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The JOOUST Repository aims to store, preserve, disseminate, and provide access to scientific and intellectual outputs, ensuring the preservation of the University’s intellectual memory.
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Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , The Influence of Plant-Based Diets on Growth, Development, And Nutritional Quality in Acheta Domesticus and Gryllus Bimaculatus Crickets(International Journal of Tropical Insect Science, 2025-05-07) Orinda, Mary Akinyi; Aboge, Danstone OchiengCrickets as an innovative source of high quality protein for both humans and livestock has been studied. Crickets especially Acheta domesticus (House Cricket) and Gryllus bimaculatus (Field Cricket), have been found to be adaptable to mass rearing. However, success in their mass rearing depends on a combination of several factors including availability of feeds that are both easily digestible sand nutritionally balanced for optimal growth and development. Finding alternative cost-effective feed for cricket rearing is therefore an essential task. This study investigated growth and nutritional characteristics of two species of crickets (Acheta domesticus and Gryllus bimaculatus) fed on different plant-based diets. The aim was to identify the most efficient and nutritious feed for optimal cricket rearing. Using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), four treatments feeds were fed to the crickets to determine how they impact growth rates and nutritional profiles. The diets comprised of Rice Bran + Azolla pinnata (RBAZ), Rice Bran + Moringa oleifera leaf powder (RBMO), Rice Bran + Morus alba leaf powder (RBMA) and Poultry Mash (PM) as the control. The feeds in each treatment were presented simultaneously allowing the crickets to choose between them. Fifty randomly sampled crickets from each experimental unit were weighed weekly to adulthood. Sex notification, adult emergence and start of egg laying were recorded and adult crickets analyzed for nutrient composition. Notable differences in the two species on sex notification, adult emergence and start of egg laying were observed. Species G. bimaculatas exhibited more variation in start of egg laying and sex notifications across different diets unlike A. domesticus that showed nearly stable responses on these characteristics. Mean weight gain for G. bimaculatus were significantly higher when fed on both PM and RBMO feeds. Species A. domesticus recorded higher mean weight gains when fed on PM (0.187 ± 0.15) and RBAZ (0.189 ± 0.11). Overall, G. bimaculatas demonstrated better adaptation to the different diets and effectively translated these diets into nutrients. The best plant-based diets with stable performance in growth, developmental and nutritional attributes of the crickets were RBMO and RBMA. Farmers can explore the use of these feeds to lower feeding cost in cricket farming. However, further studies are needed to determine the feed conversion ratios, digestibility, optimal inclusion levels of these feeds and the cost implications of their production and use. Besides, the underlying mechanisms for species-specific responses to these feeds needs to be understood to refine feeding for optimal crickets performance.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , What Do We Know, And What Are We Missing From Sorghum Adoption Studies In Sub-Saharan Africa? A Scoping Review(BMC, 2026-02-18) Mutuku, Kennedy Vaati; Speelman, Stijn; Orinda, Mary; Olweny, Calleb; D’Haese, MarijkeSorghum, a drought-tolerant crop, has been cultivated in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for many decades. However,the considerable variation in adoption rates and the fact that it is not adopted or even dis-adopted in certain areas require a deeper understanding. This scoping review examines the state of knowledge on the socio-economc factors influencing sorghum adoption based on 52 empirical studies in SSA and explores the extent to which these results differ by methodology. The statistically significant results were mixed, making it difficult to determine the most effective predictors of sorghum adoption. This indicates that the effect of a particular variable depends on the context of use, the location of the study, and the measurement methods employed. In addition, several biases related to the analytical models were identified, including biases in adoption analysis, heterogeneity in decision-making, small sample size bias, non-independence of observations, multicollinearity, and endogeneity. Critical gaps include the need for further analysis of dis-adopters and gender-specific decision-making within households during the adoption process.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , Prognostic Factors and Survival Outcomes among Oncology Patients with Known and Unknown HIV Status in Kisumu County, Kenya(South Sudan Medical Journal, 2026-02) Mogire, Grace Kwamboka; Demba, Rodgers Norman; Ayodo, GeorgeIntroduction: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and cancer have a complicated interplay in their pathobiology, resulting in malignancies associated with viral infection. This study sought to establish the prognostic factors and survival outcomes among patients diagnosed with cancer with known and unknown HIV status. Methods: The study employed a hybrid design, combining retrospective and prospective cohorts from 2019 to 2021. Three hundred and seventy-nine cancer patients with known and unknown HIV status enrolled at the oncology clinic in Kisumu County were recruited via multi-stage and stratified sampling. Results: The mean age was 57.2 years (SD 15.2). The study population comprised 31.1% (118) males and 68.9% (261) females. Among the study participants, 53.6% (203) were HIV-negative, 39.8% (151) were HIV-positive, and 6.6% (25) had an unknown HIV status. Multivariable Cox regression showed HIV status had no statistical impact on survival. Metastasis at diagnosis increased the risk of death (HR 3.1, p<0.001, 95% CI 1.7-5.6) as did late cancer stage (HR 3.1, p=0.035, 95% CI 1.1–8.7). Longer duration of care reduced risk of death (HR 0.8, p<0.001, 95% CI 0.7-0.9), as did non-tobacco usage (HR 0.3, p=0.042, 95% CI 0.1-0.9). Conclusion: Tumour stage, metastasis, tobacco use, and duration of care had a statistically significant influence on the survival of the oncology patients.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , Knowledge Co-Production: Nurturing Grassroots Innovations within Environments of Scarcity. The Case of Community Currency in Kisumu, Kenya(European Journal Of Social Sciences Studies, 2026) Oloko, Michael; Kiaka, RichardAlthough grassroots innovations often emerge in contexts of scarcity, they rarely fulfil the purposes that originally prompted their inception. Limited local capacity to nurture and protect such initiatives can create opportunities for ‘elite capture’ by more privileged and resourceful actors. This paper brings together two seemingly antagonistic concepts— ‘elite capture’ and ‘knowledge co-production’—to inform the introduction and implementation of a community currency as a grassroots innovation in Kisumu. It draws on experiences and lessons learnt from similar initiatives in Mombasa and Nairobi, and applies the principles of knowledge co-production to prevent ‘elite capture’ in Kisumu. The inclusive nature of the knowledge co-production approach—accommodating relevant stakeholders and their diverse interests—its goal-oriented focus, and its emphasis on effective collaborative engagement, combined with the flexibility to allow iterative processes, are employed to safeguard the interests of the most deserving local participants. The paper advances understanding of knowledge co-production and demonstrates its application in facilitating constructive engagement and stakeholder participation to prevent ‘elite capture’. Together, these elements help to ensure local ownership and management of innovations by their intended beneficiaries, thereby strengthening local support mechanisms and empowering the community.Item type: Item , Access status: Open Access , Effects of Problem-Solving Approach to Teaching and Learning of Mathematics on Students with Different Achievement Abilities in Kenyan Secondary Schools(Global Scientific Journals (GSJ), 2024-10) Mulwa, Emily Mali; Odindo, Fred; Kevogo, NebertDespite mathematics being one of the core subjects in Kenya’s secondary school curriculum, many students have continued to perform dismally in the subject in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) with the overall national mean score remaining below 30%. This study aimed at exploring whether there were any significant differences in mathematics’ mean achievement scores of the High Achievers (HAs) and Low Achievers (LAs) between the experimental and control groups. It was anchored on the social constructivism learning theory. The study employed a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group post-test only design. The study population was 2162 form two learners from 26 schools. A purposive sampling technique was used to sample 14 schools that were at the same level in syllabus coverage and had two streams. Simple random sampling was employed to get the study sample of eight schools with 774 form two learners. Data collection instruments were Baseline Mathematics Achievement Test (BMAT) and Post Mathematics Achievement Test (PMAT). The study data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics where the means, standard deviations and independent samples t-test to test significant differences in means at an alpha value of 0.05 were used with the help of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 29. In this study, findings indicated that there was a significant difference between the mean mathematics achievement scores of HAs and LAs taught through PSA as compared to those taught by conventional methods. This good performance was perhaps due to leaner active involvement, peer interactions, self-directed learning and increased confidence among the learners. This enhanced better understanding of the mathematics concepts which finally translated to improved performance. It was recommended that teachers of mathematics should be encouraged to use PSA so as to improve the performance of learners in mathematics especially LAs who are usually believed to lower the school performance mean scores.