Dumpsite waste picking is prevalent in many developing countries of which Kenya is one. Waste pickers play an important role in waste recycling by recovering and providing materials to the waste recycling industry. Aim: The purpose of the study was to characterise the demographic and socio-economic factors of waste pickers in Nakuru and Thika municipal dumpsites. Study Design: The research design was a cross-sectional social survey and the sample size was 167. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in the largest dumpsite in Nakuru and Thika towns found in Nakuru and Kiambu counties respectively. Methodology:  The data was collected by use of structured questionnaire. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Analysis was by frequency tables, χ2 test and t-test at 95% level of confidence. Results: The results show that there was parity by gender in Nakuru but in Thika the proportion of females was much higher than that of males. There was significant association between age and site of operation with waste pickers in Thika being on average younger than in Nakuru (χ = 12.605, d.f. = 3, p = 0.006).  Waste pickers in Thika had on average attained a higher level of education than in Nakuru (χ2 = 12.352, d.f. = 3, p = 0.006). Most of the waste pickers (96%) only picked from exclusively from the dumpsite. Waste pickers in Thika spent an average of 10.26±0.23 hours daily in waste picking which was significantly higher (t=-3.709, n=160, p<.001) than at Nakuru (8.97±0.27 hours). The mean number of years of waste picking in Thika was significantly less than in Nakuru (t=4.627, d.f.=158, p<.001). Conclusion: In conclusion, waste pickers play an important role in waste recycling, with waste picking supporting hundreds of waste pickers in the study area, who are important in integrated waste management and need to be understood, appreciated and supported.

Malaria continues to claim about 2 million lives annually worldwide. In Kenya, malaria equally depicts a morbid picture. It poses a major threat to the lives and health of 20 million people in Kenya and is a major killer mainly of children under five years and expectant mothers. This research was aimed at identifying plants used by communities in repelling mosquitoes. Community meetings were held at the District Culture Office, Embu with participants from Nyeri, Kirinyaga and Embu counties. The plants that were used by the community in repelling mosquitoes were identified.

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Diversity of flowering plants, pollinators and microbial activity was assessed in five farms of Nzoia Sugar Company and one outgrower farm in Western Kenya. The overarching study objective was to determine differences in species diversity in the sugar farms using agrochemicals and those not using. To sample flowering plants, transects were laid along sugar farms with quadrats 20 m apart. Sweep nets captured fauna flying or attached to the flora. Microbial activities were assessed following application of 2,4 D and Hexazinone in soil from an outgrower farm (OGF) where these herbicides had not been applied before. Microbial activity expressed as formazan concentration following triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) reduction in total Dehydrogenase activity (DHA) test. Results indicated that outgrower farm had higher flowering plant species richness than the sugar farms although diversity of both flowering plants and flower visitors in the sugar farms was higher. Results indicated that hexazinone significantly (p<0.05) increased microbial activity in soils to a high of 172.945 ug g-1 following 7 days incubation while 2,4-D suppressed microbial activity to less than 2 ug g-1 in first three days of incubation. From this study, it is recommended that bee pastures composed of plants frequently visited by bees should be left to grow around farms to increase pollinators and bee hotel structures for cavity nesting bees erected in agro-ecosystems. Use of pesticides on farms should be minimised and integrated weeds and pest management promoted to increase pollinators and beneficial fauna.

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