Researchers at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) have called for a gender-sensitive approach to the supervision and mentorship of female postgraduate students pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related programs. This comes after MMUST was selected as one of the pilot institutions in East Africa for the Supervision and Mentorship Framework (SMF), developed by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), and the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), to address gender disparity in postgraduate studies. On Thursday, 27th February, 2025, a group of researchers from the University underwent a Workshop at Bishop Nicholas Stam Pastoral and Animation Centre-Kakamega, which was aimed at discussing the components of the Framework. The one-day Workshop, facilitated by the pilot project team members; Prof. Charles Mutai (represented), Prof. Francis Orata and Dr. Umulkher Ali, was graced by MMUST’s Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor (Planning, Research and Innovation)-Prof. Peter Bukhala.
MMUST’s Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor (Planning, Research and Innovation)-Prof. Peter Bukhala, addresses Workshop participants.
“I am confident that once this Framework is adopted by Higher Education Institutions, it will transform postgraduate training programs and careers especially for women. How many females in our Universities are undertaking postgraduate programs and what are the challenges that they are facing?” remarked Prof. Bukhala. In addition, he pointed out that despite acquiring very good grades in high school, girls’ performance at the University level continues to drop significantly. “As we mentor female students, we need to train them with a view to getting them up to the postgraduate level. We should help and encourage girls to see postgraduate studies as an area in which they can shine and grow in spite of the gender disparity,” said the DVC.
Prof. Francis Orata speaks at the event.
Prof. Orata, who is also the Director of Research and Postgraduate Support (DRPS) at MMUST, took the Workshop participants through the study that led to the creation of this Framework. “The Supervision and Mentorship Framework for Postgraduate Training and Careers in East Africa is one of the outputs of a study that was conducted by APHRC in collaboration with IUCEA. The study, titled ‘Examining Participation and Quality of Experiences of Women in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics: Postgraduate Training Programs and Careers in East Africa’, was funded by the International Development Research Center-IDRC,” revealed Prof. Orata. He added that the study was conducted in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda between 2020 and 2024.
Dr. Umulkher Ali gives a presentation during the piloting exercise.
“This Framework provides guiding principles that will be utilized in Higher Education Institutions in East Africa to ensure quality supervision and mentorship, hence fostering greater participation of women in STEM postgraduate studies,” said Dr. Umulkher Ali during her presentation on the components of the Framework. The Director of International Relations and Academic Linkages (DIAL) at MMUST further noted that the principles will spread through governance controls, systems and structures, capacity strengthening initiatives, as well as stakeholders’ engagement on gender-lensed supervision and mentorship. “Thank you for showing interest to attend this Workshop and we hope that after this, you will become champions of this project,” added Dr. Ali.
Dr. Jane Situma gives a presentation on the overview of the postgraduate landscape at MMUST.
While giving an overview of the postgraduate landscape at MMUST, the Deputy Director in charge of Postgraduate Studies-Dr. Jane Situma, reiterated that women’s participation in STEM fields has been increasing globally, yet they remain underrepresented particularly at the postgraduate level. “The gender imbalance in PhD programs suggests that interventions are required to encourage more women to pursue doctoral studies,” observed Dr. Situma. She went on to highlight the challenges that female STEM postgraduate students face, such as gender bias and stereotypes, limited mentorship and role models, work-life balance, research funding, as well as lack of networking opportunities. “At MMUST, we have put in place a number of academic support systems to ensure that postgraduate students have the resources and guidance that they need to complete their studies successfully.”
Panelists engage in a discussion during the Workshop.
Notably, the Workshop attracted early career supervisors and mentors in STEM-related areas, drawn from various Schools at MMUST and other institutions of higher learning including Kaimosi Friends University (KAFU) and Bomet University College (BUC). The climax of the event was a panel discussion, which involved Prof. Francis Orata, Prof. Bernadette Sabuni (Dean-School of Engineering and Built Environment), Prof. Benedict Alala (Director-AIDS Control, Gender and Disability Mainstreaming), Dr. Annette Okoth, Dr. Jane Situma, Dr. Emmanuel Osore (COD- Mechanical and Industrial Engineering) and Dr. Emily Ng’eno (KAFU).
There is no doubt that this framework will be a game changer in Universities with regard to effective supervision and mentorship of postgraduate students. It is set to not only reduce the gender disparity in postgraduate studies, but also enable female students to have a clear career progression in the STEM arena.
Photos by Shiundu Masafu
