MMUST and the Kenya Council of Emergency Medical Trainers (KCEMT) agreed to work together towards promoting Paramedic Science program offered at the University. This was during a Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony, held at the MMUST Nairobi Campus in Harambee House on 10th July 2018. Through the MoU, KCEMT is now a stakeholder in the MMUST programs including Bachelor of Paramedic Science as well as short courses offered by the University through the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedical Sciences (SONMAPS).
The university was represented by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eng. Fred Otieno, together with the Dean SONMAPS, Prof. Lt. Col. (Rtd) John Okoth, Lecturer and Researcher in Reproductive and Child Health, Dr. Tecla Sum, and the Nairobi Campus staff Mr. Norbert Borruett and Ms. Emily Kadikinyi. KCEMT was represented by the Secretary General Mr. Benjamin Mwangi and the Director General Ms. Eunice Kamau. Also present, was the Coordinator National Disaster Management Unit, Mr. Pius Masai. MMUST Nairobi Campus Coordinator, Mr. Peter Wawire, raised optimism in the MoU, saying “This collaboration with KCEMT presents the University with an exciting opportunity to diversify its products making it a unique brand in Kenya and beyond”.
MMUST and KEMRI to Jointly Address Drug and Substance Abuse in Universities
MMUST and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) are working on a collaborative study to address the growing problem of drug and substance abuse in Western Kenya. The study was initiated in a meeting held on 17th July 2018, between the Vice Chancellor Prof. Eng. Fred Otieno, with the MMUST researchers Dr. Donald Kokonya and Dr. Dennis Ochieno; and the KEMRI Project Principal and Co-Principal Investigators, Dr. Jane Mbui, a specialist in Internal Medicine and Public Health, and the Medical Sociologist Dr. Prisca Otambo, respectively.
The study focuses on institutions of higher learning with MMUST students as key participants. Prof. Otieno welcomed the initiative saying the problem of drug and substance abuse exists, but the extent to which it is rooted in this region is poorly understood. He further said that the study is timely and of great importance to the University and community at large.