Journals Articles

Invisible Allies: Donkeys promote drought resilience in pastoralist communities but are excluded from policy

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Invisible Allies: Donkeys promote drought resilience in pastoralist communities but are excluded from policy Emily Haddy, David Obiero Oduori, Tesfaheywet Z. Shiferaw, Julia Brown, Ilan Kelman, Leanne Proops Severe droughts in East Africa threaten pastoralist livelihoods, with donkeys providing vital but undervalued support in transporting water, food, and resources. This study examines policy and provision for working donkeys in Kenya and Ethiopia, countries severely affected by drought and heavily reliant on donkeys for community resilience. We narratively reviewed national and international documents relevant to donkey welfare, particularly during drought (n = 77), spanning animal health, agriculture, climate change, disaster risk management, and water. We found donkeys largely absent—only 17 policies referenced equids, mainly in economic rather than welfare terms. To explore ground realities, lived experience and barriers to successful provision of donkey welfare during drought, we conducted 41 semistructured interviews with government officials, veterinarians, non-governmental organisation and pastoralist representatives. Stakeholders reported systemic exclusion of donkeys from veterinary curricula, health infrastructure, and drought relief efforts. Barriers to provision included the invisibility of their contributions, a lack of data on their economic value, and livestock models focused on production animals. Recommendations for future policy comprise the explicit inclusion of equids in policy definitions of livestock and corresponding inclusion in livestock and disaster risk management frameworks; ensuring eligibility for feed and veterinary support. Practical improvements could be made regarding welfare law enforcement, integrating donkeys into veterinary curricula, collecting data on their economic value and resilience contributions and prioritising drought preparedness initiatives. A One Health/Welfare approach linking human, animal, and environmental wellbeing, combined with coordinated and context-specific drought interventions, could strengthen community resilience, enhance animal welfare, and safeguard pastoralist livelihoods.

Influence of Financial Support on Access to Maternal and Child Healthcare in Narok North Sub-County, Kenya

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Influence of Financial Support on Access to Maternal and Child Healthcare in Narok North Sub-County, Kenya Brian Ndungu Muthoni, Geofrey Towett, John Ndungu Kungu, Globally, access to healthcare services constitutes a fundamental social right guaranteed by international law and states’ constitutions. Kenya has entrenched healthcare services in the Constitution as a right, with the national and county governments having shared roles in healthcare provision. Narok County is listed among highly burdened areas on maternal and neonatal health challenges occasioned by the high mortality rate. This study seeks to examine how financial support promotes access to maternal and child healthcare in Narok –North SubCounty. The study is guided by Andersen’s Behavioural Model of Health Utilization. A concurrent mixed methods design was adopted for the study, and the target population was 59,996 households and 20 key informants in Narok-North Sub-County, Kenya. A sample size of 381 respondents participated in the study. The study employed the use of questionnaires and the interview guide as research tools for the collection of primary data, which was corroborated with secondary data. The study used simple random sampling to select participants from every household, while purposive sampling was used to select key informants. Data analysis was done using a convergent parallel mixed method where qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis and presented using themes, sub-themes, and narrations. Quantitative data analysis was done using descriptive statistics and presented using means, tables, graphs, and charts. The study results revealed that 57.2% of the respondents noted that there was a low budgetary allocation from the Government, and this had a negative implication on maternal and child health care in Narok North Sub-County. The study concluded that the implementation of the health policy in the Sub-county had not achieved the intended objectives and thus recommends that the Government needs to prioritize timely disbursements of funds to allow health facilities to provide consistent maternal and child health services. There is also a need to expand healthcare infrastructure and strengthen human resource capacity to tackle accessibility challenges for maternal and child healthcare.

Influence of Elemental Composition of Geothermal Waters and Succulent Feedstocks on Cryo-mesophilic Biogas Production from Mt. Suswa, Kenya

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Influence of Elemental Composition of Geothermal Waters and Succulent Feedstocks on Cryo-mesophilic Biogas Production from Mt. Suswa, Kenya Evans Ochieng Odhiambo, Alloys Osano, Meshack Sitati Background: Dependence on charcoal and firewood in the Mt. Suswa region creates environmental and health concerns and supports the need to evaluate locally available feedstocks for renewable biogas production. This study investigated the elemental composition of geothermal waters and three succulent feedstocks and examined their biogas production under cryo-mesophilic conditions. Methods: Steam-vent water, water-pan samples, and Agave sisalana, Echinocactus grusonii, and Opuntia ficus-indica were analysed by Microwave Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy. Biogas production was monitored for 132 h in 26 laboratory-scale batch digesters operated at 20–24.5°C with different feedstockwater combinations, with or without cow dung inoculum. Results: Agave sisalana contained 3,765.53 ± 0.00 g/L potassium, 1.23 ± 0.00 g/L cobalt, and 1.08 ± 0.03 g/L nickel. Region II steam-vent water had 50,268.93 ± 29.19 ppm potassium, 1,317.85 ± 1.10 ppm nickel, 1,184.54 ± 5.76 ppm cobalt, and the lowest measured arsenic concentration among the steam-vent regions The highest cumulative biogas yield was 62 mL in D6, containing A. sisalana, water-pan sample, and cow dung. Most O. ficus-indica treatments yielded 12–24 mL, although D10 reached 50 mL. Conclusion: Biogas performance varied with feedstock, water source, and inoculation. A. sisalana-based treatments and cow dung inoculation showed the most favourable overall performance under the tested conditions.

Exploring the Possibility of Using Agave sisalana Perrine, Austrocylindropuntia subulata (Muehlenpf) Backeb and Opuntia ficus- indica (L.) MILL. as a Source of Bio-electrolyte

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Exploring the Possibility of Using Agave sisalana Perrine, Austrocylindropuntia subulata (Muehlenpf) Backeb and Opuntia ficus- indica (L.) MILL. as a Source of Bio-electrolyte Mutindi Virginia, Aloys Osano, Oyaro Nathan The global search for sustainable and affordable green energy sources has intensified due to escalating environmental concerns, health issues, energy access challenges and fossil fuel depletion. Succulent plants such as Agave sisalana Perrine, Austrocylindropuntia subulata (Muehlenpf) Backeb and Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill are fast-growing, drought-resistant and invasive in nature, thriving in arid and marginal lands where food crops cannot survive. These plants store significant amounts of water, bioinorganic and bio-organic matter, making them promising candidates for bio-electrolyte feedstock in renewable bio-fuel production. Currently, these plants do not have any significant use, yet they are invasive and are rapidly spreading, killing pasture for livestock in rural areas. This study investigated the potential of Agave sisalana Perrine, Austrocylindropuntia subulata (Muehlenpf) and Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill saps as plant-based bioelectrolytes. Sap pH and electrical conductivity were measured at different temperatures and dilution levels, while voltage and current were measured using Zn-Cu, Zn-C, Zn-Fe, Fe-Cu, Fe-C and Cu-C electrode pairs. Pearson correlation and general linear model analyses were used to examine relationships among the measured variables. The results showed that pH and electrical conductivity decreased with an increase in temperature. Voltage showed relatively small changes during the short-term monitoring period but varied among plant species and electrode-pair combinations. Applied voltage had a weak positive correlation with current (r = 0.153, p < 0.001), while the Fe-Cu electrode pair recorded the highest estimated mean current of 3.66 mA. Overall, the results provided preliminary evidence that the three plant saps can function as bioelectrolytes in electrochemical cells.