About my work
I joined KEFRI in 2020 as a research scientist in hydrology. I hold a bachelor’s degree in agricultural and biosystems from Moi University and a master’s degree in soil science from the University of Eldoret. I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in environmental soil biogeochemistry. My research interests are in soils, hydrology, landscape processes, and nutrient dynamics on multi-scale environmental, hydropedology, spatiotemporal variations of land degradation, and agronomic, ecological, and agroecosystem sciences. My research activities employ biometrics, GIS and remote sensing, modeling, and spatial statistical applications to mitigate land degradation, water quality, watershed management and judicious resource use, ecosystem efficiency, enhanced natural resource conservation, ecosystem sustainability, and global food security.
Why IAGLR?
In January 2020, my passion for agroecosystem studies led me to enroll in a course offered at the Cary Institute of Ecosystems Studies in Millbrook, New York, titled Fundamentals of Ecosystem Ecology. The course covered topics such as modeling of biogeochemistry, energy flow, nutrient cycling, and ecological big data. During this course, I developed an interest in studies involving mitigation of nutrient losses from agricultural fields and other land uses. Nutrient losses lead to nutrient loading in nearby streams and rivers and eventually impact adjacent lakes. This can cause increased biomass of periphyton, macroalgae, and sestonic algae and have deleterious impacts on water quality and ecosystem function. For example, in East Africa's Lake Victoria, the growth and spread of water hyacinth negatively affect fishing, aquaculture, and navigation. Therefore, I joined IAGLR to become an active member and learn about advances in research on Great Lakes such as Lake Victoria
