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Welcome to the Directorate of Research and Extension

The academic staff of the University of Embu are currently engaged in research activities in ten  thematic areas, namely; Agriculture and Food Security, Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Ecology, Education, Organic and applied Chemistry, Energy, Business, Health Sciences, Social Sciences and Mathematics. Our members of staff continue to actively seek new funding opportunities so as to attract research grants in the university. The members of staff have also published widely with the high impact journals and top publishers in the world.
Dr. Mark Otieno
Director, Research and Extension

Climate Smart Options

The project entitled “Climate smart options allowing agricultural intensification for smallholders in the dry zones of the Central Highlands of Kenya” is one of the VLIR-UOS funded project in Kenya. It is being implemented by the University of Embu in Kenya in collaboration with Kenyatta University, University of Nairobi, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), County Government of Tharaka-Nithi and KU Leuven University in Belgium, who are the project promoters.

The aim of the project is enhancing crop productivity to eradicate poverty and improve livelihood in the Central Highlands of Kenya. The approach is by simultaneously addressing soil and water conservation and soil fertility problems by integrating selected isolated approaches towards sustainable intensification of agricultural productivity in the region. The project is being implemented in the Tharaka-Nithi County, with the experimental trials in Tharaka south sub-County. Read More

Recent Publications

  1. Kibet, P., Mugwe, J. N., Korir, N. K., Mucheru-Muna, M. W., Ngetich, F. K., & Mugendi, D. N. (2023). Granular and powdered lime improves soil properties and maize (Zea mays l.) performance in humic Nitisols of central highlands in Kenya. Heliyon. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17286
  2. Ndegwa, J. K., Gichimu, B., Mugwe, J. N., Mucheru-Muna, M., & Njiru, D. M. (2023). Integrated Soil Fertility and Water Management Practices for Enhanced Agricultural Productivity. International Journal of Agronomy, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/8890794
  3. Nyamato, G. S. (2023). Perspectives and prospects of chelation extraction of heavy metals from wastewater: a review. Water Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2023.182
  4. Muriungi, M. (2023). Directors’ Duties and Climate Change in Africa: Evidence from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. ex/ante, 2023(Special issue), 65-76. https://ex-ante.ch/index.php/exante/article/view/219
  5. Rugendo, M. K., Gichimu, B. M., Mugwe, J. N., Mucheru-Muna, M., & Mugendi, D. N. (2023). Surface runoff and soil erosion from Nitisols and Ferralsols as influenced by different soil organic carbon levels under simulated rainfall conditions. Heliyon. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17684

News

Prof. Kenya wins a grant from the United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund

Prof. Eucharia Kenya, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Planning, Administration and Finance who is a Professor of Biotechnology at the Department of Biological Sciences has been awarded a grant worth US$ 498,071.28 (approximately 61 million Kenyan shillings) by the United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund (UNPDTF). The project is titled “Enhancing Gender Analysis in STEM Higher Education and Research in Kenya” and will run between 1st January 2023 and 31st December 2024. - Read More

Visit by the Director DAAD - The Director DAAD Ms. Beate Schindler-Kovats visited the University on 2nd June 2022. The visit was to present an opportunity to the university to explore areas of mutual interest, collaboration and in-depth discussion on sponsorship and funding programmes. Read More

Hybrid Rice Research

The hybrid rice research project is established as a special project of the National Research Fund(NRF). The project has been running from July, 2020 and will run upto July, 2023. Our project is dedicated to advanced research and training in rice breeding and biotechnology and advancing knowledge, applying the latest techniques in the following aspects of rice breeding:

1.    Breeding to introgress wide compatibility, drought tolerant and dwarf (sd-1) genes into TGMS to produce a super parent rice for use as female parent in crosses with Basmati 370,
2.    Determining linkages of major genes controlling quality and yield in Basmati370,
3.    Production of super yielding Basmati370 hybrid rice seeds for farmers by crossing it with TGMS super parent varieties,
4.    Determining of compatibility of major TGMS rice varieties in Kenya with Basmati370,
5.    Optimization of Basmati rice anther culture conditions for doubled haploid plants production,

Read More