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.