Dr. Mathew Gicheha has been appointed the new Director of Research and Innovations in the Research, Production and Extension Division. Dr. Gicheha whose appointment takes effect from September 1, 2022, will serve for a period of two (2) years.
Dr. Gicheha holds a PhD in Agricultural Systems Management from Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand, a master and a Bachelor degree from Egerton University. The Doctor of Agriculture Systems Management and trained animal scientist takes over from Dr. John Kinyuru who served the Directorate from 2020-2022.
With 50 publications under his belt, Dr. Gicheha has contributed to the scientific community by publishing in various internationally recognized journals besides supervising PhD and MSc students.
Dr. Gicheha has been involved in a number of projects including; Enhancing food and nutritional security in Kenya and Benin: Production and products value chain in dairy goat; Development of novel breeding stock and fast growth rabbit feed formulae using locally available raw materials; Development and evaluation of sweet sorghum grain as an alternative energy source in chicken feed formulae; Morphological and genetic characterization of indigenous cattle populations in Eritrea; and Managing climatic variability in high-performance dryland sheep production systems.
Some of his ongoing and funded projects include; Validation of insect-based protein-rich feeds for enhanced nutrition and health of fish in Kenya (INSProFEED); An integrated agri-energy system for sustainable banana farming for improved livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Kenya; and Mass production and utilization of edible insects and cassava meal for feed security and improvement of livelihood for smallholder farmers in Kenya.
While handing over to Dr. Gicheha, Dr. Kinyuru urged the staff to accord the new director all the necessary support to ensure the success of the directorate and division at large.
On his part, Dr. Gicheha promised to embrace teamwork and discharge his responsibilities with diligence and dedication in accordance with the University statutes, rules and procedures.
Source: Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology