http://ir.mksu.ac.ke/handle/123456780/11 2026-04-06T15:52:58Z 2026-04-06T15:52:58Z Njoroge, Jacqeline Wanjiku Murunga, James Karau, James http://ir.mksu.ac.ke/handle/123456780/20012 2025-09-09T14:31:49Z 2024-08-01T00:00:00Z

DETERMINANTS OF FOOD SECURITY AMONG RURAL HOUSEHOLDS IN KENYA Njoroge, Jacqeline Wanjiku; Murunga, James; Karau, James In Kenya, ensuring food security among rural households is pivotal for sustainable development and poverty alleviation. With about 71 percent of Kenya’s population living in the rural areas and agriculture being the main economic activity, 36 percent of the rural population is experiencing food poverty. The main focus for this study is to establish the determinants of food security among rural households in Kenya. The study is grounded on the Engel Curve theory. Data for this study is obtained from the Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey (KIHBS) 2015/16, covering 13,092 rural households. Logistic regression estimation technique was employed to meet the study objectives. The findings reveal that education status of the household head, access to credit, household size and income are significant determinants of food security among rural households in Kenya. The education status of the household head, access to credit and income have positive effects on household’s food security while household size has a negative effect on household food security. The study recommends that credit facilities be made accessible for rural farmers to help them expand both on farm and off farm operations, thus enhancing household food security. The government should also prioritize expanding education access in rural areas and implement policies to boost household income by supporting agricultural value chains and improving market access. Additionally, policy measures focused on family planning should receive adequate attention to reduce household sizes to a level that household heads can manage effectively.

2024-08-01T00:00:00Z Omuya, Erick Odhiambo Okeyo, George Kimwele, Michael http://ir.mksu.ac.ke/handle/123456780/19892 2025-07-09T07:26:59Z 2022-09-01T00:00:00Z

Sentiment analysis on social media tweets using dimensionality reduction and natural language processing Omuya, Erick Odhiambo; Okeyo, George; Kimwele, Michael Social media has been embraced by different people as a convenient and official medium of communication. People write or share messages and attach images and videos on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. It therefore generates a lot of data that is rich in sentiments. Sentiment analysis has been used to determine the opinions of clients, for instance, relating to a particular product or company. Lexicon and machine learning approaches are the strategies that have been used to analyze these sentiments. The performance of sentiment analysis is, however, distorted by noise, the curse of dimensionality, the data domains and the size of data used for training and testing. This article aims at developing a model for sentiment analysis of social media data in which dimensionality reduction and natural language processing with part of speech tagging are incorporated. The model is tested using Naïve Bayes, support vector machine, and K-nearest neighbor algorithms, and its performance compared with that of two other sentiment analysis models. Experimental results show that the model improves sentiment analysis performance using machine learning techniques.

2022-09-01T00:00:00Z Muchira, Anthony Mutai, Benjamin Muange, Elijah http://ir.mksu.ac.ke/handle/123456780/19644 2025-07-09T07:26:40Z 2025-02-01T00:00:00Z

Rabbit meat perceptions and consumption determinants among households in Nakuru County, Kenya Muchira, Anthony; Mutai, Benjamin; Muange, Elijah The concept of the livestock revolution highlights significant changes in global animal production systems, driven by population growth, urbanization, and rising per capita incomes. This has resulted in unprecedented growth in the demand for animal-origin foods, particularly in developing countries. As a result, there is an urgent need for sustainable and nutritious alternatives to conventional livestock. Rabbit meat offers a viable solution due to its superior nutritional profile that includes high protein, low cholesterol, and essential vitamins. Despite its benefits, consumption of rabbit meat remains low compared to popular types of meat. Most of the previous research on rabbits has focused on production aspects and there is limited information on the current status of rabbit meat consumption. This study examines household perceptions and factors influencing rabbit meat consumption in Nakuru County, Kenya. Data was collected from 196 households using semi-structured questionnaires administered through face-to-face interviews. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and the double hurdle model. The study found that perceptions of rabbit meat by respondents were generally positive. Regression results show that decision to consume rabbit meat was influenced positively by respondent’s awareness of rabbit meat's nutritional benefits, perceived taste, knowing a rabbit keeper and distance to the market, and negatively by respondent’s age and level of education. Intensity of consumption was positively influenced by affordability of the meat and distance to market, but negatively by age and household size. The study recommends improving rabbit meat’s market accessibility and affordability and increasing awareness on its nutritional benefits be pursued.

2025-02-01T00:00:00Z Namara, Grace Kwesinga, Philip Kioli, Felix Ngunzo Emmanuel, Mutungi http://ir.mksu.ac.ke/handle/123456780/19522 2025-07-09T07:26:34Z 2024-09-01T00:00:00Z

Continuity and transformation in Nkole material culture: The Case of Marriage Pots Namara, Grace; Kwesinga, Philip; Kioli, Felix Ngunzo; Emmanuel, Mutungi The study investigated continuity and transformation in Ankole material culture of western Uganda with a focusing on marriage pots. The main objective was to investigate how material culture using the case of marriage pots have been relevant to the Ankole community through forces of transformation. The investigation exercise involved qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and analysis. Investigation commenced with administering questionnaires to 130 respondents. In way of obtaining a broader view of the transitional experience about marriage pots from a traditional to a contemporary paradigm, interviews were carried out in an exercise that involved 30 potters, 20 married couples and 20 elders. Findings indicated that there is a profound changed between the traditional and the contemporary Nkole marriage pots, ideally in terms that include; One, design (form), and finish as some young couples require them painted instead of smoking, secondly improved production in terms numbers because of the improved technology. Findings however highlighted threat factors to the continuity and transformation of Nkole marriage pots which included; decreased Nkole marriage Traditional inductions, and an influx of imported substitutes.

2024-09-01T00:00:00Z