Featured Researcher for December 2023

Prof. Makindi is a holder of Bachelor and Master of Science (B.Sc., M.Sc.) degrees in Natural Resources Management; Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Environmental Science, and professional training certificates in Sustainable development and management of natural resources, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), Ecotourism, Biodiversity and Climate change, amongst others.

Prof. Makindi has a strong background in research and consultancy work in the fields of Environment and Natural resources Management where he has published widely and co-authored over 40 scientific journal and conference publications, book chapters and technical reports that are highly cited. He has attended various professional meetings and presented scholarly papers in various fora across the world. In addition, he has successfully supervised and mentored six (6) Ph.D. students and over 25 Masters students to completion, and served as an External Examiner, Programme leader and Academic head of Ph.D. and Masters’ Programmes in various Universities. He has consulted locally, nationally and internationally for various organisations including Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), The Inter-governmental Authority on Development- Inland Water Resources Management (IGAD-INWRM), National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), National Land Commission of Kenya (NLC), Forest Action Network (FAN), Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA), County Governments, among others. He is also a reviewer of several Journals and Member of the Environment Institute of Kenya (EIK), International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA), and, the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB).

His research interests revolve around the environment and development nexus that includes; human ecology, biodiversity conservation, environmental health and impact assessments. He has received several research and community outreach grants, including; GEF-6 Project Grant- Restoration of Arid and Semi-Arid lands of Kenya through Bio-enterprise development in collaboration with FAO, KEFRI and IUCN; Human-Wildlife Conflicts: Causes and mitigation measures in Tsavo Conservation Area, Kenya (2010-2011), funded by NCST (current NACOSTI); Communities Perceptions and Assessment of Biodiversity Conservation Strategies: The Case of Protected Areas in Kenya (2008-2009), funded by UNU/ANSTI, among others. Prof. Makindi has just completed a research project as the Principal Investigator (PI) on Impacts of COVID-19 on Community Conservation and Nature Based Tourism Enterprises in the Amboseli Ecosystem in Kenya (2022-2023)funded by Machakos University Internal Research Grant. In addition, he is the Project Coordinator for the KA171 International Erasmus+ staff mobility programme (2022-2027) with Riga Technical University, Latvia; and the Project Partner/Coordinator for an Erasmus+ Virtual Exchanges in Higher Education and Youth Programme (ERASMUS-EDU-2023-VIRT-EXCH) on “Enriching youth digital, media, and soft skills using virtual mobility experiences in Sub-Saharan Africa and the European Union (DigiTREE)” with other University Partners from Latvia, Cyprus, Lithuania, Botswana and Zambia. The Project is funded by the European Commission Lump Sum Grants of 191,521.00 EUR.