Our ELI project was successfully completed at the end of 2025. Although the funding volume was significantly smaller compared to the previous phases of this long-term cooperative project, this phase proved to be highly productive and targeted in terms of content.
The project focused on the IoT-supported optimization of biogas plants for Kenyan smallholders. On the MMUST side, the School of Agriculture, Veterinary Sciences and Technology (SAVET) and the School of Computing were primarily involved. On the side of TH Brandenburg, Prof. Andre Nitze – also known as the “Lord of the Things” – joined as a new academic mentor. From the student side, the project was shaped by two highly dedicated Business Informatics Master’s students, Tim Siebert and Max Zboralski.
In addition to the established academic partners from SAVET and the School of Computing (including Professors Alice Ndiema and Jasper Ondulo), new actors joined the Kenyan team. Particularly noteworthy is Dr. Emmanuel Kombe from Kenyatta University in Nairobi, who contributed his valuable expertise in the field of biogas. New computer science students Naftali and Frederick as well as Edgar from the agricultural department further completed the team.
After Max and Tim had the opportunity to personally get to know MMUST, the region, the country, and both our long-standing and new partners during our trip to Kenya in November 2024, the project initially continued online until the summer of 2025. A return visit to Brandenburg in the summer of 2025, which included various field trips, further deepened the collaboration.
At the heart of this student cooperation was research-oriented work aimed at optimizing biogas plants using IoT technologies. In Brandenburg, a prototype was developed and built using standard commercial components. A major outcome of this joint effort is a scientific publication, which was presented in June by Andre at the international “IST-Africa” conference and can be downloaded here: ResearchGate Link.
The cooperation between our two universities continues seamlessly: My long-time colleague, Prof. Thomas Schrader, who has always been deeply committed to the Kenya partnership, is setting off today for another working visit to MMUST. He will undoubtedly keep us updated on further achievements right here on this blog.