University Management Board

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Benedict M. Mutua, is a Professor of Water Resources, Environmental and Hydraulics Engineering. Over the years, he has served in various capacities at the University setting at the international level. He is a Professor in several reputable universities. Prof. Mutua obtained his BSc Agricultural Engineering (Soil and Water Engineering) and graduated with a First Class Honours. He also did a Diploma in Soil and Water Engineering and Obtained a Distinction at Egerton University. He proceeded to the University of Melbourne, Australia, for his MEng. Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering and specialised in Fluid Dynamics and Hydraulics Engineering.

Prof. Mutua pursued a Postgraduate Diploma in Water Resources and Hydrology at Tel Aviv in Israel and later on proceeded to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and pursued another MSc degree in Water Resources Engineering (Specialising in Water Engineering Systems and Management. Prof. Mutua did his PhD and post-doctoral in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) – Austria. So far, Prof. Mutua has done five post-doctoral research at different Universities across the world. To enhance his management and administrative skills, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Benedict Mutua did his third Master’s in Business Management (MBA) specialising in Human Resource Management from the Indian Institute of Business Management and Studies (IIBMS). Prof. Mutua further did another Doctorate in Management Studies (DMS) specialising in Human Resource Management from the Technical University of Berlin, Germany. Prof. Mutua is well versed in research and he has won very many competitive research grants. He has attracted over KES15 billion in his research career.

He has contributed and impacted the community positively from his research, innovation and consultancy work in the area of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering. For instance, he designed and developed a simplified tool for Integrated Water and Sanitation Systems to be used by engineers and planners for different water and sanitation systems in towns and cities. Prof. Mutua has won International Recognition which includes; Marquis Who-is-Who in the World for his research contribution in the Field of Engineering and Science. Prior to joining The Technical University of Kenya (TU-K), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Benedict M. Mutua had held several administrative and leadership positions in the University setting. For instance, he served as a Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Planning, Partnerships, Research and Innovation for close to 8 years and acted as Vice-Chancellor at Kibabii University. Earlier on, he served as a Director of the School of Graduate Studies at Egerton University, Dean Faculty of Engineering and Technology and Chairperson, Department of Agricultural Engineering at Egerton University and later served as a Member of Council at the then Laikipia University College.

Prof. Mutua has supervised many postgraduate students at Master’s, PhD and Post-doctoral levels and externally examined many Theses. He has been a thematic leader in designing and developing curricula for different Universities. He has published several University-level books and book chapters, scientific articles in peer refereed international journals, peer-reviewed conference proceedings, peer-reviewed technical reports, a number of consultancies and project reports, and refereed learning modules. He is widely travelled and presented his research findings at several national, regional and international conferences and fora. He has over the years won a number of short-term visiting Professorial fellowships tenable in different countries.

Throughout his career, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Benedict M. Mutua has exemplified an unwavering commitment to the values that define a well-functioning University - integrity, innovation, inclusivity, mentorship and a steadfast commitment to nurturing an environment that fosters learning and discovery.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Benedict M. Mutua possesses the rare ability to inspire, mentor, motivate, and lead by example, fostering a culture of integrity, mentorship, collaboration and innovation that will propel TU-K into a future brimming with possibilities.

Prof. Alfred Orina Isaac, PhD.

Orina Isaac is a Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Currently he is the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Technology Development (RTD) at the Technical University of Kenya. The Division of RTD is comprised of the Directorate of Research, Centre for Innovation and Technology Transfer and the Directorate of Information and Communication Technology. The division has a dedicated mandate to drive the Research Innovation and Technology agenda of the University. Prof Orina graduated from Egerton University in 1996 with a B.Sc Biochemistry/Chemistry and an M.Sc in Biochemistry in the year 2000. Prof Orina starting his academic career in Egerton University, joining as an Assistant Lecturer in 2000, in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Through a scholarship, professor Orina obtained a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Idaho State University in 2007. Later on, Prof Orina worked as a Post-doctoral Research Associate Scientist at the Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Ohio from 2007 to 2009. From 2009, Prof Orina worked at Egerton University as a Lecturer/researcher in the department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, before joining the Technical University of Kenya in 2012. Prof Orina’s research focus is on the Biochemical basis for Neurodegeneration, Neurotoxicology and Neuroprotection mechanisms, with a special interest in development of new pharmaceutical interventions using adjunct therapy. To date, Prof Orina has published more than 90 peer reviewed articles and book chapters. He is also an author of a book entitled “Scientific Writing for Students and Young Scientists”. Prof Orina has supervised 16 postgraduate students (M.Sc/Ph.D). He continues to mentor students and conduct research and collaborate with other scientists across the globe. Currently, he has an ongoing research project on how to protect cellular structures from arsenic toxicity and melarsoprol (https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-022-01553-8; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0012103, https://orcid.org/000-0003-3338-2239 Email: alfred.orina@tukenya.ac.ke https://www.linkedin.com/in/prof-alfred-orina-isaac-phd

Prof. Cleophas Maende

Prof Maende is an Associate Professor of Biosystems Engineering and the current Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment. He holds a PhD in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in United Kingdom (1995), an MEng in Industrial Engineering and Management from University of Sierra Leone (1988) and a BSc in Agricultural Engineering from

University of Nairobi (1983). In 2022, he graduated with a Diploma in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from TU-K to supplement his research interest in solar energy. He joined TU-K in March 2018 and was appointed the Director of the School of Infrastructure and Resource Engineering and later the Director of the School of Chemical and Biological Systems Engineering.

After graduating from University of Nairobi in 1983, he joined the then Ministry of Agriculture where he worked up to 1986 when he left to pursue Master’s degree. Upon completion of the Master’s, he joined the University of Nairobi in 1988 in the Department of Agricultural Engineering as an assistant lecturer. He was promoted to lecturer in 1989. In 1991 he proceeded to UK for his PhD which he

completed in 1994 and returned to UoN in 1995 to continue working as a lecturer. In 1997 he joined the University of Swaziland where he worked as a lecturer till 1998 when he went back to United Kingdom. He stayed in UK working in various private companies untill 2006 when returned to Kenya.

Between 2006 and 2012, he worked at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in the Department of Management Science. In 2012, he was appointed Deputy Director in charge of Academic Affairs in the Kakamega Campus of Mount Kenya University. In 2014 he was appointed the Director of Kitale Campus of Kisii University – a position he held up to 2018 when he joined TU-K.

So far, Prof Maende has supervised to completion over 50 Master’s students and 7 PhDs. His research interests are in agricultural mechanization, engineering management and renewable

energy, specifically solar energy. He is well published and has attended several local and international conferences. He is a registered engineer with Engineers Board of Kenya and a corporate member of both the Institution of Engineers of Kenya and the Kenya Society of Environmental, Biological, and Agricultural Engineers. He is a devout Christian, a father, a grandfather and recently a great grandfather.

Prof Peter Matu is a distinguished professor of linguistics at the Technical University of Kenya (TU-K). He is the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology. Before this executive appointment, he served as Director of Common Undergraduate Studies, and Director of the School of Information and Communication Studies at the Technical University of Kenya. He completed his PhD at the University of Free State, South Africa and has since written over 40 research papers in Linguistics. His research interests include Language and Communication, Media Discourse, New Media, Meta-discourse, Critical Discourse Analysis, Grammatical Transitivity in written texts, Ideology in Discourse, Systemic Functional Grammar, Syntax, Translation, and Interpretation. Prof Matu has supervised 34 Master's and 11 PhD theses. He has also held the position of external examiner at various universities over the years including the University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University and Maasai Mara University, among others. Further, he believes in impactful social science research and has, over the years, participated in many conferences and workshops locally and abroad. His recent participation in a conference in 2024 yielded a book which he co-authored titled ‘Indigeneous Knowledge and Sustainable Development’. Additionally, he serves in several committees at TUK in which he has made tremendous contribution during their deliberations. Throughout his career, his life has been enriched by community engagements outside of academia. For instance, he has been a mentor and advisor of the Youth in Kibutio Catholic Church, served as a Member and now Chair of the Board of Management of Kibutio Secondary School and as a member of the Academic Advisory Board of Kibutio Primary and Kibutio Secondary School both in Mukurweini, Nyeri County. Whenever Prof Matu is not in the corridors of academe, he enjoys non-fiction, theatre, and classical music.

Prof. George Amolo

George Amolo is a Professor of Physics at the Technical University of Kenya (TU-K) with more than 20 years of experience in Solid State Physics and Materials Science. He previously served as a Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor and Chair of the School of Science Research Committee in University of Eldoret (UoE) before joining TU-K in 2016 as an Associate Professor. At TU-K, he has previously served a Chairperson of the Department of Technical and Applied Physics and the Director of the School of Physics and Earth Sciences within the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology. He is a champion of student training as well as development and was the coordinator the Scientific Mentorship Programme in UoE in the period 2013 – 2015. To date, he has supervised to completion 11 PhDs and 21 MScs. Involvement in research with international partners and institutions has also been part of his engagement. He serves as a Principal Investigator at the Centre of High Performance Computing (CHPC), Cape Town, South Africa, and was a Regular Associate of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Italy, in the period 2009 – 2014. As part of research exchange experience, he served as Visiting Associate Professor at the School of Physics in University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) from 2016 – 2018. He is a champion of the African School of Electronic Structure Methods and Applications (ASESMA) that has organised continent-wide training to grow graduate students and early career PhDs mainly in Physics and Chemistry as well as Materials Science for more than a decade In the last decade he has focused on complementary computational methods to support experimental approaches in materials for energy conversion. In this period, efforts have also gone into the study of the properties of hard, electronic and optical properties of materials as well as multidisciplinary works in other natural and applied science applications. He has served as Chair of the Materials Research Society of Kenya from 2018-2024 and is currently a Research Associate in the Special Interest Group of Computational Modeling and Materials Science with the Kenya Education Network (KENET) from 2018, reaching out to graduates and faculty employing computing resources to do their research. He was recently the African continent representative on the review committee of the centenary activities of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) in 2024. Outside research, he has a long deep interest in classical Christian church music.