He established Moi University’s School of Environmental Studies in 1985 and was the School’s first Dean.A former Professor of Moi University, Prof. Ouma Muga died Thursday September 6, 2018 at Kikuyu Hospital in Kiambu County after a long illness. Prof. Muga served at Moi University between 1985 and 1987 when he helped create the then School of Environmental Studies and was the School’s first Dean. He also helped raise funds from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to develop the curriculum for the School. He held a PhD in Geography in Fluvial Geomorphology. He was an expert in Environmental studies, and in Hazards and Disasters Management. The late Professor joined Moi University from Makarere University in Uganda where he had been teaching since 1966. The late hailed from Kochia Village in Homa Bay County. After his sojourn in Moi University, the Professor ventured into politics of which he became MP of the then Rangwe Constituency in 1988 on a KANU ticket and got appointed as an Assistant Minister for Environment. In addition to his many publications on various environmental issues in Kenya and East Africa, Prof. Muga also made substantial contributions to global issues including Ozone Layer Depletion, Climate Change and Global Warming.
The later Professor is described by many who knew him as an ‘impossibly intelligent’ chap. Along the University corridors and lecture halls, Prof. Muga earned great respect from his peers. Nearly all the university Dons recognised his name. The ones who have shared ideas with him would even lack any good adjective to describe him.
His brilliance caught the public attention when he sat for Kenya African Secondary School Examination (KASE) at St. Mary’s Yala. He emerged the top student nation-wide.He proceeded to sit for the Cambridge Overseas School Certificate in 1957 in the same school and once again topped the whole country.
He joined Makerere University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography. Afterwards, he did his Master of Science degree(MSC) in Australia and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in fluvial geomorphology in a record time-frame.
Prof. Muga became a lecturer at Makerere in 1966. There, he held a post of Secretary General and then Chairman of the University Academic Staff Association of Makerere University.The Professor did a lot of research, of interest is the one he did on Ozone layer which earned him worldwide recognition. He was in fact, among the elite group of researchers who contributed in the revolution that took place in Australia 1964.
He wrote a book on Luo History and two others on Evolution of Environment Resource Base in East Africa and English Encyclopedic Dictionary of Dholuo language. Australia is purely on the Leeward side of BLUE ALPS MOUNTAINS and that means it was purely a desert. The UN selected a team of 7 world elite scientists in 1964 and from Africa, Muga was chosen to help reform the dry country. Today Australia is the world Leading Rice Exporter.
He is the one who introduced the terminology “GLOBAL WARMING” when he explained the long term effect of Depletion of the Ozone Layer as a result of greenhouse gas emissions due to First World rapid industrialisation. Through him UNISDR and UNEP have a working Frameworks eg Kyoto Protocol, COP/MOP,HFA1 and Sendai Framework for DRR.Lastly ,through his own Africa Renaissance For Environmental Studies, he drafted Kenya’s first ever National Disaster Management Policy that was later ratified by the Cabinet. He was also famed for having written a speech for retired President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi which he delivered at the Ozone layer conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1989.
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