Nicholas Outa is an accomplished expert in research capacity development with over a decade of experience training scientists across Africa in scientific communication and publication strategies. As a Research Capacity Advisor at TCC Africa since 2019, he has successfully trained more than 1,000 researchers from over 15 countries through hands-on workshops focused on scientific writing, journal selection, peer review processes, and grant proposal development. His training approach combines practical writing techniques with deep insights into research ethics and open access publishing, tailored to diverse audiences ranging from early-career researchers to senior faculty and NGO professionals.

An active researcher with over 60 peer-reviewed publications in fisheries and aquaculture (h-index: 16), Nicholas brings firsthand publication experience to his training programs. His work appears in respected journals, including Lakes and Reservoirs and Scientific African, demonstrating his ability to translate complex research into impactful science communication. This dual expertise as both practitioner and trainer enables him to provide uniquely valuable guidance on manuscript preparation and submission strategies.

Nicholas holds several key editorial positions that inform his training content, including his role as Academic Editor for PLOS ONE since 2021 and his leadership as Head of Submissions Moderation at AfricArXiv, where he implemented systems that increased daily submissions from 10 to over 50. His peer review experience across 10+ international journals further strengthens his ability to teach effective publication strategies.

Currently completing his PhD in Fisheries and Aquaculture at Maseno University, Nicholas holds an MSc in Limnology and Wetland Management from UNESCO-IHE/Egerton University and is a certified trainer in scientific communication through TCC Africa’s 2018 program.

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=P-mAhyUAAAAJ

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4085-0398

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-outa-01236846/

Twitter: @nichouta

Dr. Samuel O. Ochola holds a Dr. rer. nat. (MAGNA CUM LAUDE) in Geosciences from the University of Heidelberg – Germany. His doctoral work was on integrated flood risk management highlighting options for land-use planning at river basin level. He holds a M.Sc. in Geological Risks and Management from the University of Geneva – Switzerland, M.Sc. in Environmental Geology and Management from the University of Nairobi – Kenya with a dissertation on measurement of greenhouse gases’ (CH4 and CO2) emissions in Kenyan lakes and wetlands and a B.Sc. in Geology (First Class Honours) from the University of Nairobi. He further built his capacity at several international courses notably Water and Sanitation, Disaster Resilience, Resources Management and Climate Change at the Centre of Excellence for Water and Environment (CAS-TWAS CEWE), Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China; Disaster Risk Management Course at the World Bank e-Institute for Development, Facilitating Multi-Actor Collaboration for Sustainable Resources Management at HUBrussels University in Belgium, Advanced Study of Disaster and Risk 2009 Summer Institute at Beijing Normal University, METIER (METhods of Interdisciplinary Environmental Research) at Wageningen University and Multidisciplinary Tropical Lakes Studies with the University of Arizona. He has experience in project monitoring and evaluation, participatory work at all levels, environmental assessment and reporting.

He is an expert on climate change and variability, disaster resilience, facilitation of technical workshops/meetings at regional, national and community level with great emphasis on participatory and multi-stakeholder approaches. He has research interests on the nexus between Climate-Disasters-Livelihoods and Food-Energy-Water. He is skilled in the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). He has been a consultant severally for many organisations: USAID – Africa Lead/DAI, UNEP-Division of Early Warning; IUCN-ESSIPS, Renewable Energy Solutions for the Lake Victoria Environment (RESOLVE); DFID/Ukaid’s Finance Innovation for Climate Change Fund (FICCF); African Collaborative Centre for Earth Systems Science (ACCESS); Century Microfinance Bank; Inuka MFI Ltd; K-Rep Microfinance Bank; African Union – Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR); Training Centre in Communication; and Development Alternatives Inc., (DAI).

He was a Coordinating Lead Author (CLA) for chapter 3: Sustainable Natural Resources Management in writing Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture’s 2019-2029 He has facilitated several meetings: Chief Rapporteur for the 1st All-Africa Postharvest Congress & Exhibition 2017, Rapporteur for USAID Partnership for Resilience and Economic Growth Learning Event; Chief Rapporteur – Ministry of Agriculture’s Youth in Agribusiness Conference 2017, USAID Regional Livestock Trade Stakeholders’ Workshop for Eastern Africa, the 11th World Lakes Conference; Pan- Africa START Secretariat (START)’s Multidisciplinary Lake Victoria Training Programme; and Climate- Smart Agriculture with value chain analysis for community and farmer-based development. He developed training modules on Climate-Smart Dairy/Indigenous chicken/Sorghum/Cassava Production training manuals. He has also presented papers and participated in key international, regional and local conferences and workshops. He participated in the crafting of African position paper at the Lilongwe meeting on Bio-carbon in Agriculture, and was a member of Thematic Working Group 4: National Appropriate Mitigation and Adaptation that developed Kenya’s 2013- 1017 Climate Change Action Plan, He was a lead author of Chapter 3: Climate Change, Kenya’s State of the Environment Report and Outlook 2010 and a Lead Author of the Kenya Wetlands Atlas 2012 both under UNEP-DEWA. He has written a book on flood risk management, book chapters on ICT use in the water sector in the wake of climate change in Africa with IDRC, lightning risk in Kenya, journal papers, 9 briefing papers and several reports.

Stephen Wanyingo is a researcher specializing in qualitative research and scientific communication. He has had a rewarding career in Market Research in Supervision, Coordination of research surveys, group facilitation, recruitment of research assistants, focus group moderation, training of research assistants, sampling, field management, transcription, translation, in-depth interviews, telephone interviews, data collection, editing and report writing.

Stephen is a writer and trainer in scientific communication with broad knowledge on writing styles namely; MLA, APA, Harvard and Chicago. He also trains on how to avoid plagiarism in writing, best search engines for articles and books references and how to obtain and manage online freelance writing accounts. Plagiarism if evaded in writing can promoted writers, but if overlooked can jail writers and that explains his key emphasis on plagiarism. He is the current quality manager at Alco East Africa, task with the core obligation of ensuring that quality is adhered to in writing.

Stephen has actively participated in coordinating and supervising multiple research surveys majorly in Kenya. Well acquainted in both qualitative and quantitative methodologies of research. He has conducted numerous research projects in a number of fields including social, political, economic, marketing and cultural. These studies have topical themes in democracy, evaluation and impact assessment, conflict analysis and management, value chain analysis, usage & employee satisfaction survey, opinion polling among others. He believes that research is to see what everybody else has seen and to think what nobody else has thought. One of his recent papers is entitled Human Resource as a Major Pillar in Quality Management Practices: the Case of Market research Firms in Kenya. Market Research firms provide information to public, private, government and academic sectors for in-depth knowledge of decision making, thus certainly there was a need to evaluate the capabilities of data collectors (enumerators) due to their chief role of gathering raw data (mother of research) for analysis. The paper proposes a myriad of benefits for quality research and swift growth if fully embraced by market research firms in Kenya. Stephen is currently offering his knowledge and experience as a field supervisor and moderator on freelance basis in various market research firms in Kenya namely; Milba Brands research, Consumer options, Sab-Sahara research and Infotrak Research.

He is very sanguine that his research background as writer and reviewer will provide him with the essential tools vital for his task as a trainer in scientific communication and publishing at Training Centre in Communication (TCC-Africa). He is entirely obliged by joining the dynamic TCC-Africa team as a trainer in Scientific Communication and Publishing.

I am a freelance publishing and editorial consultant based in Nairobi. I hold an MSc in hydrobiology and a postgraduate diploma in mass communication from the University of Nairobi. I also hold a BEd in zoology and botany.

I specialise in editing (and occasionally writing) and supervising production of scientific (mainly agriculture and livestock) manuscripts and related policy documents. The manuscripts target a variety of audiences, ranging from extension materials to research reports and journal articles. I have also edited medical, human settlement, climate change and land tenure manuscripts among others.

My client base includes international and regional agricultural research institutes, United Nations agencies, donor agencies, non-governmental organisations and government departments.

I also write workshop reports and serve as rapporteur for meetings and compile background documents using secondary data from literature. In addition, I advise clients on various publishing and media issues.

I have participated in writeshops (drafting workshops), which involve editing and often rewriting manuscripts in conjunction with the authors, following discussions with the target audience. The writeshop process is used to develop materials that are easy for the target audience to understand.

I offer training in scientific writing to clients on request. Since 2009, I offer training in scientific communication more formally through the Training Centre in Communication, based at the University of Nairobi.

I have been involved in planning public awareness activities including media liaison, preparing brochures, writing newsletter articles, supervising newsletter production and coordinating website development.

Since 2002 I have provided consultancy services to:

Agricultural research institutes

1. International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
2.World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)
3.Forum for African Agricultural Research (FARA)
4.International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
5.Regional Land Management Unit (RELMA) of SIDA (later a programme in ICRAF)
6.Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
7.Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA)

Donor agencies

8.United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
9.Heinrich Böll Foundation
10.International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

Kenya government

11.Kenya Prisons Service
12.Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI)
13.Ministry of Agriculture, Kenya

Non-governmental organisations

14.African Economic Research Consortium (AERC)
15.African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF)
16.International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR)
17.Institute for Education in Democracy (IED)
18.African Network for Health Management Knowledge Management and Communication (AfriAfya)
19.State University of New York (SUNY-Kenya) Parliamentary Strengthening Programme
20.Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC)
21.Research on Poverty Alleviation(REPOA)
22.World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
23.Media Council of Kenya (MCK)

United Nations agencies

24.World Food Programme (WFP)
25.United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
26.United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
27.United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)