http://41.89.164.27:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/278 2026-04-09T11:54:27Z http://41.89.164.27:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/1670 The State of Renewable Energy in Kenya with a Focus on the Future of Hydropower Chemengich, S. J. The rise in global energy demand and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have necessitated the transition to renewables. Many previously unelectrified countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have joined the race to provide their people with clean, reliable, and affordable energy. Kenya is amongst the countries that are leading in powering their energy demands from renewables with over 80% of its energy being green. As economic development advances toward fulfilling Vision 2030 targets, the country's electricity consumption, as well as the end-use of energy, has increased significantly during the last decade. To achieve universal access to electricity and a complete transition to renewables, not only must energy sources be diversified, but they must also be fully exploited. This study aims to highlight Kenya's current energy situation, with a focus on how hydropower could be fully utilized to meet the country's long-term energy demands sustainably. 2022-06-01T00:00:00Z http://41.89.164.27:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/1613 Design and Testing of a Demand Response Q- Learning Algorithm for a Smart Home Energy Management System Angano, Walter; Musau, Peter; Wekesa, Cyrus Wabuge Growth in energy demand stimulates a need to meet this demand which is achieved either through wired solutions like investment in new or expansion of existing generation, transmission and distribution systems or non-wired solutions like Demand Response (DR). This paper proposes a Q-learning algorithm, an off-policy Reinforcement Learning technique, to implement DR in a residential energy system adopting a static Time of Use (ToU) tariff structure, reduce its learning speed by introducing a knowledge base that updates fuzzy logic rules based on consumer satisfaction feedback and minimize dissatisfaction error. Testing was done in a physical system by deploying the algorithm in Matlab and through serial communication interfacing the physical environment with the Arduino Uno. Load curve generated from appliances and ToU data was used to test the algorithm. The designed algorithm minimized electricity cost by 11 % and improved the learning speed of its agent within 500 episodes 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z http://41.89.164.27:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/1019 Perception of Mechanical Engineering Technician Students and Teachers towards Methods Applied at Technical Training institutes in Kenya Lumumba, Wycliff; Kitainge, Kisilu; Dimo, Herbert Studies in Kenya show that teachers were more comfortable teaching theory than practical skills. The curricula in majority of Technical and Vocational education and training Institutions (TVET) is a theory based, where teachers use traditional teaching methods and that the graduates from the TVET institutions have low level of skills among other problems. The purpose of this study was to identify teaching methods used by instructors to deliver content in the departments of mechanical engineering in TVET institutions in Kenya, to establish the opinion of instructors about the teaching methods that they considered interesting, beneficial and motivating to students, to identify teaching strategies used in mechanical engineering department in TTIs in Kenya. This study adopted mixed research method, which used both quantitative and qualitative methods to give a general picture of the state of teaching methods used in Technical Training institutes in Kenya. In order to achieve the objectives, a sample comprising of 248 mechanical engineering technician students and 61 instructors was selected. Five technical training institutions were purposefully sampled and the respondents for the research were selected proportionately to the population in each institution. Self-administered questionnaires were filled by students and teachers / instructors using semi-structured questionnaires containing mainly the Likert-type rating scale observation scales. Data was analyzed descriptively using SPSS version 20 to generate frequencies, percentages, and correlation coefficients to help answer the research questions regarding different objectives. The results of the study showed that despite the availability of many teaching methods, teachers / instructors of TTIs are still using traditional approaches where the teacher’s / instructors’ role is directive and authoritative. The study also revealed that the instructors were aware of new constructivist methods of teaching and learning methods such as active learning, students having discussions with their teachers in order to construct their own knowledge, knowledge being a progressive process and students working in groups but the implementation of these approaches has not been well used and the teachers claiming that to use them will require a complete review of the Kenya National Education Curriculum which evaluates the learners mainly by written examinations. The study found out that no single teaching method is effective but found out that effective teaching methods are ones that will enable the instructor to attain the TVET objectives and also to complete the mechanical engineering syllabus within the time allocated by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development. The study recommends the adoption of student-centred teaching methods and further suggests constructivism as a method of instruction in order to give students time to develop instincts and manipulative skills. 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z http://41.89.164.27:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/991 Influence of Vehicle Inspection Tests on Crashworthiness of School Bus in Nairobi County, Kenya Bosire, Thomas M; Dimo, Herbert The vehicle structure, designs and materials on school bus body crashworthiness as regulated by different government agencies in bus body building firms was the topic under research study. In Kenya, thousands of vehicles are involved in vehicle collisions or crashes every year resulting in fatal accidents and severe injuries to the passengers. The specific objective was the influence of vehicle inspection testson crashworthiness of school bus in Nairobi City County. This study adopted Dym’s, Suh’s Axiomatic theory. The pragmatic paradigm and explanatory research design were used. The target population was 1500 respondents from bus body building firms and government regulatory institutions. The sample size was 315 respondents. Questionnaires, interview schedules and observation were data collection instruments. Expert judgment was used to establish validity of the questionnaires. Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient was used to determine the reliability of the research instrument. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential analysis with the aid of SPSS V22 software. The coefficient of determination (R squared) of .206 showing that 20.6% of the variation in crashworthiness of a bus can be explained by vehicle inspection tests. There was a positive significant influence of vehicle inspection tests on crashworthiness of a bus (β=0.396 and p <0.05). The study concluded that the vehicle inspection tests had a significant influence on the crashworthiness of school bus. The management of school bus body construction companies need to conduct all the terminal test needed before releasing the vehicle in order to enhance crashworthiness of a bus. The Transport authority should examine and check the mandatory requirements and periodically amend them in accordance with the safety, engineering and ecological standardization. 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z