Dr. Lucy Mandillah Represents MMUST at the 2025 AFRIAK Fellows Induction Workshop in Kigali, Rwanda
Dr. Lucy Mandillah represented Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) and the Institute of Indigenous Knowledge, Cultural Studies and Climate Change (IIKCSCC) at the 2025 AFRIAK Fellows Induction Workshop held in Kigali, Rwanda, from 30 September to 11 October 2025.
On 9 October 2025, Dr. Mandillah delivered a presentation to the inaugural AFRIAK Fellows, providing an overview of MMUST and highlighting the mandate, research focus, activities and achievements of the IIKCSCC.
Her presentation highlighted the Institute’s three core pillars; Indigenous Knowledge, Culture and Climate Change. and its multidisciplinary areas of focus, including indigenous education, food and agriculture, traditional medicine, indigenous languages, oral traditions, governance, environmental sustainability, indigenous technologies and knowledge transmission.
Dr. Mandillah also presented the Institute’s alignment with the UNESCO Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS) programme and demonstrated how IIKCSCC is positioned to contribute to AFRIAK’s mission through research, documentation, knowledge co-creation, cultural preservation and community engagement.
The presentation further showcased the Institute’s research projects and community engagements across Western Kenya, as well as its collaborations with knowledge holders, researchers, government institutions, community organisations and international partners.
The Kigali engagement formed part of MMUST’s participation in the African Fellowships for Research in Indigenous and Alternative Knowledges (AFRIAK) programme, through which MMUST was selected as one of the African hubs to support fellows undertaking research on indigenous and alternative knowledge systems.
Dr. Mandillah’s participation provided an opportunity to position MMUST and IIKCSCC within a wider Pan-African network of scholars working to recognise, document, preserve and advance African indigenous knowledge systems.
Read Dr. Lucy Mandillah’s full presentation:
Read the 2025 AFRIAK Fellows Induction Workshop Presentation
