No abstract

South West Mau Forests (SWMF) is an important resource to Kenya and beyond. Despite its importance, there is an imminent anthropogenic threat to its conservation which has altered its current importance. There is a need for urgent implementation of sound and feasible forest conservation strategies with a clear understanding of incentives for sustainable forest conservation. This study was therefore carried out to identify threats to SWMF conservation and to determine incentives for its sustainable management. Purposive and systematically sampling techniques were used to identify study sites. Three transects were laid parallel to forest edge from which nine sites were selected. Households were identified using simple random sampling and a total of 225 questionnaires administered. Kruskal Wallis Test as provided in SPSS Version 12 package was used to test significant differences among forest threats. Chi-square (X 2 ) test was used to test for overall significant difference between incentives. Significant test levels were expressed at P < 0.05.

Water shortage is a common phenomenon in many parts of Kenya in the dry season, including the Kapseret Sub-County. However, water harvesting has seldom been practised, despite its high potential to alleviate water shortages in the dry season. This is largely influenced by a lack of access to dams and pans. The objective of this study was to identify potential dam sites for water harvesting in Kapseret Sub County, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. Multiple criteria analysis and weighted overlay were performed on ArcGIS to map suitable sites for the location of dams. The multiple criteria considered in site suitability analysis were land use and land cover (LULC), slope, and proximity to streams, institutions, roads, and airports. Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of 30 m resolution was downloaded from the USGS website and used to process stream network, slope, and contours. Landsat 8 satellite imagery taken on January 2022 were downloaded from the USGS website and used to generate LULC data. It was established that the Kapseret basin has moderate to highly suitable zones for dam siting, covering 74.66% of the area with only 25.34% of the land being unsuitable. Further analysis using contours identified four potential dam sites with a combined capacity of 3,436,500 m3. The study concluded that the potential for water harvesting is high in the area as significant portions of the land are generally suitable for dam siting. It was recommended that action be taken by the county and other stakeholders to develop dams in suitable zones so as to increase access to water, particularly in the dry season when there are shortages

The low uptake of measles vaccines in Kenya is a noticeable public health problem. Therefore, the study assessed the determinants of low uptake and hesitancy of measles vaccination among mothers of children aged 9 – 24 months in Narok North Sub-County, Narok. Cross-sectional quantitative study was done. The study was conducted in four purposively selected health centers in Narok North Sub-County. A structured and pretested questionnaire was used to collect data from 100 mothers. The multistage sampling method was used in this study to select the mothers who participated in the current study. The data were analysed descriptively. Additionally, Pearson’s chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis H, and logistic regression tests were conducted to determine the significance of the relationships and associations between the determinants and MCV uptake. A total of 69(69%) of the children (N =100) who had qualified for the first dose of measles vaccines (MCV1) had received the vaccines, while 31(31%) had not. Thirteen (26.5%) of the children (n = 49) who had qualified for the second dose of measles vaccine (MCV2) had received the vaccine, while 36(73.5%) did not. The significant maternal determinants of MCV uptake included; maternal age (p = .019) and maternal level of education (p = .030). The significant child’s determinants were birth order (p = .032) and place of birth (p = .001). The significant socioeconomic factors included; low socioeconomic background (p = .004) and cultural and religious issues (p = .003). The significant healthcare determinants included distance from the health facility (p = .020) and availability of vaccines in the health center (p = .000). Measles vaccine uptake was very low compared to the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended coverage rate of >95%. Thus, there is a need to provide health education and information to mothers or caregivers on measles vaccine uptake. Keywords: Vaccine, Vaccine Uptake, Measles

Soil erosion is still one of the most important land problems and it is linked to land use and land cover changes. These have negative effects on land resource which ultimately affects agricultural productivity and water quality. Local monitoring systems constitute an almost compulsory component of any program or project dealing with sustainable management of natural resources. The purpose of this study was to identify soil erosion monitoring indicators in Kuresoi South, Kenya. The study was comprised of a total representative sample population of 68 respondents from Kuresoi south catchment which was achieved using Nassiuma coefficient of variation formulae. Our findings reveal a positive significant relationship between soil erosion monitoring indicators and natural resource management. Taken together, soil erosion monitoring indicators can be used in detecting change over time in soil resource.