The SpotLight Kenya

  Meet Dr. Meiguran Mirasine, the first woman from Kenya’s Ilchamus community to earn a PhD, overcoming hardship to transform agriculture and rural livelihoods. Dr. Meiguran Mirasine has made history as the first female PhD holder from the Ilchamus community, one of Kenya’s smallest and most marginalized ethnic groups. Her achievement marks a major milestone in education, gender empowerment, and rural development in Baringo County. Background of the Ilchamus Community in Kenya The Ilchamus community, according to the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census, has a population of 32,949 people. The community is part of the Maa-speaking ethnic groups and predominantly resides in South and South-East Baringo, Baringo County. Historically, the Ilchamus people have faced political marginalization, economic vulnerability, and limited access to government services. However, recent government efforts to establish a sub-county for the Ilchamus community aim to improve political recognition, ...

Enzymes are unique proteins that function as biological catalysts. For example, enzymes hasten chemical reactions in life forms without being used up in the course of the reaction. Their vital functions make all life processes, such as digestion, energy, DNA replication, and cell repair, fast and efficient under comfortable conditions (including body temperature and pH). Enzymes are specific to the reaction they act on. Furthermore, enzymes acting on a broad range of molecules or molecules with different types of bonds may often only act on a specific molecule or a certain class of molecules. How Enzymes Work Enzymes work based on the lock and key-induced fit model. For instance, they work through:  Substrate Binding A substrate is the molecule that an enzyme works on. The substrate goes into a certain area of the enzyme known as an active site, like a key into a lock. The Enzyme-Substrate Complex After the enzyme has bound to its substrate, it alters in shape a little in order t...

  The contrast between ionic and covalent bonding is based on the interaction of atoms, whereby atoms come together to obtain stability in their respective outer electron shells. Atoms tend to fill up the energy levels that are in the furthest part of them, and here lies the difference because atoms fulfill this by either transferring or sharing electrons, thus leading to two distinct types of chemical bonds.  An ionic bond occurs when electrons are transferred fully between two atoms. This typically happens between a non-metal and a metal. The metal atom has a few electrons in the outer shell, and it thus tends to lose electrons, forming a positively charged ion called a cation. Conversely, the less electronegative atom with more valence electrons tends to accept electrons, thus creating a negatively charged ion referred to as an anion.  The electrostatic attraction between the opposite charges of the ions holds the ionic particles together. One of the most common exampl...

The basis of learning chemistry is understanding essential terms. If you are studying to pass IGCSE, A-levels, WAEC, or KCSE, or you want to revise your basic knowledge of science, the simplest definitions are the key to your success. This post will examine 20 fundamental chemistry terms and their definitions, presented in an easy-to-understand and accessible format for students. Atom   It is the smallest unit of an element that maintains the chemical characteristics of the component. It has neutrons, protons, and electrons. Element  An element is a pure substance consisting of a single type of atom. Examples are Hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), and gold (Au). Molecule A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are joined together. Molecules may either be elements (for instance, O 2 ) or compounds (for example, H 2 O). Compound  A compound is a chemical combination of two or more elements in definite proportions. Therefore, to illustrate, water (H 2 O) is a compound consist...

  Figure 1:  Mitchell Dufault, the late Yale University Student Physical hazards describe the potential risks contributing to physical injury or user harm. Conditions or factors in laboratories or workplaces cause these potential risks. There are different categories of physical hazards in laboratories. Some of them encompass electrical, hot surface, flammable material, oxidizing material, radiation (ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, UV radiation), glassware hazard, laser hazard, explosive, cryogenic, and high voltage hazards (Odhiambo et al., 2020). Therefore, technician assistants and students need to understand laboratory practices and management to make their space safer. In some circumstances, students think laboratory accidents do not happen to "experienced personnel or brilliant students". This is a misplaced conception, which is justified by an incident that took place at Yale University in 2011. Michele Dufault, a 22-year-old senior student, passed on when h...

  Data Analysis The data was subjected to univariate and bivariate (correlation) analyses to establish a relationship between the variables for quantitative data. The variables were coded as described in Appendix A, and thematic analysis was used to identify and report themes within qualitative data. As a result, the data was categorized into different themes: psychological issues, psychological methods, school counselling system, benefits of schooling counselling system, seeking help, willingness to talk, talk preference, and psychological improvement. RESULTS Quantitative Data Analysis 56% of participants were females, while 44% were males (Figure 1). Furthermore, Figure 2 indicates that participants in the age brackets 22-25 were the majority, followed by 18-21. Participants over 25 years old were the minority. More participants had pre-master's than pre-undergraduate certificates (Figure 3). The most common psychological issues affecting Chinese students in GIC are anxi...