Nuclear Science Capacity Building in Kenya: Challenges and Opportunities

Kenya's significant involvement in Nuclear Science and Technology can be traced back to 1965 when the country became a member state of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In 1978, Kenya formulated a project for the establishment of the ''Nuclear Science Laboratory'' at the University of Nairobi that soon after, received assistance from International Atomic Energy Agency. The laboratory was expected to be a base for the promotion of nuclear science technologies in the country was started in 1979 and has since developed into a fully-fledged institute of the University of Nairobi. In general, six main areas of nuclear science applications have continued to receive IAEA assistance; during the past ten years ; agriculture and soil management (30%), livestock production , introduction to nuclear power production (21%)- radiation oncology in cancer management and nuclear medicine (16%). Smaller shares went to nuclear safety (9%), nuclear engineering and technology (8%), industry and water resource management (7%) and nuclear physics and chemistry (5%). At present, the Agency is supporting several technical co-operation projects, four of which are in agriculture and two in nuclear physics and chemistry with additional assistance in the areas of manpower development, nuclear medicine, non-destructive testing techniques and radioactive waste management. Thus, through Government initiatives, and with the assistance of IAEA, quite a number of specialist national laboratories for nuclear science application have emerged