Prof Anne Muigai is a molecular population geneticist with over
17 years’ experience. Under her belt is a doctorate degree in Population
Genetics and Molecular Biology from JKUAT.
She is
humble about this but she is the first female professor in the field of
genetics and was the founder chairperson of the Department of Botany at
26 years of age.
Until beginning of this year, she had been the co-ordinator of the postgraduate programme in the Botany department.
She
has published articles on prehistoric fight between hunters and
gatherers dated 1,000 years ago in Lake Turkana. On top of all these,
she is a Taxonomy Group Member of the African Union, advising on issues
relating to genetic resources of indigenous animals. She has more
accolades but we have less space here.
In person she is anything but professorial (whatever that means anymore) as JACKSON BIKO found out when they had tea at a cafe.
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I
didn’t Google you, so when I was looking for the most professorial
lady— distractedly dressed with functional shoes—you surprise me with
this trendy jacket you have on. It’s not a jacket I would have imagined
on a professor.
(Laughs) Because professors are not great dressers?
Hardly
ever. I guess most have more important issues in their heads than to
think of clothes. But, seriously, of all the things you could have done
with your life, why genetics?
Genetics found
me. My dad was a scientist. He’s one of the pioneers of maize breeders
in Kenya. I only realised how genius he was because he showed us his
work and his passion. We had a fruit garden and he’d take us around
telling us about pollination, germination and all these things. It’s
only when I got to university that I realised that Zea mays was real?
Ze-what?
That’s
the scientific name for maize. We always talked about it using the
scientific name. I wanted to become a dentist but missed dental school
by one point. I cried because I had also missed my second choice which
was pharmacy. When I was finally taken in for a Bachelor of Education
course, I was like, ‘God, I don’t want to be a teacher.’
My
father was a single dad, he told me, “go study education and when you
finish it I’ll take you to the US and you’ll do dentistry. I’ll have
saved money.” I picked botany and zoology and I was sucked into this
beautiful science. I never bothered to take my father up on his offer.
Tell me something about animal genetics that would excite me.
(Pause)
My PhD was on characterising the indigenous sheep genetics of Africa.
Our sheep are not native to Africa, not like the elephant, rhino,
cheetah and lion. Turns out the sheep were once like wild antelopes in
Asia and man domesticated them. When he started migrating, he moved with
his food and that’s how the sheep ended up in Africa. Sheep came in
through Egypt, crossed down Sudan, stayed a bit in Ethiopia, came down
to Kenya, and then down to South Africa.
Jetlagged sheep. People in academia are known to be socially awkward, they live in their own world. What’s your handicap?
It’s
not necessarily professors but scientists or people who have a big
passion. I can talk about genetics the whole day, maybe that’s a
handicap.
What are your qualities that you least admire?
I
am very impatient with slow people. Slow in the sense that maybe I have
asked you to do something and send it to me by Monday and then you
decide to take a month. Sometimes students think I’m very aggressive,
unfair. In fact, my daughter who studies in JKUAT sometimes hesitates to
say I’m her mother because she doesn’t know what she will be told.
Are you curious about your own genetic history?
The
genealogy. This is where from a small amount of blood we can actually
tell much more than genealogy. I can tell you what disease will kill
you. I’ll know if you are prone to obesity, or if you have the gene for
addiction. We can tell whether you have the genes for breast cancer.
Would you want to know? Or would you wait. I don’t think I’d want to
know myself.
What are you bad at?
Operating
the TV. I have to call my son when I want to watch a movie. (Laughs)
Normally, I will press the wrong thing and everything goes. I’m like,
‘oh my gosh! What do I do? How do I get the sound?’
Who’s been your greatest influence?
My
father. He was a single dad in the 70s, divorced. Raised three
children, never remarried and completely committed to his profession.
From him I learnt integrity. He was a civil servant, first director of
research in Kenya. He had a GK car but he would drop us to school in his
personal car and then go back home to pick his government car. He never
spent more than he needed to, he never stole money. Very straight man.
How did your mum influence you?
She
is, I even wonder how they got together because she is a proper mama,
very much in the world and everything. She is the one who’d be like,
‘get a boyfriend, you know you need children.’ My dad would never want
to hear anything like that. She is the first person who started calling
me Professor Wangari. She planted the seed to think about being a
professor.
Is it harder for women with PhDs to get married?
If
I introduce myself like, ‘Hi, I’m Professor Ann.’ You’ll look at me
differently. Like I have horns. (Laughs) Traditionally, educated women
are deemed unruly or militant. How will you manage a powerful woman like
that? They ask.
How do you think your husband “manages” you?
He’s a breadwinner.
Does that “manage” a woman, if the man is a breadwinner?
No,
not necessarily. He doesn’t see me as a scientist. He sees me as a
friend. If you see me as a professional then I guess there is already a
barrier. But he says I’m difficult. (Laughs). I mean, if I’m passionate
about something then I will go for it. But I believe in harmony and
unity and that the man is the head of the home and all. So we don’t have
those things of who’s the boss. We consult. It’s also how he treats
you.
Do you ever introduce yourself as Prof. Ann?
I
still have an issue when people say that you have earned it, use it!
When I introduce myself as Ann Muigai they say, no, you forgot Prof. I’m
like really, does it matter? They are like yeah, yeah, it does. But
when you do that people treat you differently. Some wonder how I am so
young to be one. I don’t want to be looked at differently or in any
other way.
What are your biggest fears?
(Pause)
I used to fear death but I am not afraid anymore because I have faced
death. I was at Westgate, and I was shot twice in the chest.
No way!
Yes
way. (Chuckles). And I survived that. And I did come close to dying. I
felt myself letting go, that point of release. Now I don’t fear death
anymore...been there done that. (Laughs)
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