Mount Kenya University (MKU) has received funding worth Sh107 million from the National Research Fund (NRF) in the last financial year alone.
NRF, as established under the Science, Technology and Innovation Act, 2013, is mandated to facilitate research, science, technology and innovation for national development and connected purposes.
“This raises to Sh400m the total amount of grants MKU has received from diverse external sources over the last 12 months,” said Vice-Chancellor Prof Stanley Waudo on Monday.
The NRF grants are for multi-disciplinary research and for PhD students’ projects.
Professor Francis Muregi, the Director in charge of MKU’s Directorate of Research and Innovation, said the university’s researchers are increasingly attracting external grants.
Muregi has been, instrumental in nurturing the university’s research culture and has received several grants from diverse external sources.
“Every year, our researchers publish at least 30 publications and register two patents,” Prof Muregi said.
Meanwhile, the MKU School of Engineering, Energy and the Built Environment has acquired state-of-the-art equipment worth Sh30m through the support of Board of Directors.
The equipment, according to Dr. Isaac Alukwe, the school’s Dean, is currently on high seas and will soon be available to students for training in areas of renewable energy and petroleum engineering.
Dr. Alukwe said students will have the opportunity to learn new technologies in design, operation and optimisation of meeting a mix of technologies and integrated schemes using solar, wind and geothermal sources.
MKU rebranded during its 13th graduation ceremony held mid last December last year.