joseph.irura@mpala.org
Joseph Irura is an IT specialist with over 10 years of experience in IT systems support, computer networks and systems administration. He is also a licensed drone operator by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority. He joined Mpala in September 2018 as an IT Technician, transitioned to the MpalaLive! project IT Lead and currently is the Mpala IT Manager. He is responsible for overseeing all IT operations, providing technical support to faculty and research projects and administering the campus network and IT Systems in use at Mpala. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
His background working with Internet Service Provider and Managed Service Provider companies has enabled him to plan, design and implement major IT infrastructure overhaul projects for Mpala and MpalaLive! resulting in improved quality of service, increased internet capacity and reduced costs. When he is not behind a computer screen, Joseph likes swimming and off-road driving activities. He advocates for open source technologies and is passionate about building and maintaining solar powered wireless networks to bring connectivity to remote places. He is currently engaged in working on a network expansion project that incorporates solar power and an IoT network(LoRa) deployment across Mpala to expand research and conservation management capabilities via use of technology.