JOOUST Unveils Sh33 Million Modern Molecular & Microbiology Laboratory.
The Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) has unveiled a cutting-edge molecular and microbiology laboratory to help advance scientific research in the region.
The laboratory, which was funded by the National Research Fund (NRF) at a cost of Sh33 million, will boost research in fresh water, human health, and molecular microbiology.
The lab’s cutting-edge technology will also allow researchers and students to conduct advanced cell research on plants and animals using DNA and RNA tests.
During the laboratory’s commissioning, State Department for University Education Principal Secretary Amb Simon Nabukwesi stated that the laboratory demonstrates the government’s commitment to supporting priority areas of science, technology, and innovation.
Amb Nabukwesi stated that cell research is critical for society’s advancement, adding that it is from such research infrastructure that innovations that contribute to the country’s economic and social development emerge.
According to him, the laboratory will promote research excellence by providing students and scientists with cutting-edge research skills and knowledge that can be applied indefinitely to avoid skill loss.
“A good number of you (academic staff) are educated in foreign countries where the laboratories are equipped with sophisticated equipment.
“When you come back and you are unable to practice the same, the knowledge acquired is lost over time and that’s why we are suffering as a country,” Nabukwesi said.
The PS commended JOOUST, led by Prof Stephen Agong, for their dedication and efforts in ensuring that university laboratories are equipped through collaboration with the NRF, and acknowledged the role of university management in achieving the milestone.
He stated that the government is committed to increasing research funding productivity by encouraging increased migration of science from laboratories to the market, improving how it strategically aids investments in public good science that underpins the economy, directly boosting economic growth through market-driven research, and simplifying the entire research system.
NRF CEO Dr. Jemmimah Onsare revealed that the NRF provided infrastructure development funds to twenty other institutions in the country in order to boost research in the country.
Dr. Onsare went on to say that JOOUST had applied for Sh100 million in funding, but because other institutions in the region, including Eldoret University and Bukura Agricultural Institute, qualified for equipment funding in similar thematic areas, the funding was reduced to Sh33 million to avoid duplication.
She encouraged JOOUST to collaborate with institutions that benefited from equipment funding in order to maximize research resources available at universities in the region.
Dr. Onsare stated that the newly commissioned laboratory is a national facility open to all researchers in the country and directed JOOUST management to devise a mechanism to ensure researchers’ access to the facility.
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The NRF CEO urged JOOUST to use the facility to conduct research on highland rice and sorghum production to improve food security in the region, while also assuring public institutions in the country that applied for desert locust research funds that the government will release the funds beginning in July.
The event was attended by Siaya deputy governor, Dr. James Okumbe, Ministry of Education officials, and the CEOs of NACOSTI and the Kenya National Innovation Agency.
JOOUST Unveils Sh33 Million Modern Molecular & Microbiology Laboratory
