KENYA’S CONSERVATION FRATERNITY MOURNS THE PASSING OF DR. ANDANJE
(Posted 19th May 2015)
Last weekend saw the funeral take place of Dr. Samuel Ambindi Andanje at his rural home in Ingotse, Kakamega County, attended by many of his colleagues and members of the conservation fraternity.
Dr. Andanje was the Kenya Wildlife Service’ Head of Ecological Monitoring, Bio-Prospecting & Biodiversity Information Management and considered one of organization’s leading scientists.
The late Dr. Andanje is credited to have put together an integrated inter-agency national biodiversity team that has undertaking biodiversity inventories in various ecosystems. He was the team leader for the biodiversity inventories and also the development of National Ecological Monitoring Standards for data collection that informs effective management and policy decisions on wildlife conservation.
In addition did he lead and pioneer the ranger based capacity building on Management Information System (MIST). According to KWS’ Corporate Communications Director Paul Udoto did Dr. Andanje contribute immensely to the scientific world and was also a member of various scientific organizations. Paul in his communication mentioned several of his scientific achievements such as a study he conducted on the threatened hirola, Beatragus hunterialso known as Hunter’s hartebeest that revealed population dynamics and mitigation leading to implementation of species conservation programs, like the Hirola Community Conservancy in North Eastern, Kenya.
He was by his many friends and colleagues fondly referred to as the ‘camera trap man’ for championing the use of new technology such as camera traps in ecological monitoring. Through this technology, he and other colleagues made a new discovery of a new species of Gient Sengi or Elephant Shrew which was thought to be extinct from the remote Boni Dodori area at the Coast that is still undergoing taxonomic identification. In addition, his research revealed a new population of Aders Duiker from the same forest which has triggered interest from researchers world-wide. More recently did the late Dr. Andanje undertake a unique study on isotopic studies on wildlife hairs and teeth to establish their relationships in time and space during his post-doctoral studies at Utah University, USA. He has over the years published over twenty scientific contributions in major scientific journals, underscoring the immense loss to wildlife conservation’s scientific team in Kenya.
Condolences are expressed to his family, friends, work place colleagues and the conservation fraternity at large.
2 Responses
My Uncle Samuel,may your soul rest in Eternal Peace!I will never forget the memories and i was truly blessed when you invited me to leave with you in Tsavo East National Park as you researched on the threatened Hirola Antelope also known as Hunters Hartebeest!We could visit you at the Tsavo East Research Centre and see how busy you were dedicating your time and effort on these threatened species!I enjoyed my time there and i will forever have fond memories.
R.I.P Dad we loved you so much and may the almighty God enable us finish the mighty and great works that you had stated in your place of birth,your newly home in Rongai and the whole nation at large.may the almighty God rest your soul where it deserves.