MMUST and Ball State University (BSU) rolled out plans to establish a Sickle Cell Anaemia Center in Western Kenya, on 9^th July, 2018. This is part of strategies to help mitigate the devastating effects of this inherent blood disorder, which affects many people in Western Kenya, yet remains poorly understood in the entire African continent.

This comes after a meeting between a team led by MMUST Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eng. Fred Otieno with the Deputy Vice Chancellor Planning, Research and Innovation, Prof. William Shivoga, and the BSU Director School of Nursing, Prof. Linda Siktberg with her counterparts Prof. Sheila Abebe, and Prof. Winnie Mucherah, who is currently based in MMUST on a Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP).

Sickle Cell Anaemia is a genetically inherited disorder that causes abnormality in the Red Blood Cells (erythrocytes), causing the victims health to deteriorate due to poor supply of oxygen in the body. The disease has been found to be prone in Sub-Saharan Africa, Kenya being among the most affected countries, especially in the Western region.

Prof. Otieno welcomed the collaborative initiative of setting up a Sickle Cell Anaemia Center. He affirmed that practical plans are already in place to ensure this initiative is fully implemented. “This noble initiative is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), and therefore, should be pioneered in the entire country as it also aligns with the Presidential Big Four Agenda of providing Affordable Health Care” he said.

Prof. Siktberg said that there is need to set up a Sickle Cell Anaemia Centre in MMUST to help the community reduce the cost of healthcare on individuals and improve their general community health. In a rejoinder, Prof. Abebe said “a larger percentage of infants in Sub-Saharan Africa are born with Sickle Cell Anaemia and hardly attain their fifth birth day”. Prof. Mucherah urged that people in this region should lead a healthy lifestyle and go for regular check-ups to increase life expectancy amidst the Sickle Cell Anaemia problem.

Prof. Shivoga praised the unique initiative saying that the first beneficiaries would be a number of MMUST staff whose family members suffer the disorder. He said that the community in this region largely depends on MMUST expertise and facilities, as this could help them get more understanding of Sickle Cell Anaemia management. Other MMUST members present included the Director of International Relations and Academic Linkages, Dr. Catherine Aurah, Dean School of Education, Dr. Judah Ndiku, Chairman Department of Educational Psychology, Dr. Kennedy Bota, Director Corporate Communications and Marketing, Dr. Dennis Ochieno, and the Community Liaisons Officer Mr. Oscar Waswa.

MMUST has taken a major role in addressing the persistent problem of food insecurity, by promoting the cultivation of drought tolerant root tuber crops in Western Kenya. This is part of the extension functions of the University, majorly entrenched through various MMUST satellite campuses, study centres and field stations. In Vihiga County, MMUST has established a farmer-participatory sweet potato germplasm multiplication centre at the Ebunangwe Field Station.

MMUST Policy Researcher, Dr. Stanley Omuterema, together with his field assistant, Ms. Evah Shabuya, have been on the forefront of this noble project. “We have multiplied and disseminated to farmers at least seven sweet potato varieties developed by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO)” says Dr. Omuterema. The sweet potato varieties multiplied, most of which mature within 4 months, include Bungoma, Jaukaroti, Kenspot-1 (Nyawo), Mugande, SPK-031, Vindolo Tamu and Vitaa. However, the production of sweet potato in the region is being constrained by plant diseases, rodent pests such as moles and squirrels, and theft. “We thank the University for supporting this initiative that would have great impact in addressing the question of Food Security in the Presidential Big Four Agenda” said Dr. Omuterema.      

MMUST hosted the First Biophysical Society Conference, which focused on Harnessing Scholarly Biophysical Potential in Africa, on 6th July 2018. Biophysics is an interdisciplinary Science that applies the approaches and methods of Physics in the study Biological Systems. The interim President of the Biophysical Society (Kenya), Mr. Philip Amuyunzu Mang’are, a lecturer and researcher in the department of Physics (MMUST), gave an overview of the Biophysical Society. “This Biophysics discipline covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic levels, through to populations and ecosystems at large” he said.

While setting off the event, the Dean School of Natural Sciences (SONAS) Dr. Joseph Owino, welcomed the participants to the event and rallied support to establish the Biophysics field in MMUST. He said that Biophysics is key in bridging academic, research and innovation activities between the four departments in SONAS, as well as forming networks with other sections such as the Schools of Agriculture, Medicine and Public Health among other sectors.

In his remarks, the Director Corporate Communications and Marketing, Dr. Dennis Ochieno said that research in Biological Sciences, Medicine, Agriculture and other Life Sciences requires mechanistic approaches in explaining various phenomena. He encouraged the upcoming researchers to embrace Biophysical concepts to enhance the quality of their research. “Apart from Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology that MMUST has been growing strong in, the current focus on Biophysics will fill a major gap in enhancing capacity for mechanistic approaches in research and innovation” he said. 

In attendance were the Moi University Physicist Prof. Samuel Rotich, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology Forest Ecologist Prof. Mugatsia Tsingalia, Chuka University Biophysicist Dr. Paul Kamweru, MMUST Physicist Dr. Bonface Ndinya, Entomologist Dr. Millicent Ndong’a, and the Chemist Mr. Fredrick Lisouza, who were among the Keynote Speakers of various topical issues in Biophysics. “We look forward to more inventions, innovations and patenting in our University after this Conference since these are key to the development of any academic and research institution” said Dr. Ndong’a. The conference was co-sponsored by MMUST and the Biophysical Society located in Rockville, Maryland in the USA. MMUST Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eng. Fred Otieno, in a follow-up, commended the event as a milestone in research and innovation, considering that the first conference in Kenya was hosted by this University.

Education Cabinet Secretary Amb. Dr. Amina Mohamed praised MMUST for the unrelenting efforts towards bringing higher education to marginal areas such as Turkana County in Northern Kenya. This was during visits to Kakuma Refugee Camp, and Turkana West University College, a Consituent of MMUST, on 2nd July, 2018. The Cabinet Secretary, in particular, hailed MMUST for the provision of University Education to refugees and Northern Kenya Communities, spreading out to the war torn South Sudan. 
The Vice Chancellor Prof. Eng. Fred Otieno, who attended the meeting, said such MMUST Outreach Projects have helped refugees and the host communities in the region quench the thirst for higher education. MMUST was the first Public University to set up a Satellite Study Centre at Kakuma Refugee Camp in the Northern part of Kenya. Through collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Kakuma Study Centre has received resources for expansion into Turkana West University College. Previously, MMUST established another institute in the same expansive region, the Turkana University College (TUC), which focuses on building capacity towards exploiting the vast oil and gas resources in the region.

The New MMUSO Leadership took full charge of the student organization, in a colorful swearing-in ceremony held at the Main Campus on 28th June 2018. Taking the oath administered by the Legal Officer Ms. Josephine Osiro, were the MMUSO President Clifton Kisera, Deputy President Esther Nyaboke, Secretary General Julius Museu, Treasurer Boniface Kirimi, Secretary Academics Patrick Odhiambo, Secretary Sports and Entertainment Bahati Mong’are, Secretary Gender and Special Interests Noyline Cherotich, and 36 members of parliament drawn from various sections of the University.

MMUSO President Mr. Clifton Kisera, following his swearing-in, reached out to all his challengers and students at large, urging them to work together and make MMUST a great University. The outgoing MMUSO President Mr. Brian Okeja, congratulated the incoming team of the 16th government, and challenged them to remain united in putting students’ interest at heart. 

Speaking during the event, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Eng. Fred Otieno thanked the entire student body for conducting peaceful elections that reflected the will of the students. He congratulated the winners, and called upon their close challengers to work as opinion shapers, so as to create conducive environment for the university and the surrounding community. He affirmed that the University management is ready to work with the student leaders. Pressing on the importance of collaboration between students and staff, he said that this will help achieve his goal of making MMUST a student centered and world class University.

The Vice Chancellor further advised the elected leaders to embrace dialogue in all aspects, which was a major strength of their predecessors. “Dialogue and unity are what can make an institution grow. MMUST was position twenty-three when I took over in 2014, but it now ranks top ten among Kenyan Universities, thanks to the good collaborative efforts of student leadership and the University Management” he said.

The Dean of Students, Dr. Bernadette Abwao, MMUST Electoral Commission Chairman, Dr. Judah Ndiku, and the IEBC Lurambi Constituency Returning Officer, Ms. Elida Adhiambo congratulated the new leadership together with the students for maintaining peace throughout the electioneering period. They confirmed that the will of the students had been confirmed through the ballot. They also advised the new leadership to work in unity to ensure students’ affairs are well taken care of and build on what their predecessors had achieved. Focusing on student safety, MMUST Chief Security Officer, Mr. Julius Mabia, and Chief Inspector of Administration Police for Kakamega Central, Ms. Priscar Chepchoge, assured students protection within the University and outside the institution.

African Development Bank (AfDB) representative, Dr. Emmanuel Musyoka, visited MMUST as a potential host for the premier editions of the Africa-Wide Innovation and ICT Center of Excellence initiative. Dr. Musyoka, a Sustainability Specialist in the Education, Human Capital and Employment Division of AfDB, was on the mission to prepare African youth for the Fourth Industrial Revolution by imparting digital skills through Information and Communication Technology (ICT) trainings. This would be achieved through partnerships between AfDB and universities in actualizing the ‘Jobs for the Youth in Africa (JfYA) ICT and Innovation Centers of Excellence Initiative’. 

Dr. Musyoka highlighted the need to strengthen TVET institutions that are drivers of skilled labour and employment for majority of African youth, especially in the production of ‘Africa’s generation of digitally enabled workforce’. MMUST being a TVET institution has been well prepared through academics, research and innovation activities in the School of Computing and Informatics (SCI). Previously, AfDB provided MMUST with modern equipment for Science, Technology and Engineering, including the rare Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy machine (NMR).

MMUST was represented by Deputy Vice Chancellor for Planning, Research and Innovation, Prof. William Shivoga, the Director Science Park Innovation and Incubation Centre, Dr. John Muoma, Dean SCI, Dr. Kelvin Omieno, Dean School of Agriculture, Veterinary Sciences and Technology, Prof. Hassan Were, Dean School of Engineering and Built Environment, Bernadette Sabuni, Director TVET, Dr. Samuel Waweru, Director ICT Services, Mr. Apollo Waliaro, Director Corporate Communications and Marketing, Dr. Dennis Ochieno, and the Marketing Coordinator, Mr. Meshack Nyambane.