Mount Kenya University, Kenya
Mount Kenya University is a private university committed to a broad-based, holistic and inclusive system of education. At its main campus in Thika town, MKU is transforming a hitherto industrial town into an educational hub, while also widening access to higher education for the larger East African Community through a network of campuses. The university offers a wide-range of academic and professional courses through various flexible modes (virtual learning, evening classes, and weekend classes). KKU is organised into 8 schools, one college and one institution: School of Business and Economics, School of Education, School of Engineering, Energy and the Built Environment, School of Pure and Applied Sciences, School of Social Sciences, School of Law, School of Postgraduate Studies, School of Computing and Informatics, College of Health Sciences, Institute of Film, Creative and Performing Arts.
MKU is inclined towards offering science and technology programmes, and envisages up to three-quarters of its activities being research and innovation-driven. Coordination of research and resource mobilisation for research projects is the responsibility of the Directorate of Research and Development, University, School and Departmental Research Committees.
Project team
Dr. Peter Gakio Kirira is the Deputy Director for Research and Development at MKU. Since 2013, he works as Senior Lecturer at Mount Kenya University. He participated in the establishment of Mount Kenya University Research & Innovation Development Centre (REIDC) and is Co-Founded Mount Kenya University Entreprise Academy.
Dr. Kirira holds a PhD degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the Nagasaki University, Japan and Postdoctoral Training degree in Synthetic Chemistry from the Kyoto University, Japan. His professional experience includes position in Kenya Medical Research Institute as Senior Research Officer. Since 2006 he has over 15 publications in his professional area.
Prof. Mwangi Peter Wanderi is currently an Associate Professor and Director of Quality Assurance and Linkages at MKU (since 2014).
Prof. Wanderi has served as a Department Chair twice in 2002 – 2004 and in 2006 – 2010; as a university Partnerships Director, 2010 – 2014.
In the period 2012 – 2015, in close liaison with the Vice-Chancellor of Kenyatta University, Prof. Wanderi personally undertook the establishment of Chandaria Business Innovation and Incubation Centre at Kenyatta University. Among his other notable achievements is the introduction of Student Training for Entrepreneurial Promotion (STEP) in Kenya in 2012. Prof. Wanderi considers himself the father of STEP in Kenya.
Currently Prof. Mwangi Peter Wanderi serves as a consultant on a wide range of Youth Business Activities, assisting in Advisory Services, Monitoring and Evaluation, as well as Networking/Benchmarking for improvement. These include Mount Kenya University’s Graduate Enterprise Academy (GEA) where he serves as the Programme Overseer, Next Level Magazine, Image Horizons Ltd, among others. Prof. Wanderi has previsouly served as a Head of Academic Department, and Director of University – Industry Partnerships at Kenyatta University.
Prof. Mwangi Peter Wanderi holds a PhD degree in Physical Education. He has over 56 quality research supervisions at PhD, Masters, and Postgraduate Diploma, 15 book chapters, 21 articles in referred journals and 1 text book.