Research

Groundwater Sustainable and Equitable development under Constraints of Ecosystem conservation and saltwater intrusion prevention in large deltas (GWS-SENCE)

I am part of the GWS- SENCE team from the Technical University of Kenya that aims to promote sustainable and equitable groundwater resources development in coastal deltas in Nigeria, Egypt and Kenya being implemented by IHE Delft. For Kenya we are looking at activitie in the Tana Delta and the activities will include applied research, training and capacity strengthening on smart monitoring and comprehensive assessments of groundwater resources and their importance and potential for society and ecosystems. The project aims to protect ecosystems that depend on groundwater and to prevent of saltwater intrusion in groundwater. The country PI for the project is Prof. Daniel Olago from the Institute of Climate Change and Adaptation (ICCA). This project will be carried out with other partners such as the Water Resources Authority (WRA), Ministrry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation (MWSI), Kenya Water Institute (KEWI), Kenya Marine and Fisheries Institute (KMFRI) and the Regional Center on Groundwater Resources, Education, Training and Research

THE AFRICAN CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT CENTER: Future African Savannas (AFAS) Project

I am part of the faculty with affiliation to the University of Nairobi at the Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation tasked with developing sound and robust evidence-based and science-backed strategies to preserve and protect the fragile environments of the West and East African savannas against the combined threats of extensive and diverse land use and rapid climate change. Within this project we will conduct research, science communication and action in regard to (i) a more secure natural resource base that would create a less vulnerable basis for livelihoods, economic growth and climate resilience, (ii) improved investments in locally acceptable nature-based solutions with opportunities for inclusive economic growth, and (iii) maximising the positive contributions of other sectors to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. This project supported by DAAD funding is implemented by University of Bonn, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, University of Nairobi and University of Cologne

HUMAN ORIGINS WEST OF MOUNT KENYA: Paleoanthropological research west of Mt. Kenya

As a part of the team involved in the paleoanthropological research west of Mt. Kenya, i am involved in providing the geological and paleoenvironmental context. This research project involves a team of researchers: Dr. Francis Kirera, Mercer University the Project’s Principal Investigator; Dr. Nasser Malit, Potsdam University in Newyork; Dr. Veronica Waweru, Yale University; Dr. Rahab Kinyanjui, National Museums of Kenya and Dr. Aryeh Grossman, Midwestern University. Work at these sites have yielded hundreds of artifacts including fossils belonging to potentially new species of antelopes; early human remains and various stone tools representing different assemblages. The sites were uncovered by a local archeological enthusiast Mr. Richard Kinyua. Reach out in case you are interested in some of the interesting finds and upcoming research questions

HUMAN TRACES: Synthesizing human traces in the Stratigraphic Record

I am a steering committee member of the PAGES working group on Human traces that aims to place contemporary human impacts within a longer temporal context using the existing Holocene records. Our working group will address the question of how the Anthropocene manifests itself in natural archives in different parts of the world depending on regional aspects of historical natural and human-induced change. We will first start with the paleolimnological approach, a multidisciplinary science that combines a variety of biological and geochemical information stored in lake sediment archives. The Other SC members include: Nathalie Dubois (ETH Zürich, Switzerland), John Boyle (University of Liverpool, UK), Emilie Saulnier-Talbot (Laval University, Canada), Julieta Massaferro (CONICET, Argentina), Guangjie Chen (Yunnan Normal University, China), Sakonvan 'Moo' Chawchai (Chulalongkorn University, Thailand), Madeleine Moyle (University of Liverpool, UK), Dan Penny (University of Sydney, Australia)