http://41.89.205.12/handle/123456789/173 Thu, 16 Apr 2026 05:47:14 GMT 2026-04-16T05:47:14Z http://41.89.205.12/handle/123456789/2803 IMPACT of Alcoholic Drinks Control Policies on the Consumption of Illicit Alcohol in Angorom Word, Busia - Kenya Okedi, William N.; Wakoli, Caroline Illicit alcohol is a major public health threat globally because it’s not regulated and therefore sold illegally. Evidence shows that 60% of all alcohol consumed in sub-Saharan Africa is illicit. In Kenya, it is estimated that 36% of all alcohol consumed by adults is illicit. In 2010, the Government of Kenya enacted the Alcoholic Drinks Control Act in order to operationalize the alcohol control policy in the country. One of the aims of the policy was to eradicate or minimize the production, sale, and consumption of illicit alcohol. However, since the enactment of the policy, no study has been done in Busia County to determine the impact of the policy on the production and consumption of illicit alcohol in Busia County. This lack of information to inform planning and resource allocation has affected the ability of policymakers at the County level to effectively plan appropriate and effective interventions to address the complex challenge of illicit alcohol. This study has collected, analyzed, and interpreted information that will assist a cross-section of stakeholders involved in the prevention and control of illicit alcohol in the country and beyond. The study has determined the types of alcoholic drinks consumed in the study area; assessed the prevalence of illicit alcohol and assessed the perception of the impact of alcoholic drinks policies on the production and consumption of illicit alcohol in Ang’orom ward. A cross–sectional study design was adopted for this study. A systematic sample of 103 heads of households and 12 key informants were involved in the study. Data collection techniques used included interviews, document analysis, and key informant interviews. The SPSS social Science program was used in the analysis of quantitative data while thematic analysis was used in the analysis of qualitative data. The study results show that the main illicit alcohol consumed in the study areas was Chang’aa, this was, however, transported and sold in all the cities and major towns in the country. The study found that the alcohol control policies have had little or no impact in eradicating or minimizing the consumption of illicit alcohol in the study area whose prevalence stands at 50% against the national average of 36% and Sub-Saharan Africa’s average of 60%. The study concluded that1) production and consumption of illicit alcohol is a serious problem in the study area with harmful patterns of alcohol consumption that threaten public health; 2) the existing illicit alcohol control policies seem to be ineffective because they are inconsistent with complex developmental, cultural, economic, political and administrative factors that fuel the production, sale, and sustainability of the illicit alcohol business in the country. The study recommends comprehensive research to determine the cost-effectiveness of current government policy on illicit alcohol and make recommendations on the rationale, feasible, cost-effective, and sustainable strategies to address the challenges posed by illicit alcohol in Kenya Tue, 01 Aug 2023 00:00:00 GMT http://41.89.205.12/handle/123456789/2803 2023-08-01T00:00:00Z http://41.89.205.12/handle/123456789/2688 Social Determinants of Maternal and Child Health Outcomes in Busia County, Kenya: Implications for Nursing Practice and Health Systems Strengthening Okedi, William N.; Sogoli, Anne A.; Luvai, Emanuel; Mulaa, Willis Background: Persistent maternal and child health (MCH) inequities in low- and middle-income countries are driven not only by service delivery gaps but also by structural social determinants of health (SDOH), including housing, water and sanitation, poverty, and governance fragmentation. In Kenya’s devolved health system, county governments bear primary responsibility for service delivery, yet multisectoral coordination remains uneven. Generating local evidence on household-level determinants is critical for informing county policy and strengthening primary health care systems. Aim: To assess household- and system-level social determinants influencing maternal and child health in Busia County, Kenya, and to identify policy and governance implications for nursing practice and county health systems strengthening. Methods: A cross-sectional mixed-methods study was conducted between May and June 2025 across four sub-counties of Busia County. Data were collected from 103 households using a structured observational checklist covering five SDOH domains: housing quality, water and sanitation (WASH), access to health services, health behaviours, and community environment. Fifteen Key Informant Interviews with county officials, health managers, and civil society actors examined governance, financing, and intersectoral coordination barriers. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively using SPSS (Version 26), while qualitative data were thematically analysed and triangulated. Results: Structural vulnerabilities—including semi-permanent housing, inadequate WASH infrastructure, and persistent financial constraints—were widespread. Although geographic access to facilities was relatively adequate, effective utilisation of antenatal, delivery, and postnatal services was constrained by indirect costs, transport limitations, and weak cross-sector coordination. Community health structures were active but insufficiently embedded within formal county planning and budgeting frameworks. Conclusion: Improving maternal and child health in Busia County requires policy shifts beyond facility expansion toward integrated, multisectoral action. Strengthening nurse-led primary health care, institutionalising interdepartmental coordination, aligning WASH and health investments, and embedding community health structures within county governance and financing mechanisms are critical for advancing equitable MCH outcomes under devolution. Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://41.89.205.12/handle/123456789/2688 2026-03-12T00:00:00Z http://41.89.205.12/handle/123456789/2665 INTEGRATED BEAN APHID MANAGEMENT (Homoptera: Aphididae) ON BEAN CROP (Phaseoli vulgaris) IN WESTERN KENYA Makila, Jacob; Nyukuri, Robert W; Mwongula, Albert W. Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is the most important food legume, however there is an increasing decline in performance and production due to pest attack especially from the aphids. Pest infestation is even higher during the dry season hence causing a serious damage to the crop. Therefore there is an urgent need to come up with methods like integrated pest management in order to control the pest, which destroys the crop by sucking the nutrients, excrete honey dew which attract saprophytic fungi and is also known to transmit a number of viruses to the bean plant. The aim of this study was to: determine efficacy of integrated management on bean aphid infestation and to determine the efficacy of integrated management on bean performance. This was done with an overall aim of increasing the yields of beans. Data collection was done using a 4x2x2 factorial experiment comprising of Bean variety cv. Nyayo ,two rates of seed dressing chemical (with and without) using (Gaucho) Imidacloprid, two rates of botanical pesticide (Tephrosia vogelii) extract at 0 and 20w/v %) applied as a foliar spray and four rates of inorganic fertilizer Triple Super Phosphate (TSP) –zero rate (no fertilizer), Low rate (TSP at, 50 kg product/ha), medium rate, 75 kg/ha and high 100 kg product/ha). The four factors were combined in a completely factorial arrangement in randomized complete block design replicated three times constituting 16 treatment combination giving 48 experimental plots which were planted in five row field plots measuring 2m by 2.25 m. The experimental design was Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) replicated three times. Each experimental plot measured 2.0 M x 2.0 M with inter row and intra row spacing of 45 cm and 20 cm respectively. Clean bean variety seed sourced from local market was used in this study to reflect local farmer’s source of planting material. Data collected on all the parameters was subjected to analysis of variance procedure using general linear model of the statistical analysis system (SAS) package (SAS Institute, 1996). However, data on aphid count and number of plants infested by bean aphids were first subjected to a transformation of square root of x+ 1 in order to reduce heterogeneity of the data before being analalysed. Mean separation was done according to Fisher’s protected LSD significant difference Test at 5% level of significance. The Pearson’s correlation test was performed on the means of the parameters investigated to compare on their relationships. Results showed that the aphid population builds up and damage in bean crop was significantly reduced when combined application of treatments of seed treatment using Imidacloprid at 700 ml/100kg seed was done on bean seed before planting and planting with 100 kg/ha of tsp fertilizer, then followed with a Biopesticide foliar spray of T. vogelii at 20%w/v from 30 days after emergence (30DAE) thereafter spraying on a weekly basis better than any other treatment applied. The application of T.vogelii at 20%w/v alone on weekly basis significantly reduced bean aphid infestation better than control and application of seed dress alone. Use of seed dressing alone was only temporary measure during seedling stages and should be supported with other control measure one month after crop emergence as it does not provide complete control of bean aphid infestation for the whole season during bean growth. The integration of TSP fertilizer, seed dresser, and application of foliar spray of Tephrosia leaf extract at 20%w/v greatly reduced Aphis fabae infestation and population build in bean crop below damaging levels and resulted in improved bean grain yield, Application of TSP fertilizer rates alone did not seem to have effect on bean aphid infestation on bean crop as population build up was observed under all the rates applied. It’s therefore recommended to use integrated control in order to increase performance and production of beans. Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT http://41.89.205.12/handle/123456789/2665 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z http://41.89.205.12/handle/123456789/2664 PROXIMATE COMPOSITION OF Pseudocanthotermes grandiceps (Isoptera: Termitidea) IN WESTERN KENYA: COMPARISON WITH NILE PERCH FISH AND RED MEAT Makila, Jacob; Nyukuri, Robert W; Mwongula, Albert W.; Wanjala, F.M.E; Bagine, R.K Food insecurity is a major problem facing the Kenyan populace. There are acute food shortages that do not satisfy the increasing population as traditional food stocks continue to be depleted as a result of environmental changes and increasing population. Faced with problems of food insecurity, increasing food prices and overreliance on the traditional food items, there is an urgent need for Kenyans to diversify their food sources. In western Kenya, the termites have a long history of consumption as a delicacy during the rainy seasons. A major problem is that they are varied in species and may not all contain the ingredients required by humans for nutrition. There are also very few studies that have attempted to evaluate the totality of white ants in Kenya. The aim of this study was to determine the proximate composition of the termites in Western Kenya. This was done with an overall aim of determining whether termites can be declared as an alternative food source in Kenya. Data were collected and analyzed for proximate composition of moisture, protein, lipids, crude fiber. Essential Amino Acid (EAA) profiles were evaluated to determine protein composition. Food value of the different species was analyzed by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results indicated that termites have high levels of moisture content of 90.2% crude protein (64%), crude lipids (9.35%), crude fibre (9.53), gross energy of 4.99 kcal and the essential amino acids at 31.5g/100g. Due to the conditions of families in Kenya this can be a substitute for the sources of protein substitute for red meat and Tilapia fish meals preferred by many households. The profile of Essential Amino Acid in the current study was found to be high and therefore white ants formed a very good source of essential amino acid to the local people. This study therefore concludes that white ants are suitable alternative food source to replace major rotein food and nutritionists should start a campaign of making the white ants a delicacy. Given that white ants are neglected food in Kenya, it is recommended that the food items should be consumed as one of the food in the traditional diets in areas where the species occur. Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT http://41.89.205.12/handle/123456789/2664 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z