KUPPET 2021 ADC. Nothing to smile about.

Curtains have closed for this year’s KUPPET Annual Delegates Conference (ADC) that was held at Eldoret with nothing to smile about. The information emerging form the conference is that delegates talked tough on the issue of Teacher Professional Development (TPD) modules .

 

The framework governing the implementation of TPD was launched in the presence of the KUPPET leadership. The same leaders are now turning around to tell teachers that they are not aware on who is supposed to pay for the program that they launched.

Farther they claimed that TSC is yet to release a circular on the implementation of TPD. This is to insinuate that as far as KUPPET is concerned, TPD is yet to begin and the several adverts about TPD on the mainstream media are yet to catch the eye of the union or that they are fake.

Let me try to put some facts straight.

TPD does not mean well for the teachers. Its intention was to curtail the teachers who were using their free time to acquire postgraduate certificates. The certificate could later be used by the teachers to secure greener pastures. As other employers set aside a fund to sponsor some of their employees for farther studies TSC is looking for ways of putting a barrier on it. The 30 year TPD course that has been introduced is a module only known to TSC. It is not something that can be recognized internationally.

The teachers’ unions have this information but their stomachs have tied their hands. If they dare raise a finger on this issue, they can be stuffed to death just like what happen recently to KNUT. As at now it is TSC that decides to activate the exit button on the teachers’ portal for them to exit the union or to deactivate it. If the unions dance to the music of TSC, the exit button is always inactive.

Teachers did object the introduction of another health insurance company that took all their medical allowance. They were of the view that NHIF can be enhanced to offer the services/products the second insurance cover was to bring on board but I can tell you that up to now teachers are forcefully paying two insurance companies.

Where is the problem?

The solution to the teachers’ woes is just simple. If it can be that a teacher will belong to a teachers’ union by default then everything will have been sorted. The threats of introducing an exit button that always threaten the stomachs of the union officials who speak on behalf of the teachers will be a thing of the past.

TPD will be stopped but not now. The second insurance company for the teachers will be stopped but not now. It will happen at a time when teachers will have union officials who will be ready to sacrifice and go beyond the extra mile to make the unions more powerful.

The unions could have taken time to discuss on how they can make their offices more powerful so as to protect the interests of the teachers but this did not happen because most of the officials are eying political seats on the forthcoming general elections hence disinterested on matters of the union.

Physics Form three holiday assignment

 

1.      A balloon filled with organ gas has a volume of 200cm³ at the earth’s surface where the temperature is 20⁰ C, and the pressure 760mm of mercury. If it is allowed to ascend to a height where the temperature is 0⁰ C and the pressure 100mm of mercury, calculate the volume of the balloon.

 

2.      A fixed mass of Oxygen occupies a volume of 0.01m³ at a pressure of 1x10⁵ Pa and a temperature 0⁰ C. If the pressure is increased to 5 x10⁶ Pa and the temperature is increased to 25⁰ C. What volume will the gas occupy?

 

3.      A balloon is filled with air to a volume of 200ml at a temperature of 293k. Determine the volume when the temperature rises to 353k at the same pressure

 

4.      Show that the density of a fixed mass of gas is directly proportional to the pressure at constant temperature.

 

5.      The pressure of helium gas of volume 10cm³ decreases to one third of its original value at a constant temperature. Determine the final volume of the gas.

 

6.      A narrow uniform glass tube contains air enclosed by a 10cm thread of mercury. When the tube is held vertical, the air column is 600mm long. When titled slightly, the air column is 679mm long. The temperature is the same in both cases (i.e. temperature is constant)

 

I.                    Give the reason for the differences in length of the air column for the two positions

II.                 Determine the atmospheric pressure at the place (ρ of mercury=13.6gcm-3)

 

 

7.      The refractive index of water is 4/3 and that of glass 3/2. Calculate the refractive index of glass with respect to water.

 

8.      A ray of light travels from air through multiple layers of transparent media 1, 2 and 3 whose boundaries are parallel as shown in the figure below

 

Calculate;

a) Angle θ

b) The refractive index of m₂

c) Speed of light in m₁ (speed of light in air = 3.0×10⁸ m/s)

d) The refractive index of m₃ with respect to m₁

 

9.      An electric toy is rated 100W, 240V. Calculate the resistance of the toy when operating normally.

 

10.  An electric bulb with a filament of resistance 480 Ώ is connected to a 240V mains supply. Determine the energy dissipated in 2 minutes.

 

11.  A 10μF capacitor is charged to a p.d of 200V and isolated. It is then connected in parallel to a 20μF capacitor. Find:

I.                    The resultant potential difference.

II.                 The energy stored before connection.

III.              The energy in the two capacitors after connection.

IV.              The energy difference between II and III above and comment on your answer

KCSE 2020 PHYSICS PAPER ONE

 

Chitembwe to relook at sex offenses punishment if appointed CJ

Justice Said Juma Chitembwe has been the first to be interviewed by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) for the office of the Chief Justice. In his submission, he argued that he will embrace the sociological approach to justice rather than the normative approach. The law is supposed to serve the society and not the society to serve the law. 

Chitembwe, a judge of the high court in Kenya, stated that as of today there are more convicts of sexual offenses than those of robbery with violence. Now the question is, what might have happened? There could be more normative application of the law than the sociological application of the law. The judge said that he has read and to some extent agrees with the “laws of Romeo and Juliet” in the USA which provides that a person can legally have consensual sex with a minor provided that he or she is not more than a given number of years older, generally four years or less.

The Kenyan law provides a jail term for sexual offenders but judge Chitembwe wonders how a 19-year-old boy can be sentences to 50 years in jail for defiling a 17-year-old girl whom they have been courting for over three years and maybe even have children together. Who will take care of the children? The judicial officer should look at the circumstances of the case rather than to operate that when the ingredients of defilement are age, penetration and identification then go to prison, that should not be the duty of a judge.

In an earlier case the judge had ruled that when a minor walk into a man’s house, enjoys sex and goes back to her home, then the minor behaved as an adult and the case cannot be taken as defilement. In such a situation the man should not receive the same sentence as another man who forcefully pulls a minor into a bush and commits sex with her. Until recently, if a 17-year boy engages sex with a 17-year-old girl, the boy could be sentenced to a jail term for defilement as the girl is set free.

In general, the issue of sexual relationship is more of a societal problem than an issue of the courts. During the times of our grandfathers, matters related to sex and sexual relationship had precise guidelines which were strictly followed and cases of defilement were very uncommon. In the post-colonial period, boarding schools have been emphasized and in these schools, learners are rarely exposed to life skills. Many parents prefer boarding schools to day schools in order to hide the children from the societal ills rather than teaching the children on how to handle the challenges.

KCSE 2020 MATHEMATICS PAPER TWO

 

Chlorine and its compounds

 1. (i) State one observation made in this experiment

(ii) Identify the substances formed in the above reaction

2. Hydrogen chloride gas was passed into water as shown below:

(a) When a blue litmus paper was dropped into the resulting solution, it turned red. Give a reason

for this observation

(b) What is the function of the funnel?

3. A group of compounds called chlorofluoro-carbons have a wide range of uses but they also have

harmful effects on the environment. State one:-

a) Use of chlorofluoro carbons

b) Harmful effect of chlorofluoro carbons on the environment.

4. a) Water from a town in Kenya is suspected to contain chloride ions but not sulphate ions.

Describe how the presence of the chloride ions in the water can be shown.

5. In an experiment, chlorine was passed into moist hydrogen sulphide in a boiling tube as

shown below:

(a) What observation was made in the boiling tube?

(b) Write an equation of the reaction that took place in the boiling tube

(c) What precaution should be taken in carrying out this experiment? Give a reason

6. Heated iron can react with both chlorine gas and hydrogen chloride gas

i) Write equations for the reactions

ii) Chlorine gas has no effect on dry blue litmus paper. Explain

7. The following diagram represents a set-up that can be used in the laboratory to prepare and

collect a sample of chlorine gas:

(a) No gas bubbles were produced in the above experiment. Explain the observation

(b) Complete the following equation

(c) Describe the bleaching property of chlorine water

8. Study the flow diagram below and answer the questions that follow:

(a) Name gas L ……………………………………………………………

(b) Write a balanced equation for the reaction between hydrochloric acid and manganese

(IV) oxide

(c) Explain what happens to coloured petals when dropped into a solution of M

9. Carbon (IV) Oxide, methane, nitrogen (I) Oxide and trichloromethane are green house gases

(i) State one effect of an increased level of these gases to the environment

(ii) Give one source from which each of the following gases is released to the environment;

(i) Nitrogen (I) Oxide

(ii) Tricholomethane

10. (a) Two reagents that can be used to prepare chlorine gas are manganese (IV) oxide and

concentrated hydrochloric acid.

(i) Write an equation for the reaction

(ii) Give the formula of another reagent that can be reacted with concentrated hydrochloric acid

to produce chlorine gas

(iii) Describe how the chlorine gas could be dried and collected in the laboratory

(b) In an experiment, dry chlorine gas was reacted with aluminium as shown in the diagram below

(i) Name substance A

(ii) Write an equation for the reaction that took place in the combustion tube

(iii) State the function of the calcium chloride in the set-up above

11. The figure below was set by a student to investigate the reaction between chlorine gas and hydrogen gas:

(a) Write an equation for the reaction that took place in the flask

(b) What observation was made in the flask?

(c) What precaution should be taken in carrying out the experiment?

12. In an attempt to prepare a gas, Sabulei added concentrated hydrochloric acid to Potassium

manganate. The products were then passed through two wash bottles containing water and

concentrated sulphuric acid

(a) Name the gas prepared…………………………………………………………………………

(b) Name the purpose of wash bottle:

(i) Containing water?

(ii) Containing concentrated sulphuric acid?

13. Study the scheme below and answer the questions that follow.

(a) Write the formula of the cation present in the yellow solution F

(b) What property of chlorine is shown in Step II?

(c) Write an equation for the reaction in step III

14. (i) Name one drying agent for hydrogen Chloride

(ii) State and explain the observation that would be made when hydrogen Chloride

gas is bubbled into a solution of Silver nitrate

Team Refreshing Change presents their nomination papers

 Today it was a beehive of activities at the KUPPET Nyamira offices as all the aspirants of team Refreshing Change presented their nomination papers. Lead by the chairman, Mr. Festus Segera, the team arrived in Nyamira in style accoumpaned by a group of teachers representing various sub-counties of Nyamira county.

From left Mr. Matuga (organizing secretary), Madam Boyani (secretary secretary), Mr. Okindo (assistant executive secretary), madam Stella (treasurer), Mr. Sonye (executive secretary), madam Getrude (assistant treasurer) madam Nancy (secretary gender) and Mr. Mokaya (vice chairman)

The aspirants went through the nomination requirements to ensure that all is in order. As a show of solidarity one by one, they handed in their papers as teachers appreciated them and took photos.

While addressing the teachers after the nomination process, the chairman Mr. Segera reassured the teachers that victory is within sight. He encouraged teachers to remain steadfast and fight to the end. The aspiring executive secretary, Mr. Joseph Sonye, reaffirmed that the great teachers of Nyamira do not require just services, but quality services and a win for team refreshing change is a win for the teachers of Nyamira.

The team promised its supporters that it is now ready to hit the ground and sell its transformative agenda to the teachers. 

Teachers from Manga sub-county pose for a photo with the aspirants from Manga i.e Mr. Okindo and madam Stella.