interference, people management, cultural inclusivity and sensitivity, bribery, conflict of interest, transparency and accountability, and legal processes. Measures for handling ethical issues in social enterprises include attaining financial independence and sustainability, compliance with the law, promoting community relationships and engagement, and promoting transparency and accountability. The methods used to collect data may present issues like generalizability due to the sample size for the social enterprise leaders. The paper contributes to building a more ethical and sustainable social enterprise ecosystem in Kenya by identifying and addressing ethical concerns. Furthermore, identifying ethical issues can guide regulators and policymakers in creating guiding frameworks and powerful brand images, developing “brand ambassadors,” and managing the balance between stability and change.

Towards more sustainable and inclusive development corridors in Africa

Abstract Development corridors are linear programmes of infrastructure and agriculture aiming to facilitate rapid socio-economic development. In Africa, they are a major development activity, with 88 underway or planned corridors. Drawing from extensive literature and insights gleaned from a 4 year research programme, this review scrutinizes the impacts of development corridors on people, wildlife and ecosystems in Kenya and Tanzania, proposing solutions to achieve better outcomes. The overarching goal was to discern the principle challenges emerging from the practical execution of the prevailing corridor model. The holistic approach taken, assessing the development corridors paradigm through an integrated ecological, social, and economic lens, provides novel insights that have not been possible using more traditional—siloed—research approaches. Eight key challenge areas are identified: impact assessments processes; coherence across international, national and local planning; governance; inclusivity; equality; impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services; incorporation of future climate risks; and integrated water resource management. Poorly planned and implemented corridors detrimentally impact livelihoods and ecosystems. They lack a sustainable development vision, detailed social, environmental or climate risk assessments, and develop incrementally in policy and corporate spaces. There is also often a disconnect between investors and recipient governments, with some investors funding what governments request without applying internationally-recognised safeguards, and governments lacking capacity and resources to enforce regulations. We make recommendations for addressing these challenge areas. These aim to enhance impact assessment efficacy; integrate local perspectives into effective and inclusive corridor planning; overcome siloed project development and implementation; anticipate future development projections; and prioritise landscape preservation for enhanced ecosystem services and climate resilience.

Spatio-temporal modeling of lake's ecosystem and dynamism in response to changing environment: a case study of L. Ol Bolossat in Kenya.

Lakes' ecosystems are vulnerable to environmental dynamisms prompted by natural processes and anthropogenic activities happening in catchment areas. The present study aimed at modeling the response of Lake Ol Bolossat ecosystem in Kenya to changing environment between 1992 to 2022 and its future scenario in 2030. The study used temperature, stream power index, rainfall, land use land cover, normalized difference vegetation index, slope, and topographic wetness index as datasets. A GIS-ensemble modeling approach coupling the analytical hierarchical process and principal component analysis was used to simulate the lake's extents between 1992 and 2022. Cellular Automata-Markov chain analysis was used to predict the lake extent in 2030. The results revealed that between 1992 and 2002, the lake extent shrunk by about 18%; between 2002 and 2012, the lake extent increased by about 13.58%; and between 2012 and 2022, the lake expanded by about 26%. The spatial-temporal changes exhibited that the lake has been changing haphazardly depending on prevailing climatic conditions and anthropogenic activities. The comparison between the simulated and predicted lake extents in 2022 produced Kno, Klocation, KlocationStrata, K standard, and average index values of 0.80, 0.81, 1.0, 0.74, and 0.84, respectively, which ascertained good performance of generated prediction probability matrices. The predicted results exhibited there would be an increase in lake extent by about 13% by the year 2030. The research findings provide baseline information which would assist in protecting and conserving the Lake Ol Bolossat ecosystem which is very crucial in promoting tourism activities and provision of water for domestic and commercial use in the region.

Hierarchical Bayesian Integrated Modeling of Age- and Sex-Structured Wildlife Population Dynamics

AbstractBiodiversity of large wild mammals is declining at alarming rates worldwide. It is therefore imperative to develop effective population conservation and recovery strategies. Population dynamics models can provide insights into processes driving declines of particular populations of a species and their relative importance. But there are insufficient tools, namely population dynamics models for wild herbivores, for characterizing their decline and for guiding conservation and management actions. Therefore, we have developed a model which can serve as a tool to fill that void. Specifically, we develop an integrated Bayesian state-space population dynamics model for wildlife populations and illustrate it using a topi population inhabiting the Greater Mara-Serengeti Ecosystem in Kenya and Tanzania. The model integrates ground demographic survey with aerial survey monitoring data. It incorporates population age and sex structure and life history traits and strategies and relates birth rates, age-specific survival rates and sex ratios with meteorological covariates, prior population density, environmental seasonality and predation risk. It runs on a monthly time step, enabling accurate characterization of reproductive seasonality, phenology, synchrony and prolificacy of births, juvenile and adult recruitments. Model performance is evaluated using balanced bootstrap sampling and by comparing model predictions with empirical aerial population size estimates. The hierarchical Bayesian model is implemented using MCMC methods for parameter estimation, prediction and inference and reproduces several well-known features of the Mara topi population, including striking and persistent population decline, seasonality of births, juvenile and adult recruitments. It is general and can be readily adapted for other wildlife species and extended to incorporate several additional useful features. Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear on-line.

Ethical Dilemmas and Copyright Challenges among Independent Artists in Kenya's Music Industry

This qualitative phenomenological research aims to find out the ethical dilemmas around revenue generation and copyright practices among independent artists in Kenya. The study delves into various aspects, including collective management organisations (CMOs), copyright laws, governmental policies, exploitative practices, and regulatory frameworks, through an extensive analysis of existing literature and qualitative data. It reveals that while Kenya's music industry has experienced substantial growth with the introduction of new music genres and disruptive innovations, it still struggles with systemic barriers that limit the welfare and success of independent artists. Governmental policies and copyright laws revealed gaps in protecting independent artists' intellectual property rights. The study shed light on issues such as corruption, mismanagement, and failure to distribute royalties to artists fairly, with a close examination of CMOs, thus calling for the need for increased transparency and accountability. These issues are linked to numerous challenges, including inadequate industry support, limited access to resources, and unfair compensation. Exploitative practices conducted by industry participants and intermediaries are subjecting independent artists to illegitimate contractual agreements, delayed royalties, and predatory behaviours from industry participants. The presence of weak regulations magnifies these concerns, resulting in the degradation of artists' rights and limited recourse in cases of copyright infringements or contractual disputes. This research, therefore, calls for regulatory reforms and industry-wide interventions to address these structural barriers and to give light on how to promote a more sustainable and equitable music ecosystem in Kenya. The study recommends the strengthening of copyright enforcement mechanisms, improving transparency and accountability within CMOs, and establishing tailored support systems for independent artists.

Information aggregation as potential for value addition to organizations: A review

In the development of Kenya Vision 2030 Third Medium Term Plan (MTP III) 2018-2022, the Blue Economy (BE) sector was recognised as one of the emerging economic fronts that are expected to significantly contribute to Kenya’s economic growth. Subsequently, there were calls to develop and manage a BE database. Despite these calls, there is currently no comprehensive database containing BE related data for Kenya, in an accessible manner to the public. As a response to these calls, our research team sought to explore different types of information aggregators. The study adopted exploratory design and reports the review of three aggregators. From the review results, the study proposed the design and development of a digital platform for aggregating information on the BE ecosystem in Kenya. The digital platform provides potential value addition to the host organisation in the form of: attracting external funding; raising its reputation and online visibility and adding value to the community.

Situation analysis on the integration of refractive error services provided by optometrists into the national health services in Kenya

IntroductionEven though the burden of uncorrected refractive error could potentially be addressed through innovative and cost-effective approaches, integration of the services into the National Health Services (NHS) is desirable. However, minimal information exists on the current situation warranting the need for evidence about the integration of refractive error service provided by optometrists into the national health services in Kenya.MethodsA situation analysis of the Kenyan refractive error services provided by optometrists within the NHS was undertaken based on access to service delivery, service coverage, and human resource. A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis was undertaken based on the existent evidence to identify the core factors that could potentially facilitate or hinder the integration of refractive error services provided by optometrists within the National Health Services. The proportion of optometrists to be integrated in the NHS was estimated based on the minimum ratios recommended by the World Health Organization.ResultsA section of tertiary and secondary healthcare facilities in Kenya have specific services to address refractive errors within the NHS with most facilities lacking such services. Treatment of refractive error occurs at the level of eye care general services. There are 11,547 health facilities offering primary care services in Kenya. However, none of them offers refractive error services and only a section of facilities offering county health referral services provides eye care services which is limited to refraction without provision of spectacles. The existing workforce comprises of ophthalmologists, optometrists and ophthalmic clinical officers, together with nurses and other general paramedical assistants. Optometrists, ophthalmologists and ophthalmic clinical officers are allowed to undertake refraction. However, optometrists majorly practices in the private sector. Centralization of eye care services in urban areas, weak referral systems, and a shortage in the workforce per population was observed.ConclusionsThe Kenyan NHS should advocate for primary care and reorient the current hospital-based delivery approach for refractive error services. This is attributed to the fact that provision of refractive error services at primary care remains effective and efficient and could translate to early detection of other ocular conditions. The existing human resources in the eye health ecosystem in Kenya should maximize their efforts towards addressing uncorrected refractive error and optometrists should be integrated into the NHS.

Socio Economic Factors Contributing to Riparian Ecosystem Degradation along Kaiti River in Makueni County

The degradation of riparian ecosystems threatens the livelihoods of communities that depend on these socio-ecological systems (SES) for their well-being. This is because; riparian ecosystems provide ecosystem services like fodder, timber, soil development, water regulation and habitat for wildlife. The riparian ecosystem in Kenya's Eastern Semi-Arid Region is one of the affected zones and information is required to understand the causes therein. This case study focussed on the Kaiti River in Makueni County to analyse the socio-economic factors leading to its riparian degradation. Data was collected between September 2018 to March 2019 using questionnaires, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and photographs. To analyse the data, SPSS version 26 interface with regression and correlation analysis was used to analyse the causes of riparian ecosystem degradation along the river. Crop farming was found to be a leading cause of degradation (R-Square =0.849, F (1, 99) =9.4495, p-value=0.0003<0.05) showing that farming accounts for 84.9% of the variations in degradation of River Kaiti riparian ecosystem. A calculated beta value implied that a unit raise in crop farming would lead to a rise in the degradation of the River Kaiti riparian ecosystem by 0.782 (p-value=0.001<0.05). The results of the study also revealed that livestock farming (R-Square =0.615, β=0.211, p-value =0.002≤0.05), lack of riparian conservation awareness (R-Square =0.573, β=-0.757, p-value= 0.002<0.05) and Commercial sand harvesting R-Square=0.659, β=0.205, p value=0.000<0.05) significantly contribute to River Kaiti riparian ecosystem degradation. Other causes significantly contributing to degradation (R-Square =0.520, β=0.212, p-value=0.001≤0.05,) were poor natural resource governance, poverty, poor infrastructure, climate change and land use changes. The study concludes that awareness creation and control of human activity in the Kaiti riparian zone would significantly reduce riparian ecosystem degradation. A multi-stakeholder approach whereby the community takes centre stage in monitoring and implementing riparian conservation measures is recommended.

The negative and positive impacts of Prosopis juliflora on the Kenyan and Ethiopian ecosystems: A review study

Invasive alien species pose a serious threat to the world’s ecosystems and livelihoods. This review aimed to investigate the negative and positive impacts of Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC on ecosystems in Kenya and Ethiopia. The bibliographic analysis highlighted that Prosopis juliflora was introduced to Kenya and Ethiopia to tackle desertification, ensure the self-sufficiency of wood products, and conserve water and soil in semi-arid areas. Years later, this species has turned invasive; although the communities in infested areas have realized some benefits from this tree such as obtaining timber, charcoal, firewood, shelter, and livestock feed from its pods; the negative impacts of this tree have far outweighed the positives. Notably, this invasive plant has significantly impacted agricultural and livestock productivity by invading pasturelands and farmlands. For instance, the negative health implications for livestock significantly reduce their productivity. Similarly, this plant has reduced the diversity of the native trees, herbaceous, and grasses because of its ability to outcompete them. Control methods such as biological, mechanical, chemical, and control by utilization have been tried but none have so far been effective in controlling this invasive plant. Our results showed that Prosopis juliflora is a serious invader that has a huge potential to invade the arid and semi-arid lands of Kenya and Ethiopia. Therefore, stakeholders at all levels need to implement integrated management strategies to reduce the spread and the negative impacts of this species.

Elephants rest more when the poaching risk is high and do not recover the lost time within a diel cycle

Poaching for ivory has caused disturbances in the behaviour of elephants. The nature and magnitude of such disturbance are not yet fully understood. Here, we studied the daily activity cycles of 10 elephants tracked for a minimum of two years each in the Samburu ecosystem in Kenya. The elephants were tracked over a spatial or temporal gradient of poaching risk in their distribution area. Laikipia Samburu landscape is shared with humans and is a mosaic of land ownership and management practices, all of which lead to varied levels of illegal killing. Using movement data of elephants tracked on various dates between 2002 and 2016, we studied the daily activity cycle when they were in their different core areas. Using Generalized Additive Models, we found that elephants moved less around midday in high poaching areas. Despite the adaptive shift in activity times, elephants were moving for fewer hours per day in areas with higher risk, reducing total movement daily in risky areas or times. The elephants lost one hour daily from their usual movement time when they went into high-risk areas, which they did not compensate for despite increased activity at dawn and dusk. The level of illegal killing was the best explanatory variable for altering the activity cycle. We infer that such risk avoidance behaviour culminates in the potential reduction of foraging efforts in a risky area. A deficit in their activity time may have consequences for their social life, reproduction, or overall foraging success, aspects of elephant ecology that are not fully understood yet. We discuss the results in light of the increasing need for more fine-scale temporal analyses of the influence of risk on the diel activity of elephants for sites that achieve both movement data and verified records of causes of elephant deaths.

Greenhouse gas emissions from cattle enclosures in semi-arid sub-Saharan Africa: The case of a rangeland in South-Central Kenya

Extensive livestock production in pastoral areas supports millions of livestock keepers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, it is also linked to environmental externalities such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Corralling of livestock overnight in fenced enclosures (“bomas” in Kiswahili) is common to protect animals from theft and predation and is practiced across SSA. Boma manure is usually not removed and accumulates over years, making bomas GHG emission hotspots. The following study presents the first full year of CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions measurements from cattle bomas in a savanna ecosystem in Kenya, comparing active (in use) and inactive (i.e., abandoned) bomas. Active bomas were used for 1–3 months before being abandoned and cattle were moved to a new boma. GHG emissions were measured using static chambers inside three replicate bomas and along three 100 m transects from bomas into undisturbed savanna. Compared to savanna background fluxes, it was found that GHG flux rates from bomas were elevated by several orders of magnitude, with mean fluxes of 487 ± 8 mg CO2-C m−2 h−1, 325 ± 11 µg N2O-N m−2 h−1, and 3245 ± 234 µg CH4-C m−2 h−1 for active bomas, and 167 ± 52 mg CO2-C m−2 h−1, 610 ± 186 µg N2O-N m−2 h−1, and 3127 ± 1262 µg CH4-C m−2 h−1 for inactive bomas, while surrounding savanna soils only emitted 22.3 ± 18.2 mg CO2-C m−2 h−1, 2.5 ± 2.2 µg N2O-N m−2 h−1, and 0.1 ± 0.7 µg CH4-C m−2 h−1. Assuming that bomas are used for 45 days per year, annual manure emission factors were 2.43 ± 0.42%N for N2O and 0.49 ± 0.07%C for CH4, which corresponds to 2.64 ± 0.37 g CH4 kg−1 volatile solids (VS). These emission factors were similar to IPCC default values for feedlots for low-producing cattle in warm climates; however, the IPCC only considers emissions in year when bomas are in use and does not account for emissions following boma abandonment. At the farm scale, boma manure contributed little (2.2%) to total CH4 emissions, which were dominated by enteric CH4 emissions (97.6%); but bomas were a substantial source for N2O, contributing over 32% to total N2O emissions on the farm. This calls for the inclusion of active and inactive bomas in the activity data collection for national GHG inventories, as bomas are currently overlooked hotspots for GHG emissions that are not represented in the GHG budgets of African nations. To mitigate GHG emissions, manure should be removed regularly and used as fertilizer to return nutrients to the grassland, preventing nutrient mining and ensuring long-term rangeland productivity and resilience, or it might be used to grow crops and livestock feeds.

Ethical dilemmas and copyright challenges among independent artists in Kenya's music industry

This qualitative phenomenological study investigates the ethical dilemmas surrounding revenue generation and copyright practices among independent Kenyan artists. Through an extensive analysis of existing literature and qualitative data, the study delves into various aspects including copyright laws, governmental policies, and collective management organisations (CMOs), exploitative practices, and regulatory frameworks. It uncovers that while Kenya's music industry has experienced significant growth with the rise of new music genres and disruptive innovations, it still grapples with systemic barriers that impede the success and welfare of independent artists. Copyright laws and governmental policies revealed gaps in safeguarding independent artists' intellectual property rights. With a close examination of CMOs, the study shed light on issues such as mismanagement, corruption, and failure to distribute royalties to artists fairly, thus calling for the need of increased transparency and accountability. These issues are linked to the numerous challenges, including limited access to resources, inadequate industry support, and unfair compensation. Exploitative practices carried out by industry players and intermediaries are subjecting independent artists to unjust contractual agreements, withheld royalties, and predatory behaviours from industry players. The existence of weak regulations magnifies these issues, resulting in the erosion of artists' rights and minimal recourse in cases of copyright violations or contractual disputes. This study, therefore, advocates for regulatory reforms and industry-wide interventions to address these systemic barriers and to shed light on how to foster a more equitable and sustainable music ecosystem in Kenya. Last, the study recommends the strengthening of copyright enforcement mechanisms, improving transparency and accountability within CMOs, and establishing tailored support systems for independent artists.

Linking physico‐chemical parameters and macroinvertebrates for water quality assessment of Kakamega and the East Usambara montane ecosystems in Kenya

AbstractSub‐Saharan freshwater biodiversity is impacted by changes in land use and climate change. To evaluate the relationship between physico‐chemical variables and macroinvertebrate community assemblages in Kakamega and the East Usambara Mountains forests, we explored benthic macroinvertebrate community structure in relation to physico‐chemical conditions of the water along an anthropogenic stress gradient. Sampling was done in six selected streams during the rainy and dry seasons between April 2017 and November 2019. At Kakamega, 367 macroinvertebrate individuals were identified belonging to 22 families, while at Usambara, 456 individuals belonging to 25 families were identified. Spearman's correlation revealed significant interactions in species diversity, evenness, and richness between macroinvertebrates and several physico‐chemical parameters (pH, conductivity, total dissolved substances, salinity and temperature). At Usambara, species richness, evenness and diversity was significantly negatively correlated with conductivity, tds, salinity, temperature and pH. We demonstrated that macroinvertebrate indices can be used as a quick evaluation tool of water quality in response to stream systems in the region as well as help in pointing out early warnings to help mitigate and reduce threats to stream biodiversity from anthropogenic activities.

Circular e‐waste ecosystems in necessity‐driven contexts: The impact of formal institutional voids

AbstractRecent studies suggest an ecosystem view is most appropriate for understanding the impact of institutional voids on entrepreneurial activities. Expanding the focus to the entrepreneurial ecosystem is crucial for tackling complex low‐ and middle‐income countries' (LMICs) environmental challenges, as the transition to circular e‐waste management, which are heavily impacted by the institutional environment. Moreover, most entrepreneurs in LMICs engage in circular practices out of economic necessity, rather than environmental reasons. However, scholars have overlooked the effects of institutional voids on entrepreneurial ecosystems' potential to grow and realize environmental benefits. This study investigates how formal institutional voids impact the evolution of circular ecosystems in necessity‐driven contexts in LMICs. We study the evolution of a circular e‐waste ecosystem in Kenya and uncover two key phases: emergence and growth. We show that formal institutional voids' impact differs across phases; regulatory and contract enforcement voids create opportunities for informal and private actors to establish e‐waste collection, repair, remanufacture, and recycle businesses, thereby facilitating the emergence of the circular ecosystem. However, labor market, capital market, product market, regulatory, and contract enforcement voids hamper its growth. Specifically, the lack of skills, equipment, guidelines, and financial incentives hinders advanced repairs and remanufactures and limits recycling opportunities, while the lack of formal e‐waste infrastructure increases illegal dumping and negatively impacts human health and the environment. We develop propositions and a phase model to explain the impact of formal institutional voids on the evolution of circular e‐waste ecosystems and the realization of environmental benefits in necessity‐driven contexts.

Proposed task shifting integrated with telemedicine to address uncorrected refractive error in Kenya: Delphi study

BackgroundDeveloping countries such as Kenya still experience challenges around human resource to deliver refractive error services. However, given the burden of uncorrected refractive error, adoption of innovative and cost effective approaches is desirable. Hence this study intended to develop a task shifting framework integrated with telemedicine to potentially scale refractive error services.MethodsThis was an exploratory study conducted in four phases as follows: a scoping review of the scope of practice for ophthalmic workers in Kenya, an interview with key opinion leaders on the need for integration of public health approaches such as the vision corridors within the eye health ecosystem in Kenya and their knowledge on task shifting, and finally development and validation of a proposed task shifting framework through a Delphi technique. Purposive sampling was used to recruit key opinion leaders and data was collected via telephonic interviews. The qualitative data was analyzed thematically using NVivo Software, Version 11.ResultsThe scoping review showed that only optometrists, ophthalmologists and ophthalmic clinical officers are allowed to undertake refraction in Kenya. All of the key opinion leaders (100%) were aware of task shifting and agreed that it is suitable for adoption within the eye health ecosystem in Kenya. All of the key opinion leaders (100%) agreed that skills development for healthcare workers without prior training on eye health supervised by optometrists through telemedicine is desirable. Notwithstanding, all of the key opinion leaders (100%) agreed that integration of public health approaches such as the vision corridors across all levels of healthcare delivery channels and development of a self-assessment visual acuity tool is desirable. Finally all of the key opinion leaders (100%) agreed that task shifting is relevant for adoption within the eye health ecosystem in Kenya. The developed framework prioritized partnership, advocacy, skills development, establishment and equipping of refraction points. The proposed framework advocated for a telemedicine between professionals with conventional training and those with skills development.ConclusionTask shifting integrated with telemedicine could cost effectively scale refractive error service delivery. However, internal and external factors may hinder the success warranting the need for a multi-faceted interventions and a connection between planning and training to scale the uptake.

Technology Transfer Assistance to Enhance Knowledge Exchange and Technology Transfer between Small and Medium Enterprises and Higher Education Institutions in Nairobi Innovation Ecosystem in Kenya

Technology Transfer Assistance to Enhance Knowledge Exchange and Technology Transfer between Small and Medium Enterprises and Higher Education Institutions in Nairobi Innovation Ecosystem in Kenya

Diversity Analysis of Adult Chironomidae in the Lake Victoria Basin of Kenya

Chironomidae commonly inhabits most aquatic habitats and often dominate aquatic insect communities in abundance and species richness. Despite their ecological importance, the diversity and distribution of chironomids in the Lake Victoria ecosystem of Kenya have not been studied to date. Here we report on the diversity and distribution of adult Chironomidae in Usenge, Mbita and Ogal beaches of the Lake Victoria ecosystem in Kenya using morphological features and sequence data of Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. Wing venation-based microscopic characterization identified four genera, Tanypus, Coelotanypus, Dicrotendipes and Chironomus. The COI gene barcoding further revealed several species, including Kiefferulus brevibucca, Chironomus flaviplumus, Polypedilum fuscovittatum, Polypedilum sp. and Dicrotendipes sp. The identified species were grouped into three clusters based on neighbor-joining phylogenetic approach. Differences in species richness were observed among the three study sites, with Mbita exhibiting the highest species richness. The evolutionary analysis revealed relatedness among all the identified species, suggesting a shared recent common ancestor. Unlike previous studies, this study represents thefirst report on detailed characterization of Chironomidae in the Lake Victoria ecosystem of Kenya. Moreover, this study serves as a first step towards a comprehensive understanding of the range of species of Chironomidae inhabiting this ecosystem.

The soil microbiomes of forest ecosystems in Kenya: their diversity and environmental drivers

Soil microbiomes in forest ecosystems act as both nutrient sources and sinks through a range of processes including organic matter decomposition, nutrient cycling, and humic compound incorporation into the soil. Most forest soil microbial diversity studies have been performed in the northern hemisphere, and very little has been done in forests within African continent. This study examined the composition, diversity and distribution of prokaryotes in Kenyan forests top soils using amplicon sequencing of V4-V5 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene. Additionally, soil physicochemical characteristics were measured to identify abiotic drivers of prokaryotic distribution. Different forest soils were found to have statistically distinct microbiome compositions, with Proteobacteria and Crenarchaeota taxa being the most differentially abundant across regions within bacterial and archaeal phyla, respectively. Key bacterial community drivers included pH, Ca, K, Fe, and total N while archaeal diversity was shaped by Na, pH, Ca, total P and total N. To contextualize the prokaryote diversity of Kenyan forest soils on a global scale, the sample set was compared to amplicon data obtained from forest biomes across the globe; displaying them to harbor distinct microbiomes with an over-representation of uncultured taxa such as TK-10 and Ellin6067 genera.

External enablers and entrepreneurial ecosystems: The brokering role of the anchor tenant in capacitating grassroots ecopreneurs

AbstractResearch SummaryWe study how environmental enablers, specifically disruptive ecological shifts, and subsequent regulatory activity, led to the formation of a local ecopreneur ecosystem in Kenya and how this process was facilitated by the brokerage role of an international NGO. Drawing from the entrepreneurial ecosystem literature, and using a strategic network perspective to conceptually map salient interorganizational ties, multilevel engagement, and resource generation, we utilize qualitative grounded theory analysis to argue that environmental changes have catalyzed the regulatory change towards the formation of an entrepreneurial ecosystem for low‐resourced ecopreneurs. This process is facilitated through ecosystem brokering through an anchor tenant that accelerates knowledge, resources, and viable exchanges to advance venture sustainability.Managerial SummaryOur study unpacks how regulatory responses to environmental shifts enable the systemic development of venture creation. We explore how environmental changes, first in the natural environment, and subsequently, the regulatory environment—influence ecosystem emergence for entrepreneurial activity. We present three dimensions of regulatory enablement that shift conditions to favor venture building. Problem framing by the regulatory sector signals potential opportunities for entrepreneurs for value creation. Prioritization of this problem, emphasized in the government's regulation, sets new agendas and implies that new rules and resources would be allocated towards such opportunities. New rules also reconfigure boundaries to invite new actors and interactions into the discourse on environmental preservation in Kenya.

Factors influencing willingness to pay for wetland ecosystems conservation: a contingent valuation study of lake Victoria Ecosystem in Kenya

Wetland ecosystems provide us with various valuable services which are fast degrading due to the lack of effective incentive mechanisms and conservation models for stakeholders involved in managing these ecosystems. This study examines the elements affecting residents' Willingness to Pay (WTP) for the Lake Victoria biodiversity conservation initiative based on a survey of 394 households. Chi-Square test of independence was used to determine the existence of an association between various independent factors and WTP. Logistic regression was further used to determine the influence of these factors on WTP. The results showed that access to grazing land, fishing status, land ownership, business ownership, level of education, county of origin and household monthly income had a statistically significant association with WTP. From this study, it can be concluded that socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics were constant drivers of WTP for Lake Victoria Conservation Program. This study serves as a valuable input for the identification of the market segment among the residents, which will eventually help in creating more proceeds for the preservation of biodiversity in Lake Victoria Basin. Finally, the study promotes the use of WTP in creating market-based conservation techniques in developing nations to stop the increasing loss of biodiversity and save the ecosystem.