Elijah Ateka

Elijah Miinda Ateka (born 20 August 1972) is a Professor of Plant Virology at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. He is involved with the diagnosis and characterisation of the sweet potato virus and the cassava virus, and is part of the Cassava Virus Action Project (CVAP).

Early life and education Ateka attended Menyenya High School in Kenya. Ateka studied agriculture at the University of Nairobi and graduated in 1995. He remained there for his graduate studies, earning a Master's degree in plant pathology in 1999 and a PhD in molecular virology in 2005. He worked under the supervision of Rose W. Njeru. During his PhD Ateka worked at the Biologische Bundesanstalt für Land- und Forstwirtschaft. He is involved with the monitoring of crops in east Africa, including cassava, tomato and sweet potato. Cassava is a plant with a tuberous root that it extensively cultivated in Africa. It is a staple food of the developing world and the third largest source of carbohydrates in the tropics. He opened a new diagnostic facility and greenhouse in 2017. Ateka was the Country Team Leader for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant Cassava Disease Diagnostics; one of the first programs run by and for people in East Africa.

Ateka works with Boykin at the University of Western Australia on the characterisation and diagnosis of viruses that impact the Cassava plant. He has been involved with training programmes for African farmers and researchers, leading collaborative courses with Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and University of Eldoret. The programmes were supported by the Crawford Fund, and included the development of portable DNA sequencers (nanopore) to help farmers diagnose their crops early. In 2019 Ateka and Boykin launched the KENET’s Virtual Lab, a high-speed data transfer platform to share information between Kenya and Australia. The collaboration has saved the researchers having to travel long distances to exchange data. He is developing a new breed of cassava that is more resilient to climate change; including drought, heat and cold.

Ateka has worked as an advisor for the United Nations.

Personal life Ateka is married to Azenath N. Ateka, with whom he has three children.