CARPS student

Milcah Wambua is from Kitui Central Sub-county, Kitui County in Kenya. She holds a Bachelor degree in Food Science and Technology and a Master’s degree in Food science from Egerton University. She has worked for various projects as a research assistant including the East Africa Agricultural Productivity Project (EAAPP) and Reload Project where she gained excellent skills in field data collection, laboratory protocols and data analysis. After graduating with her Master’s degree, Milcah was given the opportunity to work as a part-time tutorial fellow in the Department of Dairy and Food Science and Technology in Egerton University. Her Master’s thesis title was: “Effect of cassava varieties and maturity on the properties of cassava flour and acceptability of cassava-wheat bread through sensory evaluation”. The research showed that variety and maturity of cassava had significant effect on its utilization potential in baking bread. The work also identified suitable varieties for baking of bread. To further her studies and skills in food science, Milcah enrolled for a PhD in Food Science at Egerton University in 2017. With the findings from a her Masters research she has decided  to expand on the cassava research to include development of high value commercial cassava-based products, with the overall objective of  improving food security and incomes of small holder farmers through innovations in the cassava value chain in Kenya. This project is funded by Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM)/Master Card Foundation CARP+ Project.