Festus M. Tolo PhD

Dr. Tolo is a Medicinal Phytobiologist holding a Ph.D. in Medicinal Phytochemistry, a fellow at the African Scientific Institute and an awardee of the “The Nelon Gold Award (NGA)” of the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI). He also holds the Inter-Academy Medical Panel “Distinguished Scientist Award” of the Chinese Medical Sciences (CACMS) and Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) in Natural Products Research. Tolo is a Chief Research Officer and the Head of the Natural Products Research and Drug Development Programme (NAPREDA) at KEMRI.

His engagements in natural products research spans over two decades and has played a key role in the “Plant Drug Research Group for Antiviral Agents” leading to the innovation of an anti-herpes herbal product, Zedupex and as lead scientist in the National Council for Science Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) funded project on the “Natural Products Innovation System: Establishing a National Nutraceuticals and Phytomedicines Development Pipeline”. He has published widely and besides being a part-time lecturer in Medical Microbiology, he is an appointed peer reviewer of Quality Standards for University Education in Kenya.