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Item ANTI-DERMATOPHYTIC ACTIVITY OF Salvia nilotica METHANOLIC LEAF EXTRACT AGAINST Trichophyton mentagrophytes(2021) JOSEPH KIPROP CHEPKWONYConventional medicine used against dermatophytosis has resulted in treatment failure, relapses of the fungal infection and side effects due to its use. Herbalist in the Tugen community in Kenya claim that Salvia nilotica leaves have anti-dermatophytic effects however, there is no scientific documentation for these claims. This study therefore sought to determine the phytochemical constituents in S. nilotica methanolic crude leaf extract and its anti-dermatophytic activity against the dermatophyte, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and probable mode of action through the effects on Metalloprotease 2 (MEP2), Sulphite efflux pump (SSU1), Subtilisin 3 (SUB3) and dipeptidyl-peptidases V (DDPV) target genes. The phytochemical constituents of methanolic crude leaf extract of S. nilotica were determined using standard methods. Food- poisoned technique was used to determine antidermatophytic activity of S. nilotica extract at different concentrations ranging from 7.76 mg/mL to 77.59 mg/mL. Plausible mode of action was determined using quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction to establish the effect of S. nilotica methanolic leaf extract treatment on MEP2, SSU1, SUB3 and DDPV genes of Trichophyton mentagrophytes versus the standard drug fluconazole. Qualitative phytochemical analysis of the methanolic crude leaf extracts of S. nilotica indicated the presence of tannins, saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, steroids, alkaloids, carbohydrates, amino acids and glycosides but there was absence of phlobatannins and anthraquinones. This study also found that S. nilotica crude leaf extract has anti-dermatophytic activity against Trichophyton mentagrophytes. The activity of crude leaf extract of S. nilotica on Trichophyton mentagrophytes was not significantly different (p < 0.05) when compared with fluconazole. In addition, all the Trichophyton mentagrophytes genes, which were targeted in this study, were down regulated by different folds depending on the concentration of the antifungal agent used. The down regulation noted was -1.7, -1.9, -1.1 and -1.1 folds for MEP2, SSU1, SUB3, and DPPV genes respectively at 0.30 mg/mL of fluconazole. At 0.50 mg/mL of fluconazole, the genes were down regulated by -4.2, -2.9, -1.6 and -34.4 folds for MEP2, SSU1, SUB3 and DPPV respectively. S. nilotica at 13.97 mg/mL down regulated the target genes by -1, -1.2, -1.2 and -38.4 folds for MEP2, SSU1, SUB3, and DPPV genes respectively. Similarly at the concentration of 77.59 mg/mL of S. nilotica the genes were down regulated by -1.3, - 7.9, -2.3 and -2211.8 folds for MEP2, SSU1, SUB3 and DPPV respectively. In conclusion, this study has shown that S. nilotica crude leaf methanolic extract could offer a potential alternative medicine for dermatophytosis treatment.Item PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF FRESHLY HARVESTED AND FACTORY-PROCESSED MANGROVE HONEY FROM KILIFI COUNTY, KENYA(2021-11) OMORI NANCY KWAMBOKAMangrove honey from the mangrove forests at the Kenyan coastal region has been in production at the commercial level by beekeepers organized and registered in self-help groups for more than a decade now. The honey is said to have medicinal properties but it has not been fully characterized to determine whether it meets the Kenyan standards on Honey – Specification (KS EAS 36:2020), European Union (EU) Directive on Honey (2001/110/EC) and International Honey Commission (2009). The objective of this study was, therefore, to characterize Kenyan mangrove honey in terms of its physicochemical properties and volatile organic compounds present. It was also important to correlate the honey VOC profiles with the mangrove tree flowers extract profiles. Unprocessed honey sampling was done from selected beekeepers from the four mangrove forest regions of Kilifi County, namely, Mida, Kilifi, Watamu and Mtwapa creeks while processed honey samples were obtained from Kwetu Training Centre. Twenty (20) honey samples weighing approximately 250 g each were collected randomly from farmers and factory in different locations in Kilifi County, packed in 500 cm3 plastic bottles, ferried for refrigeration in the lab at a temperature of 4o C. Mangrove flower volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were collected by static headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) fiber while collection of VOCs in honey samples was done by ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction (USE) method. Mangrove honey was analyzed for moisture content (by refractometry), colour index, diastase, proline and hydroxymethylfurfural (by spectrophotometry), pH and electrical conductivity (by pH/conductivity meters), free acidity (by titrimetry), sugar content (high performance liquid chromatography) and volatile organic compounds (by GC-MS). Quantitative data was analyzed using the SPSS program version 21. The results showed that the mean moisture content ranged from 23.40±0.00 to 19.23±0.06%, mean pH from 4.45±0.05 to 4.00±0.00, mean electrical conductivity ranged from 0.54±0.00 to 0.32±0.00 MS/cm. The mean acidity ranged from 30.21±0.15 to 22.20±0.00 Meq/kg. The mean proline content ranged from 734.36±4.23 to 602.24±2.68 mg/kg. The mean HMF levels were in the range of 2.86±0.14 to 0 mg/kg. The mean invertase content ranged from 9.55±0.10 to 5.54±0.11 U/kg. The mean diastase content ranged from 11.48.47±0.06 to 8.11±0.64 S/units. In the VOCs profile of mangrove flower, factory and farm, 119, 90 and 70compounds were identified, respectively. Of the identified VOCs, 35 were found both in the honeys analyzed and in mangrove flower. Three compounds docosanoic acid, palmitoleic acid and n-hexadecanoic were found in large quantities in all samples analyzed and the mangrove flowers and can be considered to be chemical markers for mangrove honey. The HMF, diastase and invertase were found to be below the set limits suggesting that the mangrove honey studied was fresh and had not been heated by farmers during harvesting and extraction. The high proline content also revealed that nectar and pollen are produced in great quantities by mangrove plants. The rest of the physicochemical parameters were found to be within the limits set by the International Honey Commission, Codex Alimentarius and the Kenya bureau of standards (through the EAS)Item DEBT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND LOAN PERFORMANCE OF COMMERCIAL BANKS IN KENYA(2021-10) MERCY AKINYI OWICHThis analysis examined debt management practices and performance of loan of the commercial banks in Kenya. The analysis anchored on the fact that loan performance linked to economic performance. Economies tend to be unstable especially in financial crises when non-performing loans increase. For instance, the non-performing loan rates after applying the debt management techniques entails 5.46%, 5.99%, 8.59%, 9.95%, and 11.69% for 2015-2019 respectively. The key objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of debt management practices on loan performance of commercial banks in Kenya. The specific objectives of the study included, establishing the effect of credit risk assessment on loan performance of commercial banks, to determine the effect of periodic loan review on loan performance of commercial banks in Kenya, to evaluate the effect of loan collateral on loan performance of commercial banks in Kenya, and to determine the effect of early warning signs of loan delinquency on loan performance of commercial banks in Kenya. Most reviews have examined credit performance, commercial banks performance and many more but there has not been much research on debt management practices and loan performance of commercial banks in Kenya. The period scope of the study was 2015-2019. The research anchored on debt management, information asymmetry and moral hazard theories. The research design applied was causal research design. The target population of the research project was 108 managers from banks in tier II and tier III. The research embraced purposive sampling to come up with a sample size of 85 respondents. The data was collected using questionnaires. The data collected from the questionnaire was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 21.0 software. The findings were then classified, tabulated and summarized using figures. Therefore, the analysis identified that commercial banks loan performance aligns with the effectiveness of credit management practices evident in the banks. The credit management practices that entail character, capacity, capital, conditions, and collateral were less effective to loan performance than third party security. Periodic loan review tends to be effective in loan performance as determined in the study with a positive significance level as well as the extent of loan collateral presence on loan performance. The analysis recommended that the commercial banks and the government to evaluate and formulate policies that regulate exercises on credit risk management of loan delinquencyItem PHENOTYPIC, PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERS AND QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCI IN F2 GENERATION OF Phaseolus vulgaris UNDER DROUGHT STRESS IN MACHAKOS COUNTY, KENYA(2022-01) CHARLES KIPKOECH LANGAT (MSc.)Currently, yield of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in smallholder systems in Kenya is comparatively low; standing at 400 kg ha-1 against global average of 960 kg ha-1 . The low yield is attributed to drought which has become a major constraint affecting more than 60% of common bean production across the world. The most effective measure to mitigate effects of drought on common bean production is development of drought tolerant genotypes. Hence, there is need to select for drought tolerant genotypes from the local germplasm of common bean for hybridization. The current conventional method used in screening for drought tolerant bean genotypes involve long duration of field testing. Therefore, there is need to use other alternative method like, marker assisted selection (MAS) using DNA markers linked to quantitative trait loci (QTL) that could quicken the selection process and subsequent development of drought tolerant genotypes. The objectives were to; i) assess phenotypic and physiological characters associated with drought tolerance, ii) characterize F2 (KAT B1 × GLP2) population for drought tolerance using phenotypic and physiological characters, iii) determine QTLs associated with drought tolerance in an F2 (KAT B1 × GLP2) population of common bean. A series of experiments were carried out to elucidate the phenotypic and physiological characters and map quantitative trait loci (QTL) for drought tolerance in common bean. Six genotypes; KAT B1, GLP2, Nyota, Angaza, Faida and Metameta were assessed in a rain-out shelter under water stress for phenotypic xviii and physiological characters related to drought tolerance. Characterization of phenotypic and physiological characters was also carried out in F2 population consisting 116 individuals previously developed from KAT B1 × GLP2 cross. The F2 population comprising of 120 lines derived from KAT B1 and GLP2 were mapped for quantitative trait loci (QTL) linked with drought tolerance. The experiments were laid out in a randomized complete block design replicated three times. Stomatal conductance and stem biomass showed greatest variation among genotypes and had significant positive correlations with yield per plant under water stress. Estimates of expected genetic advance indicated that high gains and progress are attainable on genotypic selection for characters such as days to maturity, pod number plant-1 , stomatal conductance and leaf water potential at 34.97 %, 22.32 %, 22.87 % and 25.46 % respectively. High estimate values for heritability in broad sense were also obtained for these characters. A genetic linkage map with a total length spanning 634 cM of the common bean genome at an average distance of 2.02 cM between adjacent markers was generated using 229 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. A total of twenty three QTLs were detected for the branch numbers, pod numbers, grain number per pod, stem biomass, leaf biomass, pod biomass, days to flowering and maturity, 100-seed weight, seed yield, stomatal conductance and leaf water potential. Two putative QTLs involved in drought adaptation mechanisms were detected; SCO4.1KG associated with stomatal conductance on chromosome Pv04 and LWP1.1KG associated with leaf water potential chromosome Pv01. Overall, this research provided insight into the genomic regions (QTLs) controlling traits related to drought tolerance in common bean. Given the long duration taken in developing improved common bean cultivars using conventional phenotypic selection, the identified QTLs should be incorporated in marker assisted selection in screening and selection of high yielding and drought tolerant genotypes hence, hastening common bean improvement efforts.Item ENHANCING SOYBEAN PRODUCTION, ECONOMICS AND ADOPTION AMONG SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS OF KENYA(2019-08) FRANCIS MUCIRA MURAGECurrent demand for soybean in Kenya is higher than production. The deficit which is over 95% is filled through importation from neighboring countries. Despite the high demand, adoption and production is low (0.56 to 1.1 t ha-1 ) against potential yield of 3.0 – 3.6 t ha-1 . The low production is associated with low use of fertilizers. Farmers are using mineral fertilizers below recommended rates and they are not using organic fertilizers despite them being readily available. The objectives of the study was therefore to determine the effect of applying organic and inorganic fertilizers singly or in combination on grain yield of soybean, compare economics of soybean under organic and inorganic fertilizers and to determine factors influencing adoption of soybean by smallholder farmers in the central Highlands of Kenya. To achieve these objectives, on-farm experiments were set in Embu County and a survey was carried out in Embu, Meru and Tharaka Nithi Counties. The experiments had six treatments; (tithonia, tithonia plus fertilizer, fertilizer plus manure, fertilizer, manure and a control) arranged in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). The plot sizes measured 6 m × 4.5 m and the main data collected was yield and labour. In the survey, the sample size was 210 farmers. Net benefits, benefit cost ratio and return to labor were used as the economic tools in data analysis. All biophysical data was subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA). To determine factors influencing adoption of soybean, data was subjected to Cross-tabulation for categorical variables to test for association using Pearson chi-square statistic, the data was also subjected to a binary logistic regression model to predict the factors affecting adoption of soybean in the central highlands of Kenya. Results showed that there was a significant difference in soybean yield among treatments in LR 2016 and SR 2016, (P= <0.0001) and (P= <0.0033) respectively. A combination of manure plus fertilizer and tithonia plus fertilizer recorded a significant higher soybean yield than the control in both seasons. Manure plus fertilizer recorded a significantly higher net benefit and return to labour than the control in both seasons and it is the only treatment that recorded a return to labour of greater than 2.0, which is the minimum acceptable for smallholder farming activities. Out of 210 households interviewed, 41% were adopters while 59% were non-adopters. Total farm size, membership of a farmer group and attendance of training on soybean positively influenced adoption of soybean while age of household head negatively influenced adoption of soybean. The implication of these results is that farmers should be integrating organic and inorganic fertilizer in soybean farming in Embu County. Integration of manure and fertilizer should be advocated for in order to realize maximum economic benefits from soybean farming. Further, the adoption of soybean in the central Highlands of Kenya can be enhanced by targeting young household heads, household heads with bigger farm sizes, encouraging farmers to join farmer groups and increasing trainings on soybean. These findings provide a guide to the extension agents in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MoALF) in Embu, Meru and Tharaka Nithi Counties. This will help them in designing training manuals for farmers in regard to soybean production and increasing adoption of the crop in these Counties.Item PRACTICES OF POLICY AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THARAKA-NITHI COUNTY- KENYA(2020-09) BIBIANA RUGURU IRERIPractices of policy are critical towards the successful implementation of inclusive education in schools. The approach recognizes the learners’ diversity, enabling them to access course content, fully participate in learning activities and demonstrate their strength at assessment. The mandate of inclusive education policy implies that regular schools modify their guiding principles that inform all decisions, policies and practices to cater for learner diversity. This is particularly significant since the fundamental aim of inclusive education is to accommodate all learners regardless of their physical, intellectual, social and emotional conditions. In spite of the inclusive education policy, disability remains a major course of exclusion in schools in Kenya. Thus, the purpose of the study was to analyse the effects of practices of policy towards the implementation of inclusive education in public secondary schools. The actual sample constituted 161 respondents. Data was collected using a questionnaire administered to 100 teachers, an interview guide for 11 learners living with physical disabilities and 5 focus group discussions each group comprising 10 non-disabled learners. The study was guided by the Social Model of Disability and adopted a mixed method design. Quantitative data was analysed using inferential statistics. The ANOVA and t-test were done to test the study hypotheses. Qualitative data was organized by developing codes, then categorizing them into themes presented in a narrative form. Linear regression was carried out to check the linear relationships between the variables. The overall results showed that practices of policy in schools were rated by majority of teachers as ineffective in addressing the needs of learners with disabilities. School guiding principles that address the needs of learners with disabilities was rated; Not Sure (52%); Stakeholder involvement in planning and strategizing for learners with disabilities; Not effective at all (50%), Human resource especially the teacher factor; Not effective at all (92%), Adequacy and modification of physical resources; Not done at all (62%), Provision of finances to restructure the school environment; Not provided (67%) and finally School strategies in overcoming physical barriers that hinder the implementation of inclusive education; Not effective at all (67%). Further, the study established that all the variables accounted for a small variance towards the implementation of education. The study concluded that inclusive education has not taken root in public secondary schools. Learners with disabilities have to adapt to get the needed education or drop out of school. The main conclusion of the study was that lack of effective practices of inclusive education policy was a major obstacle to the implementation of inclusive education in secondary schools. The policy framework is weak in guiding the schools on effective strategies for developing school practices that positively influence the implementation of inclusive education. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education through the County Education Boards, develop a wellcoordinated master plan for consistent school reform founded on clear inclusive education philosophy, policies and practices to effectively implement inclusive education in public secondary schools in Kenya.Item GENETIC ENGINEERING OF FINGER MILLET (Eleusine coracana) WITH Aldose reductase GENE ISOLATED FROM Xerophyta viscosa TO ENHANCE DROUGHT AND SALINITY TOLERANCE(2019) Njeru Asunta MukamiFinger millet is chief food crop for millions of people in the world. It is ranked third in cereal production in semi-arid regions after sorghum and pearl millet. It is generally grown all over the world especially the developing countries with stable yield and strong adaptability to a number of agro-ecological environments. Despite its importance, finger millet increase in production is limited by abiotic stresses especially drought and salinity which affects the plant in the field during seed germination and early phases of seedling development. Unique plants such as Xerophyta viscosa, (a resurrection plant) that uses a number of physiological and molecular responses in order to survive under extreme stress conditions, are valuable sources of useful genes for crop improvement. Accordingly, XvAld1gene that encodes aldose reductase has previously been isolated from X. Viscosa under dehydration stress. The objective of this study was to establish a direct regeneration protocol of Kenyan finger millet varieties and develop transgenic drought and salinity tolerant finger millet plants expressing XvAld1 gene via Agrobacterium- mediated transformation. Six finger millet varieties GBK043137, GBK043128, GBK043124, GBK043122, GBK043094 and GBK043050 were used. As a prerequisite, a rapid and reproducible direct regeneration protocol was established using shoot apical meristems. The study established that the highest shoot induction was obtained in MS media supplemented with 1.75mg/l BAP while highest rooting events was obtained in MS media supplemented with 4.0 µM. In order to produce drought and salinity tolerant finger millet plants, XvAld1 gene controlled by stress-inducible XvPsap1 promoter was introduced into finger millet via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and the transgenic events regenerated through direct organogenesis. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) confirmed the integration and the expression of XvAld1 gene with 1 positive event recorded in each finger millet line. In order to evaluate the drought and salinity tolerance, the rate of germination, number of green leaves and the total chlorophyll content of the transgenic compared to the wildtype plants was examined under simulated drought and salinity stress using mannitol and sodium chloride respectively. The study established that transgenic plants were more tolerant to drought and salinity stresses than the wildtype plants. The results of this study demonstrate a rapid, adoptable and effective system to transform and regenerate finger millet plant. Genetic enhancement of finger millet will improve yield and ensure food security even during crop failure due to hostile weather conditions associated with climate change.Item STATISTICAL THERMODYNAMICS OF HIGH TCTWO BAND SUPERCONDUCTIVITY IN MgB2(2019-10) Igunza Edward SalanoThermodynamic properties of the multiband high critical temperature superconductors have been describedpreviously with simple standard BCS expressions corresponding to and bands, but the microscopic mechanisms that allow superconductivity to persist at high temperatures remain unknown. Studies on two band superconductors have previously been described through one band model; this approach has not adequately addressed cases of inter-band scattering for superconductors at high temperature. Research reverted to canonical two band BCS Hamiltonian containing a fermi surface of p- and d- bands, followed byBogoliubov-Valatin transformationequations, to obtain transition temperature, energy gap and specific heat forMgB2 superconductor. A detailed study of phonon-mediated attraction and coulomb repulsion was proposed to act differently on energy band states and stabilizing superconductor phase for MgB2..The results were comparedto the approach of a sum of two independent bands using Bardeen, Cooper and Schrieffer like π- and α- model expressions for the specific heat, entropy and free energy to the solution of Bogoliubov-Valatin transformation for strongly correlated electrons. The research lead todevelopment of electron-phonon interaction model Hamiltonian for superconducting MgB2and its energy, obtaining transition temperature TCfor MgB2 superconducting and expression for variation of thermodynamic properties of high TC superconductors in two-band model system.The researchdemonstrated the physical meaning of the sum over the contribution of the two bands, where band parameters tend to agree with the previous determinations ofband structure calculations and experiments. Informationwas found on the thermodynamic transition by presenting an empirical two bands that fits the experimental data over the whole range of temperature to high TC. A perturbed Hamiltonian was developed from the Bogoliubov-Valatin transformations equations, where thermodynamic variables were derived. Kaleidagraph and Mathcad software were used to calculate values of statistical thermodynamics of high TC variables for high temperature superconductors, which included specific heat capacity = 0.0192729906 eV/K, calculated TC = 47.667720441K, ground state energy = 0.4111340888 eV, total energy = 0.7670001738 eV and entropy = 3.3245572813 eV/k used in data processing and analysisItem DYNAMICS OF A FISHERY MODEL WITH ALLEE EFFECT IN POPULATION GROWTH(2019-11) Makwata Harun OmukubaSustainable exploitation of renewable resources such as marine fish has been a concern to both ecologists and economists with threats of species extinction due to over - exploitation a stark reality. Fish exhibits co-operative and social characteristics among individuals which increases its survival through predator surveillance and enhanced spawning. Overfishing compromises this con - specific interactions and socialism. In this study, a mathematical model of a fishery with an Allee effect in the population growth equation is developed. This is achieved by formulation of a set of ordinary differential equations governing the evolution in the population growth, harvesting effort and the stock market price. The model is aggregated to reduce its dimensions from a system of three equations to a system of two equations since market price is taken to evolve faster. Four equilibrium points are obtained, and analysed using local stability and local bifurcation. Simulation of the model for equilibrium points with zero harvesting is performed using MATLAB while further stability analysis, at three different values of the threshold population is carried out yielding three different cases of equilibrium solutions; Stable equilibrium, co-existence of three positive equilibria two being saddles and the other being stable and the co-existence of three positive equilibria with two being stable separated by a saddle. The stable equilibrium corresponds to the case of a fishery with the fish stock at high levels with a small economic activity, the harvesting is artisanal with low economic returns. The co-existence of three positive equilibria, two being saddles and the other being stable corresponds to a fishery where, fishery management practices of monitoring, control and surveillance are practised, hence exploited in a sustainable manner. Finally, the co-existence of two stable equilibria points separated by a saddle corresponds to co-existence of two kinds of fishery; an over- exploited fishery with a large economic activity with the stock facing extinction and an under - exploited fishery with a small economic activity with the stock maintained at high levels far from extinction. Bifurcation diagrams obtained show how equilibria changes from stable to unstable at critical value of the carrying capacity as the fish population and harvesting effort vary. From the analysis, setting of appropriate fishery management practices like fishing quotas, shall guide sustainable exploitation of the Kenya commercial marine fish species. This shall be enhanced by more monitoring on fish stock density and total catchesItem SOIL MOISTURE CONSERVATION, CROPPING SYSTEMS AND SOIL FERTILITY EFFECTS ON SOIL AND MAIZE PERFORMANCE IN MACHAKOS COUNTY, KENYA(2019-05) NGIE MWENDEThe main causes of food insecurity in semi–arid parts of Kenya are low soil fertility, low and unreliable rainfall. These two causes are the main challenges facing small-scale farmers in food production especially in semi-arid areas of the country. To overcome these challenges, soil and water management technologies especially those in soil and water conservation need to be embraced. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of tied ridges, fertilizers and cropping systems on soil properties (moisture, pH and organic carbon), growth and yield parameters of maize; and to identify the most cost effective water and soil management technology. This study was carried out in four seasons at Katumani in Machakos County. The experiment was a 2 x 4 x 2 factorial, laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The treatments were: tied ridging, flat bed planting, farm yard manure 0 t/ha, farm yard manure 5 t/ha, nitrogen fertilizer 20 kg/ha, farm yard manure 5 t/ha + nitrogen fertilizer 20 kg/ha, maize mono crop and maize cowpea intercrop. Data collected included soil moisture content, soil pH, total organic carbon, growth parameters and maize yield. The results showed that, treatments with flat bed planting in maize mono crop significantly increased soil moisture content at 0–20cm depth as compared to tied ridging in maize cowpeas intercrop during short rains 2015. Application of farm yard manure at 5 t/ha increased soil moisture content at 2 and 4 weeks after planting. The soil moisture content ranged from 6.30% to 23.80%. During the short rains 2015, maize mono crop significantly increased vegetative growth in comparison to maize cowpeas intercrop. Treatment with flat bed and 20 kg N/ha in maize mono crop had the highest mean for vegetative growth. However, during the long rains 2016, treatment with tied ridging and 20 kg N/ha in maize mono crop registered the highest mean for vegetative growth. During the short rains 2015, treatments with maize mono crop significantly increased grain yield with a range of 1.35 t/ha 3.59 t/ha. Flat bed planting with farm yard manure 5 t/ha in maize cowpea intercrop significantly increased the grain yield by 165.93%. The harvest index during the short rains 2015 ranged between 0.35 and 0.48. Treatments with maize mono crop significantly increased gross benefit, net profit, gross margin and cost benefit ratio during short rains 2015 and long rains 2016. Application of farm yard manure 5 t/ha + 20 kg N/ha had the highest variable cost. The cost benefit ratio was positive during the short rains 2015 with a range of 1.47–2.98. The yield differences among the four seasons could have been as a result of variations/distribution in rainfall amount, soil moisture content and soil fertility as induced by the treatments. Flat bed planting increased the yields during the short rains 2015 when the amount of rainfall was high whereas tied ridging resulted in improved yields during short rains 2014, long rains 2015 and 2016 when rainfall amount was low. For the farmers to maximize yields and profits in the study area, adoption of flat bed planting with farm yard manure 5 t/ha and maize cowpeas intercrop during the seasons of high rainfall could be appropriate treatment combination according to the findings of this study. However, during seasons with low rainfall, tied ridging with 20 kg N/ha and maize mono crop could be recommended for adoption. Also, variations in seasonal rainfall should be considered when integrating different soil and water management practices because the effectiveness of different technologies vary with the seasons. Farmers in Machakos County may have to consider use of supplementary irrigation during the dry spells to increase soil moisture.Item UTILIZATION OF RAINWATER HARVESTING TECHNOLOGIES AMONG SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN MURANG’A COUNTY, KENYA(2024-08) FRANCIS IRUNGU ITEMOWater is a critical resource in environmental sustainability, agricultural production as well as for improved livelihoods. Climate variability hinders crop and livestock production in Sub-Saharan African countries. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is a climate smart agricultural practice to revert this. Rainwater harvesting has been practiced among smallholder farmers for centuries in many parts of the world. Recently, it has gained more attention due to the reported increasing water demand and the need for sustainable water management hence the research was conducted to evaluate the utilization of rainwater harvesting technologies (RWHTs) as a climate smart agricultural practice in Murang’a County, Kenya. Drawing on data from a cross sectional survey of 384 households, our research evaluated the adoption of RWHTs, intensity of crop and livestock enterprises adoption under RWHTs and the determinants for RWH among smallholder farmers in Murang’a County, Kenya. Multistage random sampling and proportionate to size technique was employed to sample farmers in three wards namely: Murarandia, Mugoiri and Wangu. The KOBO kit a phone application was used during data collection. To assess the adoption of RWHTs, descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were applied. The results found that rooftop water harvesting technology (93a ± 22), infiltration pits (81a ± 21), furrows (68a ± 16), deep ploughing (67a ± 21), terraces (54a ± 14), mulching (51a ± 17), retention ditches (23a ± 18) and water pans (17a ± 5) water harvesting technologies had statitistical significant differences among smallholder farmers (P<0.05), while negarims, water bunds and dams water harvesting technologies were not statistically significant (P<0.05) adopted at a mean ± S.D of 11 ± 4, 6 ± 2 and, 1 ± 1 smallholder farmers, respectively. The findings exhibited that households that practiced livestock production including: dairy cattle farming, goat rearing, sheep farming, beef cattle rearing, pig production, and poultry farming, watered their livestock using rooftop harvested rainwater at a rate of 12%, 10%, 9%, 6%, 3% and 5%, respectively while, 1% practiced aquaculture. Multivariate probit model (MVP) analysis showed that crop enterprises adopted (macadamia, maize, coffee, tea, avocado, fodder, arrowroots, beans, bananas, mangoes and sweet potatoes) among household heads were key crop enterprises that influenced adoption of these RWHTs. The MVP model also pointed out that household head’s access to credit facilities, landownership, age, level of income, education level, gender, family size, source of income, membership to farmers’ groups and access to training services were statistical significant (P<0.05) thus, influenced RWH adoption. Membership to farmers group had merits including: support in farmers’ training, social ties, source of information and source of credit which were also key determinants to RWH adoption. The study recommends relevant stakeholders and policy makers to consider promotion or up scaling of RWHTs for crop and livestock enterprises among household heads in consideration of the determinants influencing adoption rate in Murang’a County.Item PROCUREMENT PRACTICES INFLUENCING SERVICE DELIVERY: A CASE OF KENYA POWER(European Centre for Research Training and Development UK, 2014-12) Maurice James DavisIn developing countries, public procurement is increasingly recognized as essential in service delivery and it accounts for huge proportion of total expenditures. However, there is a growing recognition that, despite significant increases in resource, public service delivery is falling in many developing countries. Poor service delivery of electricity can be justified by ineffective procurement systems within an organization. The purpose of this study is to evaluate procurement practices influencing service delivery in the public sector with focus on the provision of electricity: A case study of Kenya Power. The study is based on the socio-economic and institutional theories. The objectives of the study; to establish the influence of procurement policy on service delivery, to evaluate how procurement planning influence service delivery, and to evaluate sustainable procurement practices influence on service delivery. Methodology used in the study is a case study with a focus on Kenya power. Stratified sampling technique was used to select a representative sample from a target population of 160 employees with a sample size of 100 respondents. The respond rate is 71%. A mixture of Interview and Likert- Scale questionnaire were employed. The collected data was further analyzed using SPSS and excel computer software as well as descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that: Procurement rule and regulation lack flexibility and it is hampering the procurements operations as revealed by 77.5%; Procurement planning does not take long term cost of ownership into consideration as also revealed by 39.4%; the findings also revealed 59.1% agreed that there is no Sustainable procurement practice by the company even though it has Green policy in places but, the implementation is hampered by organizational culture as well as budgetary constraint. The followings are major Recommendations: The National procurement policy or rules and regulations should be review to put into place clauses that will lead to flexibility and inclusion of emerging trends in the procurement process as procurement is an involving profession; The top management should ensure that the procurement departments are involved in all procurement and contract related activities as a result of the decentralize nature of the company’s procurement system; The planning process for electricity expansion should involve all concern departments so that planning can be done in advance before budgets are approved; Government should increase it subsidy to the company’s operation; The company should include sustainable procurement criteria within its procurement and contracting decisions.Item DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A MICROCONTROLLERBASED FIVE DEGREE OF FREEDOM ROBOTIC ARM USING SERVO MOTORS(2018-08) NICHOLUS KARIUKI NDWIGAIntegration of robotic arms into working tasks has currently increased magnificently in performing the very repetitive, dangerous or difficult tasks. Typically, a robotic arm is a mechanical arm that is programmable to mimic the behavior of a human arm in terms of how it functions. Computers and microcontrollers have widely been used in the control of robotic arms with the help of sensors, levers, buttons, wireless devices, just to mention but a few. More advanced technology has lately revolutionized their control, ranging from the haptic technology using accelerometers to human-brain control through noninvasive technology. One of the areas robotic arms are used in our day to day life is in land movers like in excavators, bulldozers, backhoes, front loaders and trenching machines. The available arms for these devices need personnel throughout their operations to control and manipulate their movements using gears, levers, pistons, pedals and sometimes buttons. There is a great need to complement their movement so that they can autonomously operate once they are powered. This research focused on the design, implementation and control of a robotic arm with five degree of freedom (DOF) using servo motors. It was designed to entirely operate by itself in a repetitive routine. A control circuit based on a PIC18F4550 microcontroller interfaced with a servo motor was built and a suitable software for the control of the rotation of motor developed. The control circuit was used to send appropriate Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signals to different motors to produce the desired rotation. In this study five servo motors were employed to realize the robotic arm. Three servos were utilized to control the body motion including base, shoulder, and elbow and two servos were used for the motion of end effector, the wrist and the gripper. The software for the control of rotation of the motors was done using C programming language. The codes were developed and debugged using the mikroC PRO for PIC Integrated Development Environment (IDE). PICkit™3 in-circuit programming module was used to upload the program to the microcontroller through PICkit™3 programmer software. The materials were assembled and joined to construct the robotic arm which was tested in the University laboratory to demonstrate repetitive picking, lifting and dropping of objects of specific weight from one place to another without the influence of the operator.Item SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NIOBIUM PENTOXIDE THIN FILMS PREPARED BY SPRAY PYROLYSIS TECHNIQUE FOR DYE SENSITIZED SOLAR CELL APPLICATION(2019-03) KINEENE MIRIAM MWONGELIThere is a rapid increase in demand for energy worldwide and one of the most promising approaches to resolve this crisis is through use of photovoltaic technologies. Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are attractive candidates in this regard. This is because the materials they use are of low cost and non-toxic. Niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5) thin films have been stable as photo anode for DSSC. Methods that are used to deposit niobium pentoxide thin films include hydrothermal method, solgel method, anodization technique, electro-deposition, sputtering, and spray pyrolysis. Among the above mentioned methods, spray pyrolysis is the simplest. It is a low cost method especially with regard to equipment. The technique requires chemicals that can undergo pyrolysis. In this study, Niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5) thin films for DSSC application were deposited on ordinary glass substrates using the spray pyrolysis technique. In the synthesis of Nb2O5, Niobium pentachloride (NbCl5) was used a precursor solution. This was prepared by dissolving Niobium pentachloride in distilled water to which hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid were added. The deposition parameters of the niobium thin films such as spray duration and substrate temperature were varied. The sprayed solution underwent thermal decomposition resulting in formation of niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5) thin films. The optical characteristics of the films were determined using the Shimadzu model DUV 3700 spectrophotometer. From the transmittance spectra obtained, it was clear that the films were 60% to 90% transparent in the visible region and the absorption edge occurred at around 300nm. Sheet resistivity of the films determined by use of the four point probe method was 10-4Ωcm. XRD studies revealed that the films were tetragonal in nature with well defined reflections at (211) and (220). The average crystallite size was estimated to be 21.25nm. The thicknesses of the films were determined using the KLA Tencor Alpha–step IQ surface profiler and was found to range between 162nm and 517nm. Band gap energy and absorption coefficient were estimated using point-wise unconstrained minimization approach (PUMA) software. Band gap energy values ranged between 3.92 eV to 4.12 eV. From the obtained results, the films considered best for DSSC application were those deposited at substrate temperature of 470oC and at duration of 2 minutes.Item CHARACTERIZATION OF Cu2S / SnO2: F P-N JUNCTION FOR SOLAR CELL APPLICATIONS(2019-10) JARED GISEMBA OMWOYODue to industrialization and increase in population, there is need for clean, green and renewable source of electrical energy. Traditional sources of electrical energy like fossil fuels are getting depleted, on the other hand silicon based solar cells are expensive hence the need for low cost and reliable alternative source of energy. Photovoltaic is a reliable energy source which is renewable. Photovoltaic is a process of conversion of solar energy to electricity directly using solar cells. For this study Copper (I) Sulphide (Cu2S) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by Chemical Bath Deposition (CBD) technique. Copper sulphate (CuSO4) was used as a source of copper ions, thiourea (CS (NH2)2) as a source of sulphide ions and tartaric acid as a complexing agent, ammonia solution was used to regulate the pH. SnO2: F thin films were deposited using spray pyrolysis technique (SPT) on glass substrates at substrate temperature of 3500 C using pentahydrated stannous chloride (SnCl4∙5H2O) and ammonium fluoride (NH4F) as precursors. Optical transmittance and reflectance of all film samples prepared in the range of 200 nm-1100 nm were measured using UVVIS-NIR spectrophotometer. The optical measurements were simulated using SCOUT software to obtain optical constants. Cu2S deposited at 0.15 M Cu2+ exhibited low average transmittance of 20.91 %, high average absorbance of 51.29 % and narrow optical band gap of 2.33 eV hence a good absorber material to be used as ptype layer in solar cells applications. On the other hand, SnO2: F had high average transmittance of 79.94 % and wide optical band gap of 4.04 eV at 4 % concentration of fluorine. This shows that SnO2: F is a suitable n-type layer for solar cell applications. Cu2S had lowest refractive index of 1.44 at 0.15 M Cu2+ . The four point probe was used to measure the sheet resistivity of all thin films. SnO2: F had lowest resistivity of 40.3 Ω cm at 4% concentration of fluorine while Cu2S had low resistivity of 0.40x103 Ω cm at 0.15 M Cu2+ . .The Cu2S/SnO2: F p-n junction was fabricated in phases. First the n-type layer of SnO2: F was deposited onto the glass substrate by spray pyrolysis method and then the p-type layer of Cu2S thin films was deposited onto SnO2: F thin film to form a p-n junction. The solar simulator was used to measure the I-V characteristics of the fabricated cell. The fabricated cell had open circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.4075 V, short circuit current (Isc) of 0.00219 A, fill factor (FF) of 0.61 and efficiency (η) of 0.303 %. Therefore, Cu2S and SnO2: F thin films are suitable materials for fabrication of Cu2S/SnO2: F p-n junction solar cell.Item LEVELS OF ENVIRONMENTAL NOISE AND PERCEIVED HEALTH IMPLICATIONS IN BUS TERMINI IN NAIROBI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT, NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA(2018-07) KOGUTU NYARANGA CALEBEnvironmental noise is noise emanating from all other sources except the industrial workplace, main sources include road, rail and air traffic, industries, construction, public works and social activities. WHO and NEMA provides permissible environmental noise level standard to be 75 and 60 dB (A) respectively. Noise pollution has been linked to many adverse health effects and there is limited documentation to this effect within the CBD termini of Nairobi.The aim of this study was to assess noise levels and it’s perceived health effects across bus termini in Central Business District of Nairobi City. Using a cross-sectional study design and fishers et al (1983) to determine the sample size, a random sample of 422 community members working within nine bus termini for more than 8 hours a day were approached and recruited in the study. Noise levels were measured using Calibrated sound level meter (Model # 8926). A selfadministered semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data to identify perceived health risks of noise and safety practices across bus termini. Univariate Chisquare test of independence was used to test the association between noise levels and reported health implications. The response rate was 94.7% (n= 397). The study revealed that 66.8% of respondents (n=265) had awareness on effects of excessive noise exposure as compared to 33.2% (n=132).This study revealed that a higher proportion of respondents spending more than 3 days a week working at the bus termini visited the doctor for a perceived noise induced hearing problem. As such there was a significant association between the number of days spend working at the bus termini in a week and visiting a doctor for a noise induced hearing problem (χ2=16.52, df=2; p<0.001). In this study, the leading acute perceived health effects of excessive noise were reported to be sleep disturbance at 24.17% (n=152), hearing impairment at 23.05% (n=145), exhaustion at 13.04% (n=82), high blood pressure at 12.72% (n=80) and annoyance at 10.18% (n=64). This study revealed a high concentration of noise levels ranging between 88.14 to115.04dB(A) at Tuskys, St Peters Clavers, Central, Latema and Ronald Ngala bus termini as compared to Ngara and Railways bus termini which reported low concentration of noise levels ranging 85.45 to 93.63dB(A). There was a variation in maximum mean noise levels across the day, in the morning the maximum noise level was 93.65dB recorded at Old Nation Bus Terminus, at midday the maximum noise level was 94.28 dB recorded at Tuskys Bus Terminus while in the evening maximum mean noise level was 118.44 dB as recorded at Moi Lane Bus Terminus. This study revealed a significant association (χ2=27.663; df=8; p<0.001) between a respondent visiting a doctor for a perceived noise induced hearing problem and bus termini in which they are located. Hence a high proportion of respondents who visited the doctor for a perceived noise induced hearing problem were from bus termini that recorded high noise levels. This study revealed that safety practices most likely to be utilized across all occupational groups include; working few hours in the noisy environment (χ2=7.746; df=2; p<0.021); closing windows and doors to eliminate noise (χ2=3.89; df=2; p<0.05) and walking away from noise (χ2=5.29; df=2; p<0.024). However, a higher proportion of respondents across all the occupational groups reported not using personal protective equipment. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated that noise levels in Nairobi are beyond the permissible levels as per NEMA standards 60 dB(A) and WHO ( 75dB(A) standards. Location of bus termini close to each other contributes to the significant generation of noise. Consequently, the authorities should spread out bus termini to reduce high concentration of noise levels at single hotspots in the city. In addition, the public transport routes should be designed in a manner such that they do not terminate at one point in the city.Item NORMS AND NUMERICAL RADII INEQUALITIES FOR A B NORMAL TRANSLOID OPERATORS(2017) Nyaluke Kiprono WesleyThe studies on Hilbert spaces for the last decade has been of great interest to many mathematicians and researchers, especially on operator inequalities related to operator norms and numerical radii for a family of bounded linear operators acting on a Hilbert spaces. Results on some inequalities for normal operators in Hilbert spaces for instance numerical ranges W(T), numerical radii w(T) and norm ||.|| obtained by Dragomir and Moslehian among others due to some classical inequalities for vectors in Hilbert spaces. The techniques employed to prove the results are elementary with some special vector inequalities in inner product spaces due to Buzano, Goldstein, Ryff and Clarke as well as some reverse Schwarz inequalities. Recently, the new field of operator theory done by Dragomir and Moslehian on norms and numerical radii for (, ) - normal operators developed basic concepts for our Statement of the problem on normal transaloid operators. M. Fujii and R. Nakamoto characterize transaloid operators in terms of spectral sets and dilations and other non-normal operators such as normaloid, convexoid and spectroid. Furuta did also characterization of normaloid operators. Since none has done on norms and numerical radii inequalities for (, ) – normal transaloid operators, then our aim is to characterize (, )- normal transaloid operators, characterize norm inequalities for ( , )- normal transaloid operators and to characterize numerical radii for (, )- normal transaloid operators. We use the approach of the Cauchy-Schwarz inequalities, parallelogram law, triangle inequality and tensor products. The results obtained are useful in applications in quantum mechanics.Item EFFECTIVENESS OF SELECTED TEACHING STRATEGIES ON ENGLISH COMPOSITION PERFORMANCE AMONG STANDARD SEVEN LEARNERS WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA(2025-10) YABBI OPIYO JUDITHThe achievement of hearing learners has remained poor across the country which has greatly affected transition to secondary school. The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of selected teaching strategies on English composition performance among standard Seven learners with hearing impaired in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The theoretical framework for this study was Knowles' theory of learning and Cooperative Learning Theory. The study employed quasi-experimental and exploratory study design with thirty participants. Participants included Head teachers, Teachers, and standard Seven learner’s. Data collection involved writing tests, interview guides, questionnaires, and document analysis guide. Quantitative data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences descriptive statistics and T-test. The qualitative data were transcribed, reconstructed, and reduced to emerging themes. Data that had been analyzed was presented in narration form and verbatim quotes. Test re-test technique was employed to assess the reliability of data collected. The scores were correlated with the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Formula to establish the reliability of the coefficient. An expert's view was essential when validating the content for every objective. Suspicious questions along with those which did not align with the objectives were discarded. The study’s findings had it that group instruction can be used to improve composition writing when applied for a longer period of time. The study concluded that co-teaching strategy was a better teaching strategy. The study showed no evidence of difference between groups as per one-way Analysis of Variance F (2, 27) = .713, p = .648). This indicates that group instruction positively improves learners' performance to a certain extent. A onesample t-test was used to compare the mean peer tutoring strategy with the mean prewritten test. The mean for pre-written test (M = 11.53, SD = .791) was not significantly different from the peer tutoring strategy; t (16) = .379, p = .710. A onesample t-test was used to compare the mean co-teaching strategy with the mean of pre-written test. The mean score of pre-written test (M = 3.262, SD = .791) was not significantly different from co-teaching strategy; t (17) = .498, p = .001. The teachers cited challenges of providing individualized attention, coping with differences in learner ability, and effective communication. They stated that the challenges could be coped with by coordination with others to manage time and workload, maintaining learner's participation, balancing individual and group needs. Peer interaction and timely feed back was encouraged. The teachers also highlighted the importance of creating a positive and inclusive learning environment. From the study, it was concluded that teaching strategy is an essential strategy in improving learners with hearing impairment quality writing. Either of the strategies can help the learners to excel or flop in the subject. Teaching strategies should be given more priority while teaching composition to learners with hearing impairment. The research concludes that lack of writing frequently and inability to apply different learners-centered approaches results in poor performance. The research recommends that teachers should always be exposed to continuous professional development, e.g., short training, work shops and in-service on the new approaches in teaching composition.Item EFFECTS OF LEGUME COVER CROPS ON SOIL PROPERTIES AND PRODUCTIVITY OF GRAFTED ORANGES (citrus sinensis) IN THE COASTAL LOWLANDS OF KENYA(2017-07) JACKSON MUEMA MULINGEOrange (Citrus sinensis) is an important food and cash crop in coastal lowland of Kenya. The average orange production in Kenya is 12 tones/ha Compared to world production of 16 tones/ha due to low soil fertility, diseases and high costs of inputs. There is, therefore, a need to develop a sustainable and low input production system for increased orange productivity and improved fruit quality in coastal lowland of Kenya. This study was tconducted at KALRO-Matuga, Ganda and Vitengeni within the coastal region of Kenya from May 2012 to April 2015. The effects of legume cover crops on soil moisture, orange feeder root distribution, soil pH, plant nutrients, orange yield and fruit quality was evaluated. There were four treatments; mucuna (Mucuna pruriens), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), dolichos (Lablab purpureus) cover crops and a fallow as the control. The experiment was laidout in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) where the treatments were replicated four times within four blocks in an existing grafted Valencia orange orchard. Soil and orange root sampling was between 2m and 3m radius from the orange trees trunk at two depths topsoil (0-20 cm) and sub-soil (20-40 cm). Fruit and leaf samples were taken from the orange trees. Data collected was subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) at (P ≤ 0.05) using procedures of R statistical analysis version 3.3.2. Mean separation was done using the least significant difference (LSD) at (P ≤ 0.05) level of significance. Mucuna, dolichos and cowpea increased soil moisture content in orange orchard for all the site topsoil while in the sub-soil is only mucuna and dolichos increased moisture content in the soil. Mucuna and dolichos increased orange root density in the top and sub-soils. Mucuna, cowpea and dolichos increased soil nitrogen in the orange orchard top and sub-soil. Mucuna, cowpea and dolichos increased soil organic carbon in the orange orchard top and sub-soil. Mucuna increased phosphorous in the top and sub-soil of orange orchard. Dolichos increased phosphorous in the topsoil of orange orchard.. Cowpea and dolichos increased phosphorous in the sub-soil of orange orchard. Mucuna, dolichos and cowpea increased the potassium in the topsoil of orange orchard while in the sub-soil, potassium increase due to mucuna and cowpea. Mucuna dolichos and cowpea increased orange leaf chlorophyll content. The orange fruit number increased due to mucuna and dolichos. Orange fruit weight increased due to mucuna and dolichos. Fruits size increased due to mucuna and dolichos. Fruits juice increased due to mucuna and dolichos. Orange fruit brix increased due to mucuna and dolichos. In conclusion, mucuna, dolichos and cowpea are effective in improving soil moisture, root distribution and nutrients in the soil and orange yield and fruit quality. The use of mucuna however, had the highest increase and it is strongly recommended as a cover crop in orange production. Further research is however recommended to evaluate the long term (>3years) effect of the cover crops under different Agro-ecological zones.Item EFFICACY AND KINETICS OF ADSORPTION OF SINGLE AND MULTIPLE HEAVY METAL CATIONS FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS BY FRUIT WASTE PRODUCTS(2016-12) NTHIGA ESTHER WANJARemoval of toxic heavy metals from water has been a major challenge, especially in rural areas. Various methods have been used for this purpose; among them is biosorption based technology. The technology has been recognized as an economical and eco-friendly method for removal of toxic anions and cations from wastewater. Moreover, the efficacy of biomass in adsorption of cations and anions can be improved by different modifications, including treatment with sulphuric acid. Numerous approaches have been developed for adsorption of single ions in solution. However, toxic metallic or non-metallic ions rarely occur singly in wastewater. The presence of multiple ions in solution may often have agonistic or antagonistic effect on the efficiency of an adsorbent, and there is insufficient information on the efficacy of different methods for removing multiple ions. This study assessed the efficacy and mechanism of acid treated (modified) and raw (unmodified) biosorbents (derived from lemon, sweet yellow passion, banana, watermelon peels, and avocado seeds) for removal of toxic cations (Cd, Pb and Cu) from water. Functional groups of adsorbents were identified by mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIR) and their surface morphology was probed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). the efficacy of each adsorbent was evaluated by quantifying the kinetics and levels of cations adsorbed at different pH of the solution, initial concentrations, contact time and adsorbent dose. Desorption experiments were conducted to determine the possibility of recovering ions and reusing the sorbents for next cycle of deployment. Experimental data of each metal ion was described by either Freundlich isotherm or Langmuir isotherm. The acid treated fruit peels and avocado seeds recorded higher efficacy as compared to raw adsorbents. Generally, acid treated watermelon peels demonstrated the highest uptake of 130.23 mg/g of Pb (II), followed by 114.234 mg/g of Cu (II) and 97.14 mg/g of Cd (II) ions. Further adsorption trials with binary and ternary metal blends on showed significant reductions in metal uptake capacities of evaluated adsorbents as compared to single metal systems. On account of metal preference, the selectivity order for metal ions towards the all the studied biomass was Pb (II) > Cu (II) > Cd (II). Time-course measurements indicated involvement of pseudo-second-order kinetics in adsorptions. Desorption efficacies were high on acid-treated adsorbents: 99.97 % ofPb(II) ions from acid treated avocado seeds; and 99.79 % of Cu(II) and 99.23 % of Cd (II) from acid treated watermelon peels. The results show good performance of the fruit peels and avocado seeds in adsorbing single and multiple metal ions, and the potential of using such wastes for purifying drinking and cooking water at household level.