Meet the people who have led, worked at, and supported the demonstration farm. Original personal stories have been preserved with ages and marriage durations removed. Historical roles are being confirmed.
Local leadership & farm staff
Kioko Mwangangi
Founder & PresidentKioko Mwangangi serves as a church leader in a rural community in Eastern Kenya. He is a pastor who oversees 31 churches and also works as a small-scale farmer. His farm project includes a small orchard, a tree nursery, and an apiary. The proceeds from the farm have supplied his family's needs, and they have used their excess to help others. He has led a men's Bible study for 20 years, where he has discipled, equipped, and empowered young men to serve their community at large. They had the vision to start a demonstration farm that would be managed by youth members of the church. Kioko works closely with the farm leadership and advisory boards. He is happily married to Damaris and has three lovely children: Muema, Mawiia, and Mumo.
Aaron Ndisya Muthini
Aaron is a Kenyan citizen, born in lower eastern Makueni County, and is a devoted Christian. He holds a bachelor's degree in Agriculture from Meru University of Science and Technology. He is married to Dorcas, and they are blessed with one beautiful daughter, Michelle. He has worked as a volunteer at MYDF since 2012. He provides agronomic expertise and teaches workshops on farming best practices. He has worked with different agrochemical companies after graduation and as an agricultural technician with a Chilean-based NGO, teaching single women new farming practices.
Isaac Mweleva Kioko
Isaac is a Kenyan citizen, born in lower eastern Makueni County, and a staunch Christian. He holds a diploma in Agriculture from Meru University of Science and Technology. He is married to Catherine and is blessed with one son, Jayden. He has worked as a volunteer at MYDF since 2012 and provides agronomic expertise and assistance to the community. He has worked with six agrochemical companies after graduating and has helped young farmers in the village learn new farming methods.
Joseph Mwambi Kiio
Joseph Mwambi Kiio is an agronomist who lives in the Malooi area of Makueni County. He is a Christian and has a certificate in General Agriculture from Lukenya University of Science and Technology. He is married to Dorcus and is blessed with four handsome sons: Brian, Allan, Joshua, and Caleb. He began volunteering at MYDF in 2009. After graduating from college in 2020, he began giving agricultural advice and assistance to other farmers.
Francis Mukemba Mwau
Francis was born and raised in the Malooi community. He has three brothers and one sister. He holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Kenya Methodist University and a master's degree in Business Management and Informatics from a business institute in Indonesia. His favorite dish is chapati and chicken stew. He loves traveling, hiking, diving, and snorkeling.
John Mwanthi
John is a local farmer in Malooi village. His property borders the Malooi Youth Demonstration Farm. He holds a degree in Mass Communications and graduated from East Africa School of Studies in 2010. After not securing full-time employment in journalism, he turned to farming in the village. Outside of farming, he also serves in the local church (AIC Malooi) as a church elder and Sunday school teacher. John is married to Stella Ndinda, and they are blessed with a son named Dylan Kalvin.
Onesmus Maithya Kiio
Onesmus Maithya Kiio was born in the Malooi community, Makueni County, Kenya. He is the third-born among six children of the late Kiio Mwau and his wife, Monica Kiio. He is married to Esther Mumo and is blessed with one daughter, Apphiah Mutanu. He holds a certificate in Social and Community Development from Kisii University. He is a strong Christian. He loves soccer, coaches the Malooi community team, and is a big Chelsea fan.
Demonstration Farm Staff
Sylvester Kyumwa Musyoka
Sylvester is a Kenyan citizen from Makueni County in Eastern Kenya. He is married to his wife, Rose, and is blessed with a daughter named Hope. Sylvester has worked at the Malooi Youth Demonstration Farm as a staff member. His responsibilities have included managing the tree nursery and selling seedlings to the community. He also takes care of many different types of vegetables and pioneered the farm's use of biochar. He has trained others in the use of biochar. He has a passion for learning new kinds of farming methods and technologies and hopes to apply them to his own personal farm, too. In his free time, he likes traveling, watching movies, and having fun with his family.
Dennis Mwikya
Dennis lives with his family, which has five members. He comes from a single-parent household and lives at home to assist his family with farming. He could not afford to attend college, but he received an opportunity to work at Malooi Demonstration Farm, where he served on staff. He has worked hard to make the demonstration farm better. Coordinating with church leaders, he has planted 500 tree seedlings. He also makes biochar, which he applies to the crops. His hobbies include watching movies and playing soccer.
US Advisory Team
Dave Williams
Dave is a retired professor and former head of the Department of Horticulture at Auburn University, Alabama. He met Kioko during a weeklong class at ECHO in Fort Myers, Florida. During the training, they spent time together talking about different concerns of life and missions. Dave is married to Angie. They have two married daughters, one in Birmingham, Alabama, and the other in Delray Beach, Florida. Dave is a member of First Baptist Church of Opelika, where he serves as a deacon and teaches an adult Sunday school class.
Caralee Elson
Caralee and her husband, Rich, attend Hill City Church in Oneonta, New York. Caralee serves on the missions board at her church and has grown to love their missionaries and be challenged by the needs of the Global Church. Her late mother's involvement in Pastor Kioko's vision for the youth at Malooi has become part of her life's passion, and she wants to do whatever she is able to for the demonstration farm. She loves the Malooi community and has several Facebook friends among the youth.
Jack Burden
Jack brings over 30 years of development, construction mediation, and project management experience to the Malooi Youth Demonstration Farm team. Jack's love for farming includes bioremediation of agricultural wastewater, bio-augmentation of soil, and biodigesters for gardening efforts in Florida. As owner of RD Cisterns, Jack organized design charrettes leading to new ordinances for green building systems. Mr. Burden holds an M.S. degree in International Development Education from Florida International University.
Abigail Reese
Abigail works in HR policy and compliance at Thomson Reuters. She became friends with Kioko while at Wheaton College and later visited Kenya. She has a heart for using Business as Mission to help communities be transformed by the Gospel. She graduated from Wheaton College in 2015 with a double major in Economics and Spanish and a minor in Communication. She founded the first-ever economic development club at Wheaton College called SEED: Sustainable Enterprise and Economic Development.
Richard Gieser
Richard is an ophthalmologist and Clinical Professor Emeritus at Loyola University Medical Center. He has made international trips to teach in medical schools. Richard loves ministering to international students at Wheaton College. He has led Sunday morning jogs with several international students. Afterwards, they read a Psalm together, pray for one another, and enjoy breakfast at his house.
Blake Carlson
Blake is a farmer in California. He has visited Kioko's farm in Kenya and understands agriculture. He also visited the proposed demonstration farm and planted an avocado tree. Kioko visited his farm in August 2015. Blake and his friends also sent drip irrigation pipes that Kioko has used on his farm to grow vegetables.
Rebecka Mozes
Rebecka holds a Master of Public Health degree in Community Health Promotion from The George Washington University and is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES). Her professional background includes implementing health initiatives in underserved populations, chronic and infectious disease data surveillance, and research. Her approach to promoting health includes addressing underlying social determinants that contribute to health inequities, such as poverty and unequal access to care.
Karl Cassel
Karl is a Wheaton College graduate originally from the Chicago area who has worked in technology sales and consulting. He was introduced to Kioko through his grandfather, Dr. Richard Gieser, during Kioko's time in Wheaton. Karl later spent a month living with Kioko's family in Kenya, learning firsthand from the local community, church, and demonstration farm. Inspired by those relationships and his grandfather's example, Karl has continued pursuing meaningful connections and involvement in international community development.