Bagasse, a fibrous residue from Sugar mills, is not easily biodegradable posing disposal challenges. Given its abundance in the sugar producing regions of Kenya, there is continued need to find other alternative uses. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential use of sugarcane bagasse-based adsorbents for removing Cd2+, Pb2+, methylene blue and turbidity from water spiked with the contaminants. Four bagasse-based adsorbents were prepared and used in batch experiments. Sugarc...
Salinity affects about 40% of the global area mainly the arid and semi-arid regions. In Kenya the ASALs cover approximately 80% of the total area where agricultural production constraints include water scarcity, salinity and sodicity. Sweetpotato Ipomoea batatas L. (Lam.) is the third most economically important root crop after potato and cassava in the world cultivated for human consumption, animal feed and industrial uses. The production of sweetpotato by smallholder farmers in the AS...
An estimated 1.8 billion people in the world use water coming from fecally contaminated sources. This is as a result of 80% of the human generated wastewater ending up in rivers and other reusable water bodies before treatment. The hygienic balance is locally complicated by the fact that 57% of people in informal settlements have no access to basic sanitation, including latrines and toilets. This study sought to evaluate alternative toileting in the name of “Peepoo”, as single use p...
Geothermal energy has become increasingly important around the world for the past few decades. This renewable energy has been utilized for electricity generation in Kenya. Before harnessing and utilizing this energy, survey of the geothermal area must be done. Moinonin has several geothermal manifestations in form of fumaroles, hot altered ground and steaming grounds among others. Even with these geothermal manifestations, gravity survey has not been done in the area. There is need to ex...
Medicinal plants contain a wide range of substances that can be used to treat chronic illness as well as infectious diseases. A vast knowledge of how to use the plants against different illnesses may be expected to have accumulated in areas where plants are commonly used. Conventional medicine has created problems due to microbial resistance. This has enhanced the interest in search for natural products with medicinal property. Information on the chemical constituents in herbs aid in dis...
ABSTRACT Microbial infections constitute a serious problem especially in developing countries. Several antibiotics have been developed but their use is limited due to antimicrobial resistance and emergence of new infections. Several plants have proven to be medicinal and this has necessitated research in the field of phytochemistry aimed at generating more effective antimicrobial agents. The aim of this study was to investigate the phytochemical properties with respect to antimicrobial effec...
The Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) in East Africa hosts over thirty million inhabitants most of whom are classified as absolutely poor. The food security in the region is manifested in high levels of malnutrition, child mortality and high HIV and AIDS incidents. There is need for food diversifications. Food crops like pumpkins though indigenous in the region have no established position within the major food crops despite their rich nutritional potential and capability to provide a balanced ...
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by protists of the genus Plasmodium. Malaria is responsible for high morbidity and mortality rates among children under five years and pregnant women. Recent climatic changes leading to global warming has resulted in the emergence of malaria in highlands in Africa where malaria never existed before. In Kenya, highland malaria is very rampant in Nyanza, Gucha District and some parts of Rift Valley province w...
ABSTRACT Fish farming has been practised all over the world for centuries. Throughout history, humans have used fish as a supplementary source of proteins and as a source of income. Fish performs all their body functions in water and therefore the quality of water is very important to their livelihood. Farmers have suffered losses due to the death and stunted growth of fish as a result of bacterial infections and diseases among other causes. The presence of these bacteria in fish pond water...
Persons living with HIV may succumb to acquired immunodefiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), which renders them susceptible to opportunistic infections. Several antibiotics are recommended for prophylaxis and treatment of the infections. These usage of antibiotics has lead to the development of multi drug resistant strains of Escherichia coli isolated from the gut of persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Such resistance is of great concern as the organisms may become infectious and also serve as ...
In the water distribution industry, meter reading is an important activity as source of revenue to the water utility company and at the same time it is meant to ensure accurate recording of consumption. Manual water meter reading is still being done in many countries in the world where employees of water companies take the readings from residential and business premises. Water bills are then prepared based on this data. This process is inefficient and costly in terms of man-hours, especi...
ABSTRACT The levels of inorganic anions, nitrate (NO3 - ), chloride (Cl- ), sulphate (SO4 2- ), phosphate (PO4 3- ), fluoride (F- ) and iodide (I - ), in amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus and Amaranthus cruentus) leaves at different stages of maturity (25 days, 50 days and 75 days), grains and soil from four regions (Kenyatta University (KU), Bureti, Kisii and Elgon) of Kenya were quantitatively determined. The levels were determined using spectrophotometric, potentiometric and titrimetri...
The indiscriminate use of A. sativum L. in treatment of various diseases can pose a great danger to various body functions. It results to toxicity within the body system e.g. in both dogs and cats, A. sativum L. has been associated with oxidative hemolysis and Heinz body formation leading to anemia and methemoglobinemia. Therefore, assessment of hematological and biochemical parameters of this plant extract can be used to determine its safety and toxic margins. Just like other terrestria...
The present management regime of snake bites requires the use of antivenom immunoglobulins. However, these antivenoms have the limitations of being expensive, requiring cold storage facilities and have problems of hypersensitivity reactions in some individuals. A. spinosus, C. articulatus, C. spinarum, C. molle and R. usambarensis have been used traditionally in the management of snake bites in Turkana and Uasin-Gishu Counties, Kenya. However, their efficacy and safety have not been scie...
Various kinds of photovoltaic (PV) modules have been developed and practically deployed as PV systems over time. The performance of PV modules found in the Kenyan market has not been documented and therefore their reliability and stability in providing an alternative source of energy has not been sufficiently established. In this study the I-V data of Silicon-based mono crystalline, poly crystalline and amorphous modules was collected. The choice of the modules was done randomly dependin...