The Institute for Meteorological Training and Research (IMTR) is a World Meteorological Organization Regional Training Centre (WMO - RTC) in Nairobi. The Institute is charged with the responsibility of training personnel in Meteorology, Operational Hydrology and related geo-sciences in the country and the English-speaking countries in Africa and parts of Asia. The Institute has ability to organize and host specialized training courses due to its existing infrastructure, manpower and collaboration with other institutions both locally, regionally and internationally. The Institute offers regular courses as prescribed by WMO and tailor- made courses depending on the training needs. All courses are conducted in the English language

History

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)
  • 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.