Nyandarua District Research Articles

First Record of the GenusBloszykiellain Kenya with the Description ofBloszykiella tertiasp. n. (Acari: Uropodidae) from aPinus radiataD. Don Plantation

The third species of the genus Bloszykiella Kontschan, 2010 was found in Kenya in a Pinus radiata D. Don plantation. This is the first record of this genus in this country. The new species is described as Bloszykiella tertia sp. n. from Nyandarua district of Kenya, and differs from the other previously described species in the absence of strongly sclerotised dorsal lines, the shape of the dorsal setae and the type of dorsal ornamentation.

Establishing the Dominant Milk Marketing Channel in Nyandarua District, Kenya: A Cumulative Density Function Approach

This paper uses data from a survey of 186 dairy households in two divisional administrative zones in the Kenya highlands to establish the dominant milk marketing channel based on net returns. Cumulative density function results show that, the private channel dominates over all the other channels except at the 0.8 probability level of choice where the cooperative channel dominates overall. Although most smallholder farmers in Kenya market milk through the traditional channel, the net returns that would accrue from their enterprise if they used the traditional and cooperative channels is still considerably higher. It is however apparent that the traditional channel is being replaced, albeit slowly, giving rise to the need of a policy to breach the quality gap between the traditional and the modern channels by making popular training and certification programs for small scale milk traders and processors.

An evaluation of the effectiveness of Community Support grants for Early Childhood Education to enhance educational access in Nyandarua District, Kenya

Any investment programme in ECDE aims at an overall programme of expanding access in order to enhance ECDE services that are of high quality for the children aged 4 years to 5 years. Such children are children living in difficult circumstances such as Arid and Semi Arid lands (ASAL), urban slums and other poverty stricken areas in Kenya. The Kenya government has proposed to achieve this goal for the ECDE investment programme under Kenya Education Sector Support Programme (KESSP) by establishing a policy guideline which is national and service standards for ECDE, enhancing capacity building and community mobilization and giving support grants to the communities. Other strategies are reviewing of the ECDE curriculum, promoting ECDE health and nutrition and preparing the children ready for primary schooling. The evaluation was concerned with the effectiveness of the implementation of Community Support Grant programme in order to enhance enrolment in ECDE for children aged 4-5years. The objectives of the study was to evaluate whether enrolment in ECDE for learners aged 4-5years have been enhanced after the implementation of community Support Grant, challenges facing the implementation of Community Support Grant and the way forward in implementing Community Support Grant in Murungaru Zone Nyandarua South District. The paper has lots of significance to ECDE policy makers who need to enforce the ECDE policies as opposed to the way the policy is being practiced. The ECDE children stand to benefit since the policies and practice will be in tandem. The transformation of society can’t be complete if the ECDE sector appears to be forgotten; hence national development remains a dream. A summative evaluation was done guided by Scriven’s Model of Expert –Oriented Evaluation Approach. The worrying reality however is that despite the Government’s effort in financing all the ECDE centres in Murungaru Zone, some of the schools have been registering a drop in enrolment. .Some of the challenges facing the implementation of Community Support Grant is; Free Primary Education Policy, Poverty, attitude, misappropriation of funds, parents level of education and inadequate funds. The paper concludes that ECDE being bedrock to the foundation of learning, serious considerations on enrolment and challenges facing the implementation need to be enforced in order to benefit the child.

Levels of stress among secondary school administrators and its implication in education management in Kenya

Stress significantly affects performance and service delivery of workers. Given the important role that education plays in the society, coupled with the dynamic nature of the education sector there has been an increased social pressure on the education system in general and school administrators in particular. This influences their levels of stress. This study sought to investigate the levels of stress among secondary school administrators in Ol kalou Division of Nyandarua District in Kenya, and its implication in education management. The study adopted an ex post facto research design. The population comprised 336 secondary school administrators (28 principals, 28 deputy principals and 280 heads of departments) in the 28 secondary schools in the study area. A random sample of 134 administrators (18 principals, 18 deputy principals and 98 heads of departments) from 18 secondary schools was obtained. Primary data were collected using a questionnaire. The collected data were then processed and analyzed by both descriptive and inferential statistics using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study established that the school administrators experienced stress in their work. 54.5 percent of the respondents recorded high levels of stress resulting from their school workload and other responsibilities. Among the three administrative levels, a bigger proportion of principals recorded high levels of stress compared to deputy principals and heads of departments. Based on the study findings, three key recommendations were made. There is need for stress management techniques and strategies for school administrators regardless of their administrative level. Due to the rising cost of medical care, and the risk of stress related diseases, there is need for health insurance to cover psychological counseling. Key words: Stress, levels, neustress, eustress, environment, alarm, stress among school administrators.

Root tensile strength of 3 typical plant species and their contribution to soil shear strength; a case study: Sasumua Backslope, Nyandarua District, Kenya

The effect of root reinforcement depends on the morphological characteristics of the root system, the tensile strength of individual roots, the soil-root cohesive strength, and the distribution of the root system in the soil. This research looks into Sasumua Backslope in Kenya, where a great deal of erosion is responsible for large soil losses. Shallow mass movements are evident throughout the slope. Root reinforcement effect of nine typical species was assessed, using Wu et al. (1979) model. The plant species comprised of shrubs (Atriplex halimus), grasses (Pennisetum clandistenum and Themeda triandra), and tree ferns (Asparagus species). Physical counting of roots per depth class was conducted to obtain root area ratio (RAR) values of the individual species. For each species, single root specimens were sampled and tested for tensile tests in the laboratory using the Hounsfield Tensometer apparatus. Maximum RAR values were located within 0.1 m for all the species, with maximum rooting depth of 0.7 m for fern tree. Shrubs species showed high RAR values between 0.1 – 0.3 m depth. Tensile force increases with diameter. Generally shrubs break at high tensile force (160 N maximum), followed by tree ferns (maximum 90 N) and lastly grass (maximum 75 N). Root tensile strength decreases with increasing root diameter, and follows a power law equation of the form . Generally, tensile strength can be well predicted by root diameter. The maximum root tensile strength values recorded was 39 N/mm2 for grass. The results presented in this paper contribute to expanding the knowledge on root resistance behavior and on root density distribution within the soil. The studied location has allowed the implementation of soil–root reinforcement models initially used by Wu et al. (1979) and the evaluation of the vegetation contribution to soil stability.

Assessing the contribution of alternative agriculture to poverty reduction and employment creation: A case study of sugar beet cultivation in Kenya

In Kenya, the government is promoting high-value and drought resistant crop varieties in an effort to reduce poverty in rural areas. Sugar beet is one such crop. This study was conducted with two objectives: 1) to assess the opportunities and challenges for sugar beet cultivation and adoption in the Nyandarua district of Kenya and 2) to assess whether sugar beet adoption can offer an opportunity for escaping poverty for smallholder farmers in the district. The factors favoring sugar beet cultivation and adoption in the district include: adequate land area suitable for sugar beet cultivation and the high sugar beet yield that can be attained per unit suitable land area, farmers' awareness of the positive aspects of sugar beet cultivation, and the willingness of many farmers to grow the sugar beet crop. Notwithstanding these favorable conditions, some socio-economic factors-mainly the affordability of sugar beet production and possible lack of appropriate farming technologies, will present challenges to widespread sugar beet adoption, particularly to those farmers in the low-and medium-income categories. The sugar beet profit analysis showed that depending on the market price, sugar beet can potentially increase household net income. However, since the majority of households are in the low-and medium-income categories, for sugar beet to pull the smallholder farmers out of poverty, interventions from government and other stakeholders is of vital necessity. The impact of sugar beet adoption and cultivation will vary from household to household. Those households within the high-income category who can raise the required start up capital are likely to benefit, while the low-and medium-income households may not, which is true for any new crop with high start up costs. Alternative agriculture alone is therefore not a sufficient strategy to address the problems of poverty and unemployment. Any successful strategy to address these issues must be broad-based, and include alternative agriculture and other growth and development strategies. Provision for the entire necessary infrastructure should precede or accompany all of these strategies in order to optimize implementation benefits.

Choice of Coordination Mechanism in the Kenyan Fresh Milk Supply Chain

This paper examines the nature and determinants of coordination mechanisms used in the Kenyan fresh milk supply chains, using recent survey data of market participants from Nakuru and Nyandarua districts in Kenya. Three main contractual arrangements are observed in the fresh milk supply chain. These include spot markets, verbal contracts and written contracts. The empirical results indicate that though written contracts are sparingly used in the milk transactions, milk producers are more likely to adopt such contracts compared to traders. The results also show that location of producer, source of market information, distance to markets, travel time to buyers or suppliers, gender of operator, and presence or absence of enforceable contracts significantly influence the type of coordination mechanism used in both producer-buyer and retailer-seller transactions and travel time to milk suppliers.

Environmental and occupational exposure to lead

To determine the status of environmental and occupational lead exposure in selected areas in Nairobi, Kenya. Cross sectional study. Kariobangi North, Babadogo, Waithaka and Pumwani for assessment of environmental exposure to lead (Pb) and Ziwani Jua Kali works for assessment of occupational lead exposure. Olkalou in Nyandarua District was the covariate study area. Three hundred and eight children and adults participated. Blood lead levels (BLLs) obtained for the entire sample (n = 308) ranged from 0.4 to 65 microg/dl of blood. One hundred and sixty nine (55%) of the total sample had levels equal to or below 4.9 microg/dl, while 62 (20%) of the sample had levels ranging from 5.0 to 9.9 microg/dl. Blood lead levels above 10 microg/dl were recorded in 77 (25%) of the total sample. Within Nairobi, 32 (15.3%) of the study subjects in areas meant for assessment of environmental lead exposure had levels above the WHO/CDC action levels of 10 microg/dl of blood. The mean BLL for the occupationally exposed (Ziwani Jua kali) was 22.6 +/- 13.4 microg/dl. Among the workers, 89% had BLLs above 10 microg/dl. In general, 15% of the entire sample (for both environmental and occupational groups) in Nairobi had BLLs above 15 microg/dl. The covariate group at Olkalou had a mean BLL of 1.3 +/- 0.9 microg/dl. The prevalence of environmental lead exposure to the general public is high in Nairobi compared to Olkalou where non exposure was reported. Occupational lead exposure has been identified to be at alarming levels and urgent intervention measures are recommended.

Effect Of Private Primary School Background On Students\' Performance And Perception Of Learning Environment In Public Secondary Schools: A Case Of Nyandarua District, Kenya

With less than 50% of the graduates from Kenya\'s primary schools gaining access to secondary school due to limited places at this level of education, a stiff competition exists to secure places in good public secondary schools. Because the end of primary school examination is the key determinant of entry into such schools, the society exerts extreme pressure on pupils to excel. Private investors have joined the fray by establishing primary schools which do everything to ensure good performance and attract more clients. Private primary schools constitute only 10 % of the primary school population, yet take up 60% of all the positions in prime public secondary schools. This study investigated the academic achievement and perception of learning environment of private and public primary school graduates in public secondary schools. A survey of a random sample of 860 graduates admitted into public secondary schools was carried out. Results from paired t-tests indicated that public primary school graduates had a statistically significant KCSE examination mean score and that of perception of public secondary school learning environment, as compared to those from private primary schools. Results indicated the existence of factors in public secondary schools impacting negatively on private primary school graduates. It is recommended that measures be put into place to enable these graduates cope with learning environment in public secondary schools. Keywords: Private Primary School Background, Performance, Learning Environment Journal of Technology and Education in Nigeria Vol. 10 (1) 2005: pp. 46-54

Situational Analysis of <i>Leishmaniases</i> Research in Kenya

Leishmania spp are protozoan parasites of the Trypanosomatidae family that cause disease in humans and animals. In general, infections with these parasites can be divided into three main forms namely, cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral leishmaniases. The disease is prevalent in many tropical and subtropical regions of the world, where it is transmitted via the bite of an infected sand fly. Leishmaniasis has been known to be endemic in parts of Kenya from as far back as early in the 20th century. These endemic areas include Turkana, Baringo, Kitui, Machakos, Meru, West Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet districts which have been reported to be endemic for kala-azar. Recent outbreaks of VL have been reported in the previously non-endemic districts of Wajir and Mandera in North Eastern Kenya between May 2000 and August 2001. The vector for VL in Kenya is Phlebotomus martini though other vectors including P. orientalis have been reported. Baringo district is the only foci reported where both VL and CL are known to occur in Kenya. The aetiological agents for CL which include L. major which has been reported in Baringo; L. tropica in Laikipia, Samburu, Isiolo, Nakuru and Nyandarua districts while L. aethiopica has been reported in the Mt Elgon area. In Kenya, P. duboscqi, P. guggisbergi have been shown to be the vectors of L. major and L. tropica, respectively, while P. pediffer, P. longipes and P. elgonensis have been implicated as vectors of L. aethiopica. Since 1980, the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) has spearheaded research on leishmaniases research in Kenya focusing on various aspects including characterization of Leishmania species, biology, and ecology of sand fly vectors, development of biological strategies for sand fly control, identification of animal reservoirs, diagnosis, new treatment strategies, new chemotherapeutic agents, and vaccine-related studies. KEMRI, a founding partner of the Drugs for Neglected Disease Initiative (DNDi), whose overall aim is to address lack of new or improved drugs for neglected diseases (which include leishmaniases, malaria, trypanosomiasis and Chagas disease) has made major contributions in leishmaniases research and control in Kenya and the eastern Africa region.

Educational Provision for the Academically Gifted: Rhetoric or Reality? Case of Primary Schools in Nyandarua District, Kenya

Some gifted people have made invaluable contributions to the world that shaped the destiny of humanity. Identification and development of gifts and talents of gifted children has been viewed as critical in tapping this valuable human resource. This study investigated the extent to which children who had demonstrated evidence of high academic capability are assisted in Kenyan primary schools to nurture their gifting. The study revealed varied practices but showed that a lot remains to be done. The findings of the study provide a useful empirical basis for action by policymakers, curriculum developers, education administrators, teachers, parents and other people interested in educational welfare of gifted children.

Effect of urea-molasses block supplementation on grazing weaner goats naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes

The influence of feeding urea-molasses blocks (UMB) on growth and gastrointestinal (GI) nematode parasitism of weaner goats grazing the same pasture was investigated on a farm in Nyandarua District, Kenya. Thirty female Small East African goat kids at an average age of 5 months were initially treated with albendazole orally (5 mg kg(-1) body mass) and randomly assigned into one of two groups: group I were fed UMB prepared using a cold process and group II kids (controls) received no block supplementation (NBS). The UMB were given in the evening when the animals returned from grazing and were consumed during the night at a rate of 95.0 g head(-1) day(-1). Supplementation was undertaken for 3 consecutive months from July to September 2001 and January to March 2002. Body mass of the kids and faecal egg counts were measured monthly and larval cultures were performed on positive faecal samples of kids of each group. Five goats from each group were randomly selected for slaughter and total counts and identification of worms at the end of June 2002. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were found in cumulative mass gains of kids in group I from September compared with those in group II. On termination of the study kids in group I had gained an average of (+/- SD) 20.4 +/- 1.4 kg while those in group II had gained 11.8 +/- 1.1 kg. From January 2002, faecal egg counts of the kids in the UMB group differed significantly (P < 0.05) from those of the NBS group and at slaughter, the mean (+/- SD) worm counts for the UMB group was 482 +/- 299 while that of the NBS group was 1 302 +/- 410. In all the goats, Haemonchus contortus was the predominant nematode recovered. These results indicate that UMB had significant effects in the control of GI nematode parasitism and enhanced growth of the young goats.

The environmental impact of landslides on the population living on the eastern footslopes of the Aberdare ranges in Kenya: a case study of Maringa Village landslide

Landslides are a recognized but poorly studied phenomena in the eastern footslopes of the Aberdare ranges in central Kenya. The Aberdare ranges traverse the Murang'a, Kiambu, Nyeri and Nyandarua districts of Kenya where fatal landslides have occurred in the past. A detailed study of a major landslide which occurred at Maringa village in Murang'a district on 30 April 1997, has been undertaken. The landslide buried three houses at the toe of a slope and killed all the 11 occupants in their sleep. It is shown that the geology and climate of the study area contribute to the prevalence of landslides not only in Murang'a but in all the andosol-covered areas throughout the eastern footslopes of Aberdare ranges. Rapid weathering of pyroclastic rocks in a warm and wet climate create a regolith which is generally weaker than the underlying better-cemented basalt and basaltic agglomerates. The landsliding occurred when the weathered pyroclastic regolith become saturated after a heavy rainstorm on high mechanically unstable slope which slid over the more stable basalts. Over-saturation of clay soils (andosol) which were also derived from weathering of pyroclastic rocks contributed to the slope failure. The results of the study show that besides fatalities and injuries, the landslide destroyed homes, plantations and roads.

Efficacy of ivermectin delivered from a sustained-release bolus against gastrointestinal nematodes in field grazing calves in Nyandarua district of Kenya

The effect of ivermectin delivered by an orally administered prototype sustained-release (IVM SR) bolus was evaluated over a period of 140 days using 12 steers aged approximately 8–10 months and ranging in weight from 150 to 175 kg. They were allocated to two groups of 6 steers each by restricted randomization based on their liveweight. Each of the treatment group received an IVM SR bolus designed to deliver 12 mg of the ivermectin/day for 135 days. The other group was designated as non-medicated controls. The groups were placed on adjacent 3 acre paddocks obtained by sub-dividing of 6.0 acre permanent pasture which had previously been grazed by young untreated cattle so exposing experimental steers to a similar challenge of a contaminated paddock. The faecal egg counts, herbage larval counts and worm burdens of the major gastro-intestinal nematodes of cattle were significantly reduced by the use of the IVM SR boluses. These parasitological effects were reflected in the increased liveweight gains in the IVM SR bolus-treated steers. The control steers required occasional salvage treatments over the trial period and the herbage on their paddock was heavily contaminated with infective larvae as reflected in the high worm burden in the control steers necropsied at trial termination and in tracer calves introduced into the paddocks during the initial (Day 31), interim (Day 69) and final (Day 100) stages of the experiment.

Resistance to benzimidazoles and levamisole in nematode parasites of sheep in Nyandarua district of Kenya

The occurrence of anthelmintic resistance on 25 sheep farms in the Nyandarua District of Kenya was investigated, using the faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT), the egg hatch assay (EHA) and a larval development assay (LDA). In the FECRT, resistance to both benzimidazoles (BZs) and levamisole (LEV) was detected on four farms, resistance to LEV only on three farms and to BZs, only on two farms. Haemonchus contortus was the predominant nematode species in both pre-treatment and post-treatment faecal cultures. Out of the six farms where BZ resistance was detected in the FECRT, only isolates from one farm had an LD 50 value higher than 0.5 μM thiabendazole (TBZ) (0.1 μg TBZ/ml) in the EHA indicating resistance. Isolates from three other farms, where susceptibility to BZs was detected and four with suspected BZ resistance in the FECRT, had LD 50 values higher than 0.5 μM TBZ in the EHA. The LD 50 values for TBZ in the LDA for four of the six isolates with BZ resistance in the FECRT were higher than 0.5 μM (0.59–2.07) TBZ. There were disagreements in ascribing resistance for various farms, between methods of calculating and interpreting the faecal egg count reduction percentages (FECR%) based on the arithmetic mean, and those where the geometric mean eggs per gram (EPG) of faeces are used. Inclusion of pre-treatment EPG or control group EPG in the calculation of FECR% resulted in similar variations.

Worm control practices on sheep farms in Nyandarua District of Kenya

A questionnaire investigation was used to examine anthelmintic usage and practical worm control for sheep on 50 farms selected randomly in Nyandarua District of Central Kenya. Control of helminths was based primarily on the use of anthelmintics on all 50 farms. On the majority (54%) of these properties, lambs were drenched two times per year. Ewes and rams were drenched three or four times per year on 74% of the farms. Most treatments were given at intervals of approximately 3 months with no specific drenching programmes. Anthelmintic doses for the sheep were based on weights estimated using visual appraisal on 98 and 96% of the properties for lambs and adult sheep, respectively. Only on a small proportion of the farms (22%) was the recommended weight of the heaviest animal used when drenching groups of either lambs or adult sheep. In 1994, the majority (68%) of farmers used levamisole (LEV) in combination with oxyclosanide (OXY) a fasciolicide, 10% used benzimidazoles (BZs), 10% LEV alone and 12% LEV and BZs together. This pattern of anthelmintics use was maintained from 1988 to 1994. Eighty one percent of the farmers had been using only LEV or BZs for three or more consecutive years from 1990 to 1994. The implications of these findings for the development of anthelmintic resistance are discussed.

The strategic use of closantel and albendazole in controlling naturally acquired gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep in the Kenya highlands.

The strategic use of closantel, a narrow-spectrum salicylanilide anthelmintic against bloodsucking helminths, and of albendazole, a broad-spectrum benzimidazole anthelmintic, in the control of gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep was investigated on a farm in Nyandarua District in the highlands of Kenya. Thirty Corriedale female lambs aged between 9 and 12 months were assigned to three treatment groups of 10 lambs each. The three groups were set stocked on separate paddocks for 12 months. Lambs in group 1 (strategic treatment group) were treated with closantel and albendazole at the beginning and towards the end of the long rains (April and June, respectively) and towards the end of the short rains. (December). During the intervening dry season, the lambs were treated with albendazole. Lambs in group 2 (suppressive treatment group) were kept 'worm free' by regular deworming with albendazole at 3-weekly intervals for 12 months. The third group of lambs remained untreated (control group). Gastrointestinal nematode infections and pasture infectivity were well controlled in the case of the strategic treatment group. This resulted in higher weight gains, wool production, packed cell volume, and serum albumin and protein concentrations compared with the untreated control lambs. These parameters were comparable between the strategic treatment and the suppressive treatment groups of lambs. It was concluded that worm control strategies based on the epidemiology of the parasites and the sustained anthelmintic action of closantel in combination with broad-spectrum anthelmintics can provide effective control of gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep in the study area.

New foci of cutaneous leishmaniasis in central Kenya and the Rift Valley

Active case detection and investigations of sandfly resting places in suspected transmission sites of cutaneous leishmaniasis in central Kenya and the Rift Valley resulted in the identification of several foci of the disease in Samburu, Isiolo, Laikipia, Nakuru and Nyandarua districts. The foci occurred in areas ranging from semi-arid lowlands at 400 m altitude to highland plateaux at 2500 m, including the floor of the Rift Valley, and were mostly inhabited by recently settled communities, nomads and migrant charcoal burners. Four species of Phlebotomus, 3 of the subgenus Larroussius ( P. Pedifer, P. aculeatus and P. guggisbergi) and one Paraphlebotomus ( P. saevus) were collected from caves, rock crevices and tree hollows found in river valleys and in lava flows.

Human cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania donovani s.l. in Kenya

Our laboratory is characterizing Leishmania stabilates and isolates from active leishmaniasis cases. Smears and cultures from aspirates made on different dates from a single lesion on the bridge of the nose of an 18 years old Kenyan male from Nyandarua District contained Leishmania. The isolates, NLB-271 and NLB-271-IA, were characterized by cellulose acetate electrophoresis (CAE) using 20 enzyme systems and by Southern analysis using 2 deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) probes (pDK10 and pDK20) from a Dakar strain of L. major (MHOM/SN/00/DK1) and a third probe, p7-059 from L. infantum strain ITMAP-263. Digestion of the two Leishmania DNAs with endonucleases HindIII and PstI, followed by hybridization with the 3 probes, revealed DNA fragment banding patterns indistinguishable from those of the L. donovani species complex. The CAE isoenzyme profiles of these 2 Kenyan isolates were indistinguishable from those of Kenyan L. donovani strains we designated as zymodeme Z6. Excluding post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis, this constitutes the first human case of cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. donovani s.l. in Kenya. Previously, cutaneous leishmaniasis cases in Kenya have been due to L. aethiopica, L. major and L. tropica only.