Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Beate Ringwald, Miriam Taegtmeyer, Veronicah Mwania, Mary Muthoki, Faith Munyao, Lina Digolo, Lilian Otiso, Anne S. Wangui Ngunjiri, Robinson N. Karuga, Korogocho ALIVHE res team
Summary: People in informal urban settlements in Kenya face multiple inequalities, and research should focus on the impact of these inequalities on IPV and HIV, using participatory approaches to understand power dynamics and coping strategies.
SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Elvis O. A. Wambiya, Peter O. Otieno, Martin Kavao Mutua, Hermann Pythagore Pierre Donfouet, Shukri F. Mohamed
Summary: The majority of urban informal settlement residents tend to seek care from private health facilities, and factors related to health insurance coverage, satisfaction, and acute infections are significantly associated with the use of private facilities.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Linda Oloo, Helen Elsey, Mary Abboah-Offei, Martin Kiyeng, Patrick Amboka, Kenneth Okelo, Patricia Kitsao-Wekulo, Elizabeth Kimani-Murage, Nelson Langa't, Margaret Nampijja
Summary: Globally, there is a lack of adequate childcare for 350 million under-5s, which can negatively impact their health and development as well as hinder societal and economic progress. Rapid urbanization has led to changes in work patterns, social structures, and gender norms, resulting in parents, mainly mothers, working long hours for low wages. The growth of informal settlements has led to an increase in childcare centers, but there is currently limited support to ensure quality care for low-income families. In Kenya, a co-designed intervention delivered by local government community health teams has been developed to improve the quality of childcare centers and promote the health and development of under-5 children in informal settlements.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
Derrick Ssewanyana, Marie-Claude Martin, Vibian Angwenyi, Margaret Kabue, Kerrie Proulx, Linlin Zhang, Tina Malti, Eunice Njoroge, Carophine Nasambu, Joyce Marangu, Rachel Odhiambo, Eunice Ombech, Mercy Moraa Mokaya, Emmanuel Kepha Obulemire, Greg Moran, Stephen Lye, Kofi Marfo, Amina Abubakar
Summary: The factors contributing to the successful implementation of integrated early childhood development programs in informal urban settlements are not well researched. A study conducted in an informal settlement in Kenya found that strategic engagement, capacity building, transparency, fair compensation of ECD workforce, communication skills, and tailoring ECD programs to local realities are important enablers for successful implementation.
Article
Microbiology
Gilbert K. Kikwai, Bonventure Juma, Fredrick Nindo, Caroline Ochieng, Newton Wamola, Kevin Mbogo, Douglas R. Call, Elizabeth Hunsperger
Summary: This article reports the isolation of an Escherichia coli strain from an adult residing in an urban informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, and its genomic characteristics.
MICROBIOLOGY RESOURCE ANNOUNCEMENTS
(2022)
Article
Economics
John Amin Drummond, Bruce D. Malamud, Joe Mulligan, Vera Bukachi, Manshur Talib, Amos Wandera, Mark Pelling, Faith E. Taylor
Summary: This paper introduces a methodology to explore pedestrian accessibility in informal settlements. The methodology is applied to pandemic intervention sites in Nairobi's Kibera area during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study assesses pedestrian accessibility by calculating isochrones and identifies unequal access to intervention sites due to indirect routes.
JOURNAL OF TRANSPORT GEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Urban Studies
George Kiambuthi Wainaina, Bernhard Truffer, Christoph Luethi
Summary: The academic literature recognizes participation as a crucial factor for the successful upgrading of informal settlements. However, the combined influence of individual participative actions and dwellers' reactions on project outcomes has not been studied. This article argues that different combinations of collaborative interactions between dwellers and other actors can predict the success or failure of projects. The findings suggest that participation should involve multiple actors, span the entire implementation cycle, and address the issue of community representation.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Robinson Karuga, Caroline Kabaria, Ivy Chumo, Linet Okoth, Inviolata Njoroge, Lilian Otiso, Nelly Muturi, Jiban Karki, Laura Dean, Rachel Tolhurst, Rosie Steege, Kim Ozano, Sally Theobald, Blessing Mberu
Summary: Urbanization is increasing rapidly in Africa, and many people living in informal settlements face vulnerabilities and marginalization. Understanding and addressing these issues is crucial for achieving inclusive urbanization.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Katrine Soma, Valerie Cornelia Johanna Janssen, Oscar Ingasia Ayuya, Benson Obwanga
Summary: The number and sizes of informal settlements are expected to increase drastically in the future, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study focuses on Kibera, one of the largest informal settlements in Africa, to analyze the differences in livelihood factors among its villages and explain the variations in food security levels. Factors such as tribe, welfare, and trust are found to influence food security. The research suggests that research and implementation should go hand in hand to address the challenges faced by informal settlements, with a comprehensive understanding of the complexities within rural-urban food systems to ensure affordable and accessible solutions for low-income groups.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Elizabeth Opiyo Onyango, Jonathan S. Crush, Samuel Owuor
Summary: The current study examines food consumption and dietary diversity among internal migrant households in Kenya. The findings suggest that migrant households are not necessarily more likely to have inferior diets or low dietary diversity compared to their local counterparts. Factors such as length of stay in the city, rural-urban links, and food transfers do not significantly impact dietary diversity. Education, employment, household income, and food price increases are better predictors of whether a household experiences dietary deprivation. Furthermore, the analysis highlights the strong relationship between food security and dietary diversity.
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Hillary N. Fouts, Lauren R. Bader, Carin L. Neitzel, Daniela A. Salinas
Summary: The study found that ethnicity was the best predictor of gender segregation, with Maasai children exhibiting more evidence of gender segregation than children from other ethnicities. Age and gender did not predict the patterns of gender segregation in the sample. The findings are discussed in relation to cultural roles, ethnically diverse urban communities, social development in early childhood, and assumptions about the universality of gender segregation.
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Shauna M. Downs, Elizabeth L. Fox, Vincent Mutuku, Zacharia Muindi, Tasneem Fatima, Irena Pavlovic, Sana Husain, Minna Sabbahi, Simon Kimenju, Selena Ahmed
Summary: This study used mixed methods to characterize the food environment in informal settlements in Nairobi and examine the factors influencing women's food choices in those environments. The study found a large number of vendors selling various food items, with limited diversity of fruits and relatively expensive animal-source foods. Women's interactions with the food environment were influenced by individual factors such as income, time, convenience, and preferences. The findings suggest that interventions targeting both the external food environment and individual factors such as income are necessary to promote healthy diets among low-income populations in informal settlements in Kenya.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Clifford Oduor, Irene Omwenga, Alice Ouma, Robert Mutinda, Samwel Kiplangat, Ondari D. Mogeni, Leonard Cosmas, Allan Audi, George S. Odongo, David Obor, Robert Breiman, Joel Montgomery, George Agogo, Patrick Munywoki, Godfrey Bigogo, Jennifer R. Verani
Summary: This study examined mortality patterns and trends in an urban informal settlement in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya. The results showed that overall mortality rate and cause-specific mortality rates declined over time, representing significant public health successes among this population.
GLOBAL HEALTH ACTION
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Bing Hao, Zhenghua Zhou, Yuandong Li, Xiaojun Li, Liguo Jin
Summary: The Rift Valley section of the Nairobi-Malaba Railway in Kenya is located in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, which has complex engineering geological conditions and well-developed geological structures. During the rainy season in 2018, large-scale ground fissures and surface settlement occurred, posing serious threats to the safety of the railway and nearby projects. The erosion of groundwater to the underlying soil layer was identified as the main cause for the ground fissures and surface settlement. The physical and mechanical properties of the overlying soil layer were found to contribute to the occurrence of these phenomena.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Victor Olajubu, Mark A. Trigg, Christian Berretta, Andrew Sleigh, Marco Chini, Patrick Matgen, Stephen Mojere, Joe Mulligan
Summary: This research developed a methodology for building error correction, applied in Nairobi, Kenya, to study the impact of building height and density errors on the accuracy of global DEMs. The results showed that correcting building density errors significantly improved the vertical height accuracy of global DEMs, providing new insights for urban flood modeling.
EARTH SCIENCE INFORMATICS
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Dunstan Achwoka, Anthony Waruru, Tai-Ho Chen, Kenneth Masamaro, Evelyn Ngugi, Maureen Kimani, Irene Mukui, Julius O. Oyugi, Regina Mutave, Thomas Achia, Abraham Katana, Lucy Ng'ang'a, Kevin M. De Cock
Article
Immunology
Peter W. Young, Emily Zielinski-Gutierrez, Joyce Wamicwe, Irene Mukui, Andrea A. Kim, Anthony Waruru, Clement Zeh, Mirjam E. Kretzschmar, Kevin M. De Cock
Review
Medicine, Legal
Emily A. Rogena, Anthony Waruru, Peter W. Young, Pheena Abade, Lilly M. Nyagah, Edwin O. Walong
JOURNAL OF FORENSIC AND LEGAL MEDICINE
(2020)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Anthony Waruru, Joyce Wamicwe, Jonathan Mwangi, Thomas N. O. Achia, Emily Zielinski-Gutierrez, Lucy Ng'ang'a, Fredrick Miruka, Peter Yegon, Davies Kimanga, James L. Tobias, Peter W. Young, Kevin M. De Cock, Thorkild Tylleskar
Summary: The UNAIDS 90-90-90 Fast-Track targets provide a framework for assessing coverage of HIV testing services and awareness of HIV status in Kenya, with most targets aligned to the five highest HIV-burden counties. However, analysis of facility-level data showed that clusters of newly diagnosed HIV-infected persons were not only found in high-burden counties, but also in low-burden counties, highlighting the importance of geospatial analyses in identifying localized epidemic patterns and reorienting HTS strategies.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dickens O. Onyango, Marianne A. B. van der Sande, Paul Musingila, Eunice Kinywa, Valarie Opollo, Boaz Oyaro, Emmanuel Nyakeriga, Anthony Waruru, Wanjiru Waruiru, Mary Mwangome, Teresia Macharia, Peter W. Young, Muthoni Junghae, Catherine Ngugi, Kevin M. De Cock, George W. Rutherford
Summary: The study found that over one quarter (28.5%) of decedents received by high-volume mortuaries in western Kenya were HIV-positive, with HIV considered the cause of death in 17% of the population. Despite substantial scale-up of HIV services, HIV remains a leading cause of death in western Kenya.
Article
Immunology
Valarie Opollo, Emmanuel Nyakeriga, Leonard Kingwara, Alex Sila, Macxine Oguta, Boaz Oyaro, Dickens Onyango, Frankline O. Mboya, Anthony Waruru, Paul Musingila, Mary Mwangome, Lilly M. Nyagah, Catherine Ngugi, Solomon Sava, Wanjiru Waruiru, Peter W. Young, Muthoni Junghae
Summary: This study assessed the feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of using OraQuick Rapid HIV-1/2 for HIV screening among deceased individuals in a mortuary setting. The results showed that OraQuick had a high sensitivity and specificity for detecting HIV in decedents, similar to its performance among living subjects. It presents a convenient and non-invasive screening test for monitoring HIV among the deceased in a mortuary setting.
JAIDS-JOURNAL OF ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROMES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anthony Waruru, Dickens Onyango, Lilly Nyagah, Alex Sila, Wanjiru Waruiru, Solomon Sava, Elizabeth Oele, Emmanuel Nyakeriga, Sheru W. Muuo, Jacqueline Kiboye, Paul K. Musingila, Marianne A. B. van der Sande, Thaddeus Massawa, Emily A. Rogena, Kevin M. DeCock, Peter W. Young
Summary: This article determined the causes of death for decedents in mortuaries in Kisumu County through reviewing medical charts, and found that mortality from infectious diseases, especially HIV/AIDS, is high in the region, with a shift towards higher mortality from noncommunicable diseases, possibly reflecting an epidemiologic transition and improving HIV outcomes.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Jonathan Mwangi, Fredrick Miruka, Mary Mugambi, Ahmed Fidhow, Betty Chepkwony, Frankline Kitheka, Evelyn Ngugi, Appolonia Aoko, Catherine Ngugi, Anthony Waruru
Summary: Kenya has made progress in rolling out HIV self-testing (HIVST), but geographic differences and sociodemographic factors could influence its usage. It is necessary to scale up the use of HIVST among various subpopulations and use multiple access models to ensure equitable access to HIVST.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Emmanuel Nyakeriga, Wanjiru Waruiru, Valarie Opollo, Anthony Waruru, Leonard Kingwara, Dickens Onyango, Muthoni Junghae, Sheru Muuo, Teresia Macharia, Catherine Ngugi, Mary Mwangome, Hammad Ali
Summary: This study demonstrates the feasibility of conducting hospital and mortuary-based surveillance in low-resource settings, serving as an alternative source of mortality data when civil registry data is insufficient.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Thomas Achia, Ismael Flores Cervantes, Paul Stupp, Paul Musingila, Jacques Muthusi, Anthony Waruru, Mary Schmitz, Megan Bronson, Gregory Chang, John Bore, Leonard Kingwara, Samuel Mwalili, James Muttunga, Joshua Gitonga, Kevin M. De Cock, Peter Young
Summary: This study demonstrates a method to compare variable trends in HIV surveys using three national household-based surveys conducted in Kenya. The study found a decrease in the incidence of early sexual debut from 2007 to 2018, while HIV testing rates remained relatively stable from 2012 to 2018. This trend analysis approach can provide insights into Kenya's progress towards HIV epidemic control and identify gaps.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Wanjiru Waruiru, Violet Oramisi, Alex Sila, Dickens Onyango, Anthony Waruru, Mary N. Mwangome, Peter W. Young, Sheru Muuo, Lilly M. Nyagah, John Ollongo, Catherine Ngugi, George W. Rutherford
Summary: The study revealed significantly higher all-cause mortality rates in Kisumu compared to Kenya and LMICs, especially among women and those under 1 year old. Non-communicable diseases were the leading cause of death in Kisumu and LMICs, while infectious diseases were predominant in Kenya. Mortality rates increased with age across all geographies.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Martha Nyakambi, Anthony Waruru, Adesina Oladokun
Summary: This study investigated the prevalence of genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection among women in Kenya. The results showed that the infection rate was within previous estimates, and risk factors for infection included multiple sexual partners, marital status, education level, and history of STI. The study calls for enhanced education of patients and communities about genital Chlamydia infection.
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN AFRICA
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
E. Mulinge, E. Zeyhle, J. Mpario, M. Mugo, L. Nungari, B. Ngugi, B. Sankale, P. Gathura, J. Magambo, M. Kachani
Summary: In the Oloisukut Conservancy in Kenya, a study was conducted to determine the occurrence of intestinal helminths in domestic dogs. Various parasites including hookworms, Spirometra, taeniids, Toxocara, and Trichuris were detected in the fecal samples. The presence of zoonotic helminths in dogs highlights the potential public health risks for residents and suggests the need for an integrated control program involving medical, veterinary, and wildlife conservation professionals.
JOURNAL OF HELMINTHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Erastus Mulinge, Cecilia Mbae, Benjamin Ngugi, Tabitha Irungu, Elizabeth Matey, Samuel Kariuki
Summary: This study investigated the occurrence of Entamoeba species in patients with diarrhea and abdominal discomfort in Nairobi, Kenya. Different species of Entamoeba were identified using microscopy and nested polymerase chain reaction, highlighting the challenges in differential diagnosis. The need for molecular tools to differentiate E. histolytica from other Entamoeba species for better management of amoebiasis was emphasized.
FOOD AND WATERBORNE PARASITOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Health Policy & Services
Richelle Harklerode, Wanjiru Waruiru, Felix Humwa, Anthony Waruru, Timothy Kellogg, Lilly Muthoni, James Macharia, Emily Zielinski-Gutierrez
AIDS CARE-PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIO-MEDICAL ASPECTS OF AIDS/HIV
(2020)
