Former Laikipia governor Ndiritu Muriithi has been appointed as a Policy Research Fellow at the Dedan Kimathi University of Technology.
The university said the appointment was a result of Mr Mruiithi’s contribution to public service, particularly in developing new approaches to small project implementation in the public sector and innovation in the financing of public projects.
In addition, the former governor is credited for creating frameworks for the promotion of innovators in the informal sector as vehicles for realising Kenya’s industrialisation goals as well as empowering small, micro and medium enterprises for wealth creation.
Vice-Chancellor Prof Paul Ndirangu Kioni said in a statement that Mr Muriithi’s appointment is affiliated to Dekut UNESCO chair on Anticipatory Socio-Technical Systems.
Through Research Fellow and Visiting Professors policy, the university aims at enriching the research and knowledge dissemination environment.
“Research Fellows and Visiting Professors bring to the university new ideas and perspectives as well as knowledge acquired in an environment vastly different from that of the faculty in Dekut,” Prof Kioni said.
He added: “This diversity of perspectives and backgrounds is a recognised powerful catalyst for rapid generation of novel ideas and solutions to problems.
According to the university, the appointment of Mr Murithi will help the institution achieve better engagement of faculty with the industry.
“This is a key appointment and will also enhance the relevance of the university education and research which is more responsive to the needs of society,” said the VC.
During his tenure as governor of Laikipia, Mr Muriithi’s administration collaborated closely with the university in areas of innovation, manufacturing and project management.
In May this year, the university and Nanyuki-based Mwireri Engineering, a firm that was born out of Mr Muriithi’s innovation and Enterprise Development programme, developed an industrial-scale maize drier.
The county government purchased the drier for the Kinamba cereal warehouse and was to produce two more for Sipili and Mutanga warehouses.
The university’s engineering department also worked with the county government to develop the Laikipia-made four-wheeler tuk-tuk BJ50 in Nyahururu.
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the two institutions also collaborated to develop a medical ventilator.
In June this year, about 90 senior county government officers graduated with a postgraduate diploma in project management which they learned using public projects that they were implementing at the county level.
