Research Summary
Samburu-Laikipia Region, Kenya–This East African nation is known for its abundant wildlife and inviting savannah landscapes, vast regions of sun-soaked earth and grass with mountains looming on the horizon. The Samburu people, traditionally nomadic, have coexisted with a diversity of wildlife for hundreds of years, but growing human populations and settlement patterns put both people and wildlife at risk.
Facing the challenge of preserving natural resources while building stronger economies, Kenyans possess rich cultural traditions and emerging scientific expertise. You can help the Samburu people use these traditions as well the latest research to benefit both human and wildlife communities.
As an integral part of the Samburu Field Center, your work on any one project will be combined with data from other projects to help limit conflicts between wildlife and local communities, and promote sustainable natural resource use. In addition to your daily glimpses of African wildlife, you will also go on wildlife drives in nearby reserves.
In your recreational time, you might want to hike in the Mathews Range, visit a manyatta and enjoy the rich Samburu culture and dance, visit a local school or hospital, or simply relax in our comfortable camp.
“We enjoyed every bit of the time we spent in the field. It is an experience that will forever remain fresh in our minds. We have so much to share with colleagues, families and our organizations.”—John Abugbilla Parker Atingah
Meet the Scientists
Dr. Nicholas O. Oguge
Field Director, Earthwatch Institute
Dr. Oguge, 48, Field Director, Samburu Regional Initiative, Earthwatch Institute. In 2003, Dr. Oguge was a Fulbright Fellow at Duke University, but a call from Earthwatch provided him with an opportunity to return to his homeland of Kenya. Dr. Oguge was born in 1960 in Nairobi, Kenya and was educated at the University of Nairobi. He received his Ph.D. in eco-physiology from Lincoln University in New Zealand and was Chair of the Zoology Department at Kenyatta University prior to his appointment at Duke University.
Dr. William Okelo Ogara
University of Nairobi
Dr. Ogara, 52, Head of the Department of Public Health, Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Nairobi. Dr. Ogara obtained his Ph.D. from Moscow Veterinary Academy, where he studied the biology and ecology of Saiga tatarica Linneaus in the Caspian Sea Basin with emphasis on the impact of cropping methods on Saiga carcass quality and characteristics. He was attached to the USSR wildlife expedition laboratory (Saiga Unit) and was a Field Veterinary Officer in charge of disease control and clinical services with the Ministry of Agriculture and Veterinary services in Narok District, before joining the University of Nairobi as a lecturer in 1999. He has worked on a number of wildlife projects, including amphibian diseases of Lake Victoria Basin and its catchment area, rabies in the domestic/wildlife interphase in the Makueni District, and parasites of Thompson's gazelle in Marulla Ranch, Kenya. He has also worked on projects on the improvement of livelihood of rural communities in Kenya. He is currently a UNMOVIC trained inspector of biological weapons of mass destruction in disarmament of nations and a regional representative of the Commonwealth Veterinary Association (CVA) for eastern, central and southern Africa. Dr. Ogara has a number of publications in refereed journals and conference proceedings. He is currently working with graduate students on the risk assessment of urban animal husbandry, related diseases and products utilization in Nairobi and Nakuru districts of Kenya.
Dr. Samuel Andanje
Tsavo Ecosystem, Kenya Wildlife Service
Dr. Andanje, 37, Principal Investigator; Senior Research Scientist, Tsavo Ecosystem, Kenya Wildlife Service. Dr. Andanje received his undergraduate degree (1991) and his M.Phil. in wildlife management from Moi University. He joined Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) in May 1995 and received his Ph.D. from Newcastle University, UK in 2001, having focused his research on the factors limiting the abundance of the endangered Hunter's antelope. He has remained an employee of KWS, working on various species-related research projects throughout Kenya and occasionally teaching in public colleges and universities on a part-time basis. He speaks his native Luhya language, Kiswahili and English.
Dr. Paul Kimata Muoria
African Wildlife Foundation
Dr. Muoria, 38, Principal Investigator. Dr. Muoria has been a research scientist with National Museums of Kenya since 1993. He has extensive field experience, having worked on different mammals including baboons, elephants, and the endangered Tana River Crested mangabeys and red colobus. His areas of interest include animal ecology, conservation and human-wildlife conflicts. In addition, Dr. Muoria has worked as an Earthwatch volunteer on two projects: South African Wildlife (August/September 2002) and Zebras of Kenya (January 2003).
Dr. Callistus K.P.O. Ogol
Kenyatta University
Dr. Ogol, 46, B.Ed., M.Sc., University of Nairobi; Ph.D., University of Alberta. Dr. Ogol has served as a Research Assistant for the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology at Kenyatta University and is currently Senior Lecturer in the university's Department of Biological Sciences. He speaks English, Kiswahili and Luo.
Dr. Paul Okemo
Kenyatta University
Dr. Okemo, 53, B.Sc, M.Sc., University of Wyoming; Ph.D., Kenyatta University. Dr. Okemo has worked with Delmonte, the Kenya Bureau of Standards and Stirling Health, and is currently an Associate Professor in Kenyatta University's Department of Biological Sciences. He speaks English, Kiswahili and Luo.
Dr. Isaiah Ndiege
Kenyatta University
Dr. Ndiege, 47, B.Sc., University of Nairobi; PhD, Cambridge University. Dr. Ndiege has served as a Research Scientist for the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology and is currently an Associate Professor in Kenyatta University's Department of Chemistry. He speaks English, Kiswahili and Luo.