SU+ Digital Repository

SU+ is an online repository for the preservation and promotion of assorted digital content at Strathmore University

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[ISSN 2519-5883]
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Now showing 1 - 5 of 7

Recent Submissions

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Toward improving energy security in Kenya via HTLS conductors and load balancing
(Strathmore University, 2024) Mkabane, C. C.
The Industrial and Commercial sectors of the economy are rapidly growing and hence, energy consumption and transmission line loading are also increasing. This explains the major breakdowns related to transmission lines since the initially installed lines are not able to handle the increased energy requirements. Previous studies have been done replacing ACSR with ACCC conductors to reduce thermal line losses. The project aims to replace ACSR with ACCC conductors in short lines, analyze the length of the line in which the ACCC conductor will cease to be beneficial, and analyze the mechanical properties of the line. The Kenyan grid will be analyzed in its present state by performing a load flow analysis and a sag and tension analysis. The short lines will then be replaced by ACCC conductors and the load flow and sag and tension analysis of the new system done. The two systems will then be compared. The length of the line in which the ACCC conductor will no longer be beneficial for application will be determined. The analysis will be performed using Power Factory DigSilent software.
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Adoption of Behind-The-Meter Battery Storage Systems for residences in Kenya
(Strathmore University, 2024) Wambugu, A. W.
This research investigates the adoption of Behind-the-Meter Battery Energy Storage Systems (BTM BESS) in Kenyan urban households, focusing on mitigating the challenges posed by unreliable electricity supply, particularly for households engaged in work-from-home (WFH) activities. Electricity reliability challenges in Kenya's densely populated urban areas presents a significant challenge to the growing WFH workforce. While BTM BESS offer a potential solution for reliability, their affordability with grid-charging remains uncertain. The study develops a modified Levelized Cost of Storage (LCOS) model that integrates the WFH Reliability Metric and the WFH Income Value of Lost Load, offering a nuanced understanding of BTM BESS affordability tailored to the needs and economic realities of WFH individuals. Analysis reveals that BTM BESS becomes increasingly affordable as a reliability solution for WFH individuals, particularly those facing frequent outages or whose income is highly dependent on constant electricity access. This research contributes to the discourse on sustainable energy transitions by highlighting the economic and reliability advantages of BTM BESS for urban households in Kenya, proposing policy recommendations to enhance BTM BESS adoption and support the provision of reliable electricity as per Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7).
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Crime analysis system - a proactive approach to policing for Kayole Police Station
(Strathmore University, 2019) Mwasingo, E. W. M.
To maintain law and order, the Kenya Police Service (KPS) deploys proactive policing methods based on reports of crime recorded in the Occurrence Book (OB) by the victims. Smart, effective, and proactive policing is clearly preferable to simply reacting to criminal acts. Data from crimes reported is carefully analyzed to create crime statistics, crime graphs, crime clocks and crime maps which form the guide to proactive policing. Crime Analysis System (CAS) seeks to digitize the process of data capture, analysis and visualization. This is as opposed to the current manual system of reporting and analyzing crime. This system automatically evaluates the data to produce real crime statistics and plot them on crime graphs and scatter plots while at the same time taking care of the crime clock. Crime statistics shows the numbers of actionable crimes over a period of time. Crime graph shows the crime trends in an area over a period of time while the scatter plots show the concentration and density of specific crimes in a specified area. The crime clock simply shows distribution of crime across the twenty four hours. With this, the KPS is better placed to review personnel deployment and allocation of resources to reduce and control crime to manageable levels. This web based system has the capability of notifying the police personnel of sudden rise in crime in a different areas and call for an intervention. Incremental methodology was used to develop the system. The first model incorporated important functionality with subsequent modules added on to the base model gradually. This factored-in the sensitive nature of crime handling and deployment plans of the police service. Keywords: Crime Analysis System CAS, digital OB, crime statistics, Kenya Police.
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A Bi-Lingual counselling chatbot application for support of Gender Based Violence victims in Kenya
(Strathmore University, 2024) Mutinda, S. W.
Gender-based violence (GBV) remains one of the highest prevailing human rights violations globally, surpassing national, social, and economic boundaries. However, due to its nature, it is masked within a culture of silence and causes detrimental effects on the dignity, health, autonomy, and security of its victims. The prevalence of GBV is fuelled by cultural nuances and beliefs that justify and promote its acceptability. The stigma surrounding GBV in addition to fear of the consequences of disclosure deter victims from seeking help. Additionally, the resources available for addressing GBV such as legal frameworks and recovery centres are limited. Technological approaches have been established to tackle GBV as intermediate and supplementary support for victims as part of UN-SDG 5. Conversational Agents such as Chomi, ChatPal, and Namubot have been developed for counselling of GBV victims who struggle with disclosing their predicament to humans. The existing chatbots, however, are not a fit for Kenyan victims because they utilize languages such as Swedish, Finnish, Isizulu, Setswana and Isixhosa in addition to incorporating referral services specific to their regions. This research addressed this gap by developing a chatbot application suitable for the Kenyan region for counselling of GBV victims using both Kiswahili and English, the languages predominantly used in the country, in addition to including contacts to referral services within the country. The methodology utilized involved the development of a chatbot application based on Rasa open source AI framework by training a model using a pre-processed counselling dataset. The performance of the model was evaluated using NLU confidence score to determine the model’s certainty in its intent identification and a confusion matrix was generated which with 80% and 20% training and testing data split resulted in 100% classification threshold accuracy. Python’s Fuzzy Matching Token Set Ratio score was also used to determine the response which best matches the input with results indicating satisfactory performance of the model ranging between 63% and 92% for GBV queries input. The developed model was then integrated into a web application as the user interface for user access and interaction with the model hence achieving the research objective of developing a chatbot application to conduct counselling for GBV victims in Kenya using English and Kiswahili languages . Keywords: Gender-based Violence, stigma, chatbot, Rasa open source, NLU Confidence Score, Fuzzy Matching Token Set Ratio score
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Application of fingerprint authentication to fortify child safety in school transport
(Strathmore University, 2024) Mutuku, S. W
Safety of school-going children has been a great concern to parents, school administrations and the transport team in the recent past. In urban areas like Nairobi where most parents are busy working and crime is fast increasing, the need for an efficient and safe transport for pupils cannot be underestimated. Most current school transport systems use NFC cards or manual attendance records to keep track of the children picked in the morning or dropped after school. Using manual attendance is time consuming, especially where there are many students. NFC cards could also be lost or misplaced. This could be a security loophole if picked by someone else and manage to access the transport. This research uses fingerprint authentication for both learners and staff where fingerprints are captured, and database queried to authenticate the learner or staff. The choice of technology is inspired by the fact that fingerprints are unique to every individual adult or child. The research used Rapid Application Development (RAD) methodology because it is more flexible in accommodating the changing nature of requirements which are not well defined in the initial stages. The requirements are implemented in the system in separate prototypes until the final prototype is developed. It also allows for fast user feedback and speeds up delivery. Learners’ existing records will be used as input to the system and will be incorporated with the children fingerprint then stored in a database. Convenience sampling was used in the research to obtain simulated data. Keywords: Biometrics, safety, fortification, school transport, Facial Emotion Recognition, Biometric Fingerprint scanner, Geofencing