info@mut.ac.ke +254-798 959 217

Dean’s Message

Professor Dorothy A. Amwata, Ph.D,

Dean, School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences

Welcome to the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (SAES) at the Murang’a University of Technology (MUT), Kenya. SAES is the newest school in MUT and our mandate neatly aligned with the university’s multifaceted mission centered around advancing knowledge in  higher education through teaching, training, learning, research, innovation, consultancy and community  engagement for sustainable development. SAES is a very vibrant and fast growing school that is committed to academic excellence and contributes to world-class training and research at the intersection of agriculture and food security, environment, natural resource management and sustainable development. This is made possible by the well-trained and competent academic, technical and administrative staff members at SAES.

The SAES offers Postgraduate, Undergraduate, Diploma, Certificate and Short courses in the areas of Agriculture, Agricultural Education and Extension, Agronomy, Horticulture, Agribusiness Management and Enterprise Development, Agricultural Economics, Rural Development, Agroecology and Environment. The SAES recognizes the central role of technology and innovations in the transformation of the agrifood systems in a changing environment. We have four (4) year undergraduate programmes (BSc. Agriculture, BSc. Agricultural Education and Extension, BSc. In Agribusiness Management and Enterprise Development and BSc. in Agricultural Economics and Rural Development. Currently we have three postgraduate programmes namely MSc Climate Smart Agriculture, M.Sc Agricultural Economics and Ph.D Agricultural Economics that are primarily taught. Also, we  we have four (4) upcoming postgraduate programmes  namely: Master of Science in Advanced Agronomy & Technology, Master of Science in Agricultural Seed Systems, Master of Science in Agricultural Extension and Master of Science in Agroecology. SAES plays an important role in production of critical mass of expertise to lead the much needed transformation in the agriculture and food security sector for sustainable development.  Our graduates are exceptionally employable, and are placed within a variety of sectors including academia, research and consultancy in Kenya and beyond.

SAES is a pioneer school among the agricultural training institutions in Kenya to offer a Climate Smart Agriculture Curricula at postgraduate level; and short courses retool extensionists, practitioners and policy makers on climate change and agriculture. The curricula were co-developed by Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) and MUT. These curricula have integrated the dynamic needs of the agrifood systems in a changing environment while incorporating the changes in technology. The courses include M.Sc. in Climate Smart Agriculture, short courses in applied agroecology and climate smart agriculture.

In our quest to provide excellent research outputs, both technical and academic members of staff are involved in a number of collaborative research partnerships with local and international organisations. Our collaborators include county government of Murang’a, government institutions, universities, bilateral and multilateral institutions, and farmer organizations’. Our researchers are involved in more than 10 collaborative research projects that include the following topical issues: Climate smart agriculture technologies and practices, Agroecology, seedling production, pasture and fodder production management, indigenous trees and vegetables.

To ensure we provide cutting edge training and research, we have the following facilities:

  1. Field Station – On campus (poultry, fish pond, dairy animals, demonstration plots, orchard and botanical garden)
  2. Laboratories – On campus (Plant Science, Soil chemistry, Soil physics, , food chemistry & Nutrition, Animal nutrition, Animal physiology)
  3. Climate Smart Agriculture Model Farm – On-campus and community based

The school is also involved in a number of outreach communities, which include the following:

  1. Tree planting
  2. Student led extension
  3. Training of youths and women on climate smart agricultural practices and value addition
  4. Training of farmers in businesses and entrepreneurship
  5. Training of farmers in soil fertility management

For prospective students, I hope that you find the information on our website useful and that it encourages you to apply to study any of the disciplines offered by our school at MUT. To potential research collaborators and other partners, we would like to encourage you to contact my office or the Department of Agriculture in our school in case you are interested in partnering with us.