The importance of situation analysis in the project cycle cannot be overstated. This research was carried out in twelve sites where mariculture was practiced in Kilifi, Mombasa and Kwale Counties in the coast of Kenya. The general objective of the research was to assess the effects of situation analysis practices on implementation of mariculture projects in Kenya. The specific objectives were to:- examine the effect of stakeholder analysis on implementation of poverty alleviation mariculture projects, establish the effect of problem analysis on implementation of mariculture projects, and determine the effect of needs assessment on implementation of poverty alleviation mariculture projects. The research was based on quantitative research approach with a cross sectional survey design. Simple random sampling was used to select the number of subjects that represent the target population in the survey. Guided questionnaire administration was adopted to capture responses from members of organized mariculture groups. Factor analysis and regression analysis were conducted on the data collected from the questionnaire survey. Results showed that the poverty alleviation mariculture projects in Kenya are dominated by female actors compared to male actors. Factor analysis revealed that degree of success and degree to which the mariculture projects have addressed their objective of poverty alleviation were the most important measures of project implementation and were named effectiveness. Regression analysis showed that there was a significant positive relationship between stakeholder analysis and effectiveness (β = 0.726; t = 12.59; p = 0.000). Being the single most significant factor influencing mariculture project implementation, stakeholder analysis should be undertaken at the situation analysis stage so that it informs project design. It was concluded that improvements in situation analysis practices brought about by improvements in stakeholder analysis would address poverty among coastal fisher communities by improving implementation of poverty alleviation mariculture projects.

Mariculture was introduced in Kenya in 1980s to provide economic opportunities to coastal communities and address the widespread poverty and livelihood needs with varying degrees of success and failures. A cross sectional survey was undertaken in Kwale, Mombasa and Kilifi Counties of the coast of Kenya. The study aimed at assessing the effects of monitoring and evaluation planning on implementation of poverty alleviation mariculture projects with focus on examining the effect of timeliness, tracking progress, periodic reporting, mid-term evaluation and end of project evaluation on implementation of poverty alleviation mariculture projects in the coast of Kenya. The study involved the application of factor analysis, correlation analysis and regression analysis. Factor analysis revealed that outcome effectiveness was the main measure of implementation of poverty alleviation mariculture projects while tracking progress and timeliness were the main measures of monitoring and evaluation planning. A correlation analysis showed a strong positive relationship between outcome effectiveness and tracking progress and timeliness (r = 0.693 and r = 0.723, p = 0.001, respectively). Regression analysis confirmed that timeliness and tracking progress had significant positive relationship with outcome effectiveness (beta = 0.538, t = 12.058 and beta = 0.491, t = 10.993, p < 0.0005, respectively); where, beta = standardized beta value, p = the probability of obtaining results as extreme as the observed results of a statistical hypothesis test, assuming that the null hypothesis is correct. This means there was a significant positive relationship between monitoring and evaluation planning and mariculture project implementation.

Summary Most recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS) use aerated biofilters to maintain suitable water quality for fish production. However, application of non-aerated biofilters may provide opportunities to lower aeration costs, water usage and concentration of all nitrogenous wastes in the effluent water. Our study aimed at comparing the biofiltration performance characteristics of two biofilters: a conventional aerated biofilter and a non-aerated biofilter receiving the same effluent water from a small-scale RAS. The two biofilters were evaluated in triplicate and tested concurrently for seven months. Water quality parameters were monitored at the biofilter inlets and outlets and in the fish tanks. At the beginning of the experiment, the concentration of ammonia at the two biofilter outlets were not significantly different. However, the concentrations decreased with time reaching mean values of 1.33 ± 0.02 mg L−1 and 1.23 ± 0.21 mg L−1 N-NH4 in the aerated and non-aerated biofilters, respectively. Whereas phosphorus and nitrate levels were significantly high in the aerated biofilter. There was no significant difference in the growth of fish between the aerated and non-aerated biofilters. The results suggest that non-aerated biofilters can be as effective as aerated biofilters in maintaining suitable water quality for O. niloticus production.

In aquaponic systems, plants absorb dissolved nutrients from aquaculture wastewater for their growth. The removal of nutrients allows reuse of water and minimises wastewater discharge to the surrounding environment. This study evaluated the relative nutrient removal efficiencies of three plant species and the performance of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in a small-scale aquaponic system. Three aquaponic systems were assigned as treatments PU (pumpkin), SW (sweet wormwood) and AM (amaranth). Physical-chemical water quality parameters were measured in the fish tanks as well as hydroponic inlets and outlets. Fish sampling was done every 2 weeks for 60 days. Results showed significantly (p < 0.05) lower nutrient concentrations in the hydroponic outlets than the inlets. There was no significant difference in nutrient removal efficiency of the plants (p > 0.05) for all the tested nutrients except for phosphorus. Phosphorus removal was substantially high in PU (75.5 ± 16.8%) than SW (47.36 ± 14.5%) and AM (40.72 ± 13.2%). In addition, the SW system had better (p < 0.05) relative growth rate (0.06 ± 0.00) than that of PU (0.05 ± 0.00) and AM (0.05 ± 0.00). Nitrogen and phosphorus content in plant tissues was significantly high (p < 0.05) in SW and PU plants respectively. Water quality parameters had a significant influence on the growth of fish (p < 0.05). The growth of fish was not different (p > 0.05) in the three treatments. The findings indicate that the tested plants can reduce nutrients in aquaculture discharge water.

Purpose: The cause of childhood diarrhea multi-factorial. Interaction of socio-demographic, environmental, cultural and behavioral factors influences the occurrence of childhood diarrhea morbidity. Diarrhea disease is among the top ten causes of under-five mortality and morbidity in Kenya. Thus, it is indispensable to find out factors associated with childhood diarrhea at a community level. The main objective of this study is to find out risk factors associated with diarrhea among children under-five years of age in Kawangware slum in Nairobi County. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was carried out to examine the risk factors for childhood diarrhea among under-five in Kawangware slum in Nairobi County. A total of 198 mothers/caregivers who had lived in Kawangware slum for at least one year and have at least one child above one month but less than under-five and should have lived in the household. Data on diarrhea outcome and its determinants was based on two-week recall and self-reporting of ill health by respondents using systematic sampling technique. The data was analyzed, coded and filtered using SPSS software version 21.0. Findings: Diarrhea cases occurring within the 2 weeks preceding the interviews were reported for one in four children’s, giving an overall prevalence of 37.3%, a prevalence much higher than the prevalence in Nairobi county of 15.6%. The behavioural factors investigated included hand washing, bottle feeding, latrine utilization, length of breastfeeding, disposal of infant faeces, method of water storage and breastfeeding. Among these factors, hand washing, bottle feeding, latrine utilization, disposal of infant, faeces and method of water storage were found to be significantly associated with diarrhea among children under-five years of age since their p-values <0.05. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study shows knowledge parity and to some extend traditional and cultural beliefs still plays an immense role towards influencing the behaviour of maternal/caregiver in the event that there is outbreak of childhood diarrhea in the community. There is need to expand the existing child health programmes and put more emphasis on understanding existing traditional and cultural beliefs and set up structures targeting maternal/caregivers on better ways of handling incidence of childhood diarrhea.

The study compared relative growth rates (RGR) of Eucheuma denticulatum and Kappaphycus alvarezii under modi- fied off-bottom (MB) and floating raft (FR) culture techniques on the southern coast of Kenya. Seasonal variability in RGRs was evident over 10 months in both techniques and sites. RGRs were in the range of 0.9 – 10.2 % d ̄1 for E. denticulatim and 0.3 – 5.7 % d ̄1 for K. alvarezii at Mkwiro, and -0.2 – 7.3 % d ̄1 for E. denticulatum and -1.7 – 4 % d ̄1 for K. alvarezii at Kibuyuni. The RGR of 4.3 ± 0.4 % d ̄1 from the FR technique was significantly higher than the 3.2 ± 0.4 % d ̄ 1 from the MB technique (P ˂ 0.05). Strong oceanic waves which were accompanied by the loss of seaweed thalli in the MB technique at Mkwiro between April and June led to significantly higher RGR in the FR than in the MB (P ˂ 0.05). The higher percentage herbivory, epiphytes, and susceptibility to 'ice-ice' (white and soft thallus) associated with K. alvarezii than E. denticulatum in both techniques led to the former having significantly lower RGRs than the latter. Further research on the stability of MB in deep water and accessibility of FR techniques is recommended prior to commercial adoption.

Growth and mortality variations of Leptoscarus vaigiensis (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824) was studied among six reef sites exposed to different fishing pressure in coastal Kenya in order to test the hypothesis of phenotypic plasticity. Monthly fish samples were obtained from marine parks (protected or no-take areas), marine reserves (partially protected areas) and non-protected reefs from May 2011 to April 2013. Measurements for total lengths (cm) and body weights (g) were recorded. Growth (K, L∞) and mortality (Z, M, F) parameters of the species were determined using the ELEFAN I program and compared between sites. Results showed higher asymptotic length (L∞) esƟmate (~ 31 cm) for parrotfish from the reserve site and lowest estimate (26-27 cm) from the marine park site indicating that the potential for growth is influenced by factors other than levels of protection. Fish from park sites had equal but lowest growth rates (K yr-1) of 0.46 compared to 1.73 ± 0.11 and 1.36 ± 0.84 for fish from non-protected and reserve sites, respectively. As expected, total mortality estimates (Z yr-1) were lower for protected areas (1.69-1.96) and higher for reserve (2.87-9.15) and non-protected (4.39-5.30) sites. This study showed divergence of growth parameters of a coral reef fish exposed to different levels of fishing pressure, thereby providing insights into the possibility of utilizing the parameters as indicators of environmental stress.

Marine macro algae are known to be an excellent source of bioactive compounds which have a broad range of biological activities including antibacterial and antioxidant. The surfaces of marine eukaryotes provide a unique habitat for colonizing microorganisms which also produce bioactive compounds. The Kenyan Indian Ocean is a host of numerous seaweeds species. The present study embarked on isolation of microbes that live in association with the macro algae collected from three sites in the Northern (Mtwapa and Mkomani) and Southern coast (Kibuyuni) of Kenya during the Southeast monsoon season. Microbes were isolated from different species of the red, green and brown macro algae and evaluated for their antibacterial and antifungal activity, against three human pathogens namely; Gram positive Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25922), Gram negative Escherichia Coli (ATCC 25923) and fungi Candida albicans (ATCC 90028). The study obtained 1609 microbes and 187 isolates showed inhibition potential against the test organisms, with most isolates (91) showing good activity against Escherichia Coli followed by Candida albicans (78 isolates) and Staphylococcus aureus (49 isolates) respectively. From the results, it clearly depicts the potential of the macro algae associated microbes. This means that the marine microbes may be useful in the treatment of various infectious caused by different pathogens. Key words: Antimicrobial potential, Bioactive compounds, Test organisms, Seaweeds,

This study was conducted to investigate the reasons for prevalent increase in the number of occupational accidents among biomedical waste handlers despite the Waste Management Authority’s regulatory framework defining the laws and procedures that govern the collection, storage, processing, and disposal of biomedical waste in Nairobi County and recommend appropriate actions to counter the situation . The two areas of investigation consisted of determining the causes of occupational accidents and evaluating the attitude and knowledge of biomedical waste handlers in Nairobi County. Both, the qualitative and quantitative research paradigms were used in the study. A sample size of 168 participants from the target population of 1000 biomedical waste handlers was chosen with 160 questionnaires returned for statistical analysis. The study used a descriptive statistics approach to generate tables with the mean, standard error of the mean, t-distributions, percentages, and significance tests among other statistical measures to address the research objectives on the basis of the Petersen’s Accident/Incident and the human factors theories. On the causes of accidents, the results showed strong positive Skewness indicating problems with waste management practices, inadequate knowledge on waste classification at source, inadequate attention to rules and regulations governing the collection and handling of biomedical waste, inadequate training and awareness, poor enforcement of waste handling standards and policies, and inadequate knowledge on the classification and handling of biomedical waste. This revealed the nature of accidents to include pricks, contaminations, muscle tearing, scratches, being struck by falling objects and sustaining injuries due to falls. On knowledge and attitude of biomedical waste handlers, significant challenges were revealed showing that inadequate knowledge on safe waste handling methods with a significant number showing that their educational attainments barred them from comprehending the regulations and procedures for handling biomedical waste. A significance test at Kendall's tau coefficient statistic showed strong positive correlation between educational levels and managing biomedical waste. It was recommended that the Waste Management Authority designs a customized training program to address the problems facing biomedical waste handlers in Nairobi County. Keywords: Biomdedical waste, hazards, Accidents, Waste Management, injuries, pricks, Nairobi County

Eutrophication alters biological and physical characteristics of aquatic freshwater ecosystems, and different macrophytes exhibit variable capacities to tolerate the subsequent stress factors. Myriophyllum spicatum is one of the most eutrophication tolerant submerged macrophyte species. M. spicatum from Fuxian (oligotrophic) and Xingyun (eutrophic) lakes, in South West China, were cultured in water conditions corresponding to their origin and the alternative trophic state (4 treatments) for a year. Each treatment was exposed to NH4+-N (0, 5, 10, 50, 100, and 200 mg/L) for five days (24 treatments) to investigate the effect of the sources and acute NH4+-N enrichment on photosynthetic performance. Both sources and NH4+-N affected photosynthetic performance, and eutrophic source plants in high nutrients and oligotrophic source plants in low nutrients exhibited higher NH4+-N tolerance. High nutrient cultured individuals had higher leaf number, branching, and heights. There were trade-offs between NH4+-N tolerance in turbid high nutrient conditions and photosynthetic performance in low nutrient conditions with high irradiance. Oligotrophic source plants in low nutrients had the highest chlorophyll a levels at <= 10 mg/L, which dropped markedly afterwards. Soluble carbohydrates and starch decreased at >= 50 mg/L and >= 5 mg/L, respectively. Individuals growing in eutrophic conditions could be prone to higher damage in the field owing to potentially weaker stem and leaf biomechanical properties, because of carbohydrate and energy intensive NH4+-N detoxification in higher NH4+-N conditions. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The aim of the study was to determine the chemical and functional properties of five Kenyan seaweed species namely; (Hypnea musciformis, Eucheuma denticulatum, Laurencia intermedia, Sargassum oligocystum, Ulva fasciata) as a potential fat replacer in chicken sausage processing. The proximate composition was investigated using the standard AOAC methods, while the nitrogen-free extract (NFE) was determined by weight difference of the proximate components. The seaweeds were analyzed for mineral composition using atomic absorption spectrophotometry while the fatty acid profile was determined by gas chromatography. The water holding capacity and the emulsion capacity of the seaweed were determined using AACC procedures. The highest proximate component was NFE (65.06 %) while the least was crude fat (0.87 %). Among the nine minerals analyzed, calcium was the highest (1185.29 mg/100g) while lead was not detected. Saturated fatty acids (SFA) were the highest with a range of 53.03-71.05 % followed by monounsaturated fatty acids (4.83-17.71%) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (2.75 - 10.13%). The highest emulsifying activity was obtained in Ulva fasciata (75.66 %) and Eucheuma denticulatum (75.69 %) while the lowest was obtained in Sargassum oligocystum (59.19 %). The highest water holding capacity was obtained in Sargassum oligocystum (13.75ml/g) while the lowest was recorded in Eucheuma denticulatum (8.42ml/g) and Ulva fasciata (9.16ml/g). The findings of this study demonstrated the potential of seaweeds in improving the chemical and functional characteristics of processed foods.

Studies on feeding ecology of fishes are important for understanding ecosystem structure and function. This study tested the hypothesis of diet and niche breath variation in the marbled parrotfish (Leptoscarus vaigiensis) among coral reefs of different protection levels in Kenya. Fish samples were obtained from protected (Malindi and Watamu marine parks), moderately fished (Malindi and Watamu marine reserves) and highly fished (Vipingo and Kanamai) reefs. Total lengths of fish samples were measured and their stomach contents quantified using the point method. Seasonal dietary composition, niche breaths and feeding intensities were compared between the sites using multivariate statistics. Results showed the parrotfish is a predominantly reef macroalgal grazer. Fish from protected sites fed on diverse dietary items compared to those from reserves and highly fished sites. Fish niche breadths differed between sites and seasons. Higher niche breadths occurred in protected sites during the north-east monsoon, while higher values occurred at fished sites during the south-east monsoon season. This study, the first of its kind in Kenya and most of the western Indian Ocean, describes feeding in the marbled parrotfish and spatial variation in niche breadth as influenced by fishing pressure, environmental variability and biological interactions.

Marine algae have been known to produce secondary metabolites used in the pharmaceutical industry to treat various human diseases. This study embarked on the isolation of microbes associated with the marine algae and explores their potential as sources of antimicrobial agents that can be used in the production of drugs to treat the emerging and re-merging resistant human pathogens. The associated microbes that is, endophytes and epiphytes were isolated from different red, green and brown marine algae species which were collected from Mkomani Island in Mombasa Kenya. Eight hundred and thirty isolates were isolated of which three hundred and six were endophytes while five hundred and twenty four were epiphytes. Antimicrobial screening showed that two hundred and thirty isolates (28%) exhibited antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25922, Escherichia Coli ATCC 25923 and Candida albicans ATCC 90028. Most isolates showed inhibition activity against Escherichia Coli (47%). Inhibition against Candida albicans was 33% whereas for Staphylococcus aureus was 21%. The results reveal that marine algae harbor microbes that are potential producers of antimicrobial compounds that need to be investigated further for their pharmaceutical and biotechnological potential.

The gross nutritional profile of 34 seaweed species from three sites (Mkomani, Kibuyuni and Mtwapa) in coastal Kenya were studied. The crude fat, crude protein, crude fibre and crude ash were determined by the standard AOAC methods while the nitrogen-free extract (NFE) was calculated by weight difference of the chemical components. The chemical constituents of the seaweeds varied significantly among the algal divisions, species, months and sites (p<0.05). The major chemical components was the NFE with a mean value of 42.09 ± 0.83% dry weight (DW) followed by crude ash (31.94 ± 0.78% DW), crude fibre (14.08 ± 0.26% DW), crude protein (10.09 ± 0.26% DW), whereas the least component was crude fat with a mean value of 1.81 ± 0.04% DW (p<0.05). The crude protein levels were positively correlated with nitrogen content and in crude fibre and negatively with NFE, crude fat and crude ash (p<0.05). The findings on the gross nutritional profile of the seaweeds in this study could be used as a basis for more advanced research on nutritional information guideline and as potential resources for seaweed-based products for improved human and animal nutrition.

Seaweed farming in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) Region is carried out in a number of countries, most of them farming Eucheuma denticulatum, Kappaphycus alvarezii and Kappaphycus striatum. These species are farmed mostly in Tanzania with limited production in Madagascar, Mozambique and Kenya; current production (2012) stands at 15,966 t (dry weight) year−1 of Eucheuma and Kappaphycus, valued at US$ 4.2 million with 95 % of this tonnage coming from Tanzania. Other countries in the region have limited or no seaweed production owing to problems of epiphytes, ice ice and markets. The problem of epiphytes coupled with ice ice that WIO countries are facing causes die-off of Kappaphycus which is the preferred species in foreign markets for its thicker gel, kappa carrageenan (vs. the weaker iota carrageenan from Eucheuma). New efforts are put to curb these problems including moving seaweed farms to deeper waters and cultivation trials of other carrageenophytes as well as agar-producing species, agarophytes. Research work has been initiated to evaluate Gracilaria and Hypnea farming and processing in Tanzania, the Republic of Mauritius and Mayotte. Gracilaria farming is at experimental stages as a biofilter of fishpond effluents and as potential species for the production of agar with growth rates of 1.5–1.9 % day−1. Hypnea farming is only being initiated in Mauritius and Mayotte at present. Other innovations including value addition by making various seaweed products and encouraging the consumption of seaweed as food at least in Tanzania and Mauritius are increasing further the importance of the seaweed farming and processing industry in the WIO Region.

Phenotypic divergence in the reproductive traits of the marbled parrotfish (Leptoscarus vaigiensis) was studied among six reef sites exposed to varying levels of fishing pressure in coastal Kenya from May 2011 to April 2012. Baited fish traps were used to capture fish within two no-take marine parks (Malindi and Watamu) and their adjacent reserves that allow regulated fishing. Fish samples from two non-protected reefs (Kanamai and Vipingo) were obtained from fishers. Reproductive attributes (fecundity, oocyte size and length at first maturity) of the species were determined and compared between sites. Results showed significant differences in fecundity between sites (F = 3.742, P = 0.004) with higher mean (± SD) fecundity for fish in the parks (110,128 ± 75,492) and reserves (145,570 ± 88,873) compared to those in non-protected sites (76,250 ± 55,337). Further, Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) analysis using fecundity estimates clustered sites based on their protection levels. Fish in non-protected sites have equivalent to higher fecundities at smaller sizes relative to larger fishes from protected sites. A comparison of length at first maturity (L50) between sites indicated that females from non-protected sites matured at lower lengths (11.2 cm, 11.1-11.4 cm, 95% CI) compared to those from park (16.7 cm, 15.7-17.3 cm, 95% CI) and reserve (16.8 cm, 16.6-17.1 cm, 95% CI) sites. Overall, the results indicated some level of phenotypic divergence between sites, which is likely to be an adaptive strategy for enhancing resilience to fishing pressure and helping to sustain local populations. The real causes of this divergence cannot be partitioned between fishing mortality, genetic variability or habitat- induced variations. Nonetheless, the data provides a basis for future studies on the causal factors for the observed divergence in life-history traits of the species between reefs.

In the recent years the number of serious opportunistic yeast infections, particularly in immunocompromised patients has increased significantly. The increased incidence of these infections has paralleled the emergence of HIV/AIDS pandemic that result in lowered resistance of the host. Azole antifungal agents has been extensively used in the management of these yeast infections. Candida albicans is one of the most frequently isolated yeasts in clinical laboratories and accounts for up to 80 % of the yeasts recovered from sites of infection. The study was set out to determine antifungal susceptibility of clinical isolates of Candida albicans and to establish the Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) to Fluconazole, Clotrimazole, Nystatin and Amphotericin B. Laboratory based experiment were conducted at Mycology Laboratory, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya. One hundred and thirty clinical isolates of Candida albicans were subjected to antifungal susceptibility testing. Susceptibility to Fluconazole, Clotrimazole, Nystatin and Amphotericin B was done using Broth Microdilution Technique with reference to Clinical laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI). The investigations showed that 16/130 (12.3 %) of the Candida albicans isolates were resistant (MIC ≥ 64 µg/ml) to fluconazole, 121/130 (93.1 %) of the isolates had an MIC ≤ 1 µg/ml to Amphotericin B. Of the isolates 51/130 (39.2 %) had MIC> 1 µg/ml to clotrimazole whereas 109/130 (83.8 %) of the isolates had MIC ≤ 1 µg/ml to nystatin. The study showed elevated MICs among Candida albicans isolates to fluconazole and clotrimazole and calls for constant antifungal resistance surveillance especially in the context of fluconazole maintenance treatment for opportunistic infections in HIV/AIDS.

Two commercial eucheumoids (brown Eucheuma denticulatum and brown Kappaphycus alvarezii ) were grown in pilot farms of 0.1 ha for 6 weeks (42 days) at two sites (Gazi and Kibuyuni) in southern Kenya. This was done to determine their net yield and economic viability and included sensitivity analysis to determine the effects of decreased farm gate prices and increased operating costs on the return of investment (ROI) and payment period in eucheumoid farming. The average net yield varied from 880 to 1209 kg dry wt for E. denticulatum and 600 to 1150 kg dry wt for K. alvarezii per crop. No significant difference in net yield was observed between the two morphotypes. However, a higher yield (p<0.05) was obtained for plants grown at Gazi (1071 ± 65 kg dry wt) than those at Kibuyuni (793 ± 93 kg dry wt). The total initial investment required for a 0.1 ha seaweed pilot farm (capital investment and operating costs) for one crop was estimated at Kshs 11 253 (Kshs 75=US$ 1), with labour (both hired and family labour) accounting for about 52% of the total production cost. The average annual income per 0.1 ha farm was Kshs 7549 for E. denticulatum and Kshs 49 126 for K. alvarezii. The rate of return on investment in farming E. denticulatum ranged from 15-63% and 122-380% for K. alvarezii. The pay back period was shorter for the latter (0.3 to 0.7 years) than the former (1.2 to 2.7 years). Economic sensitivity analysis showed that, even if the farm gate price was decreased by 20% and operating cost was increased by 20%, K. alvarezii farming would still be a profitable and attractive venture in Kenya, but not E. denticulatum because of negative economic indicators. Keywords: Cost and revenue analysis, sensitivity analysis, productivity, Eucheuma, Kappaphycus, eucheumoid culture, aquaculture, Kenya.

As a possible means of improving the livelihoods of local villagers, off-bottom rope cultivation of commercial eucheumoids was investigated on the southern Kenyan coast at three sites, representative of the variety of environments. The morphotypes used were brown Eucheuma denticulatum and green and brown Kappaphycus alvarezii. The study was carried out over a 15 month period from August 2001 until October 2002. Relative growth rates were highest at a sandy flat in a mangrove system (Gazi; 5.6% d−1), and lowest in an intertidal reef flat (Kibuyuni; 3.2% d−1) with a lagoon being intermediate (Mkwiro; 4.8% d−1). The brown E. denticulatum had the highest growth rate of 4.7% d−1 compared to the green and brown K. alvarezii which were 4.3% d−1 and 4.2% d−1, respectively. Growth was more variable at Kibuyuni and Mkwiro. The growth was higher during the southeast monsoon (4.7% d−1) than during the northeast monsoon (4.0% d−1). This is part of a larger study and the effects of water motion, salinity, temperature, thallus nitrogen, and ‘ice-ice’ syndrome on growth of morphotypes is discussed. The water motion was observed to increase thallus nitrogen and hence the growth of eucheumoids. The ‘ice-ice’ condition affected both brown E. denticulatum and brown K. alvarezii but not green K. alvarezii. The results suggest that commercial cultivation of eucheumoids in Kenya will be feasible.