MMUST hosted a Workshop on Mainstreaming International Multinational Environmental Agreements (MEA) on Chemicals of Concern, on 10th April 2018. This was a collaborative arrangement between the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry-MMUST, and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Government of Kenya. The ultimate intention of this workshop is to improve Kenya’s compliance with the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), and Dioxins and Furans in particular.
The guest speaker, who is an environmental expert from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Mr. Francis Kihunda, urged MMUST environmental researchers to take up the challenge, find a niche and contribute to the development of Environmental Management Policy in Kenya. “Based on the research and technological capacity of MMUST, this university should take a leading role in the monitoring and analysis of toxic persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environmental” Mr. Kihunda said.
The Dean, School of Natural Sciences, Dr. Joseph Owino, affirmed the commitment of MMUST to promote quality environmental research, and align Masters and Doctorate activities to international programmes that address multilateral environmental agreements.
MMUST has already been mandated to handle the assessment of pollutants such as mercury in gold mines like those in Ikolomani, as well as Dioxins and Furans from Webuye paper mills that may be polluting River Nzoia. This was revealed by the Chairman, Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Dr. Francis Orata Omoto, who is an established environmental chemist.
The workshop was attended by over thirty participants from across various sections of the university. The university management, led by the Vice Chancellor Prof. Fred Otieno, has committed to invest resources towards environmental research, as part of the mission to implement the Presidential Big Four Agenda, considering that environmental waste management remains a challenge in ensuring human health, food security, infrastructural development, and manufacturing of products.