GENERAL INFORMATION- Location, History, Weather
The Institute is a major Branch of the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) of the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources (MEMR). It is located approximately eight kilometers, west of Nairobi City Centre along Ngong Road at Dagoretti Corner, within the premises of KMD Headquarters. Public transport is sufficiently catered for through a variety of commuter buses and mini-buses.
The
Institute for Meteorological Training and Research (IMTR) is a branch
of the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) under the Ministry
of Environment and Mineral Resources (MEMR) charged
with the responsibility of training personnel in meteorology, hydrology
and related geo-sciences in the country and the Anglophone countries in
Africa.
The
Institute was established in 1964. A year later, 1965 it was upgraded
to the status of the World Meteorological Organization Regional Training
Centre (WMO-RTC) for the Anglophone Africa. There are only 23 such training
centres in the world including eight in Africa. IMTR RMTC is regarded
as a “Centre of Excellence” specialized in training meteorology, hydrology,
applied meteorology and related geosciences.
The
WMO RMTC-Nairobi, generally referred to as the Institute for Meteorological
Training and Research (IMTR), has two components:-
· The
Institute for Meteorological Training and Research (IMTR) located on the
grounds of the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) and
· The
University of Nairobi, College of Biological and Physical Sciences, Department
of Meteorology located at Chiromo Campus.
The
two components work very closely together, especially in the coordination
of international training programmes for the World Meteorological Organization
(WMO) members. The Permanent Representative (PR) of Kenya with WMO heads
all the international matters concerning this collaboration.
The PR of Kenya with WMO is recognized channel of communication
between WMO Secretariat, Geneva, Switzerland and Kenya on matters pertaining
to Meteorology, including application, education and training, research
and development.
Weather
in Nairobi
The weather
in Nairobi is generally pleasant with temperatures
ranging between 18 and 26 degrees celcius. However, cold spells are experienced
during the months of June to August. There are two rainy seasons
occurring in March to May and October to early December respectively.