Lenah Nakhone
Home: Egerton University, Kenya
Host: Iowa State University
Africa Research: The Decomposition Rates of Some Tropical Legumes as Affected by Polyphenol and Lignin Contents
September 2004-June 2005

Visiting African Research Scholar Lenah Nakhone is working toward improving the lives of Kenyans. Nakhone's Fulbright grant allowed her the opportunity to conduct research on The Decomposition Rates of Some Tropical Legumes as Affected by Polyphenol and Lignin Contents with M. Ali Tabatabai, one of the leading soil chemistry and biochemistry experts. The hope is to develop residue and chemicals as an inexpensive supplement to fertilizer. An inexpensive supplement would be a great asset, especially to the many Kenyan women who cannot afford fertilizer.

As a strong advocate for women, Nakhone is a member of the Center for Women's Studies and Gender Analysis at Egerton University and has organized three women's groups in Kenya: Bayaya Women's Group, St. Augustine's Women's Group and Pro-Life Women's Group. In association of the Bayaya group, Nakhone has organized a micro-credit formula. Thanks to Nakhone, nine professors from Egerton University contribute funds to women living in pastoral Kenya. The professors also give short courses on leadership and role models, help them write resumes, expose them to the Internet and give them small-business plans.

Using her stay in Iowa as a golden opportunity to observe the U.S. culture and to explore American's beliefs on religion and society, Nakhone made a conscious effort to visit different churches and to speak with women's organizations. Nakhone's purpose was to study how U.S. women handle pressures from society compared to Kenyan women.

"The issues are the same but the approach is different," said Nakhone. Learning different ways of solving the same problem is good. Like Nakhone says of her faculty associate Tabatabai, "He has so many ideas. He is a very experienced person so he has different ways of doing the same thing." For Nakhone, it is a learning experience that has given her a new perspective of the world and much to consider.

When Nakhone first arrived in the U.S. from Kenya in September 2004, she had many expectations. She expected hard work, research and cultural differences. What she didn't expect was the humbleness of her American colleagues, especially the senior professors. "It is easier to talk to people here," she said. "I think that people here are more humble, especially in academics and in labs." Academics in the U.S. generally use only their basic qualifications and only stress their titles when publishing. Nakhone said that looking at people and hearing the way they speak, you would never know that they have done so much. "The Americans are very welcoming," she said. "I don't know how to describe character, but I would say that Americans are warm."

Nakhone found this especially true of her faculty associate Tabatabai. "We can go with him in the lab and work with him until late at night," Nakhone said. "Tabatabai would be in the lab with me, even washing the big glasses. He has so much knowledge and experience. It's like I'm taking a refresher course."

Apart from her research and women's organizations, Nakhone has explored the U.S. academic culture. Every Wednesday, she was allowed the opportunity to watch and to evaluate students as they presented their research topics. It was a process she found both beneficial and engaging. When she was not speaking with students, Nakhone was speaking with department administrators. "I've gone out of my way to see how the universities in the U.S. run on a departmental basis, how departments are organized and how they hire staff. Then I compare these with my home country."

Nakhone has learned a great deal as a Fulbright Scholar and has accomplished much. "In my heart, I think I should have come here ten years ago," she said. "It would have made a lot of difference in my academic life in Kenya, especially in the research area, but it's never too late."

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