This is one of the main Schools in the South Eastern Kenya University (SEKU) in that at its inception, Dryland Agriculture and Animal Sciences formed the core mandate of this new University.  The emphasis was on the management of the Arid and Semi Arid lands (ASALS) of Kenya, to meet both educational and food requirement of ASAL inhabitants.  One of the core mandates of the School is to promote dryland crop production.  Emphasis is laid on drought tolerant crops e.g. sorghum, millets, pigeon peas, green grams, chickpea, cowpea, maize and beans. This is with a view to assuring food sufficiency.

The ASALS harbor 50% of total livestock population. Over 30% of the Kenyan population derive their livelihoods from the livestock industry and the sector contributes between 10-15 of the national GDP.  The Schools emphasis on veterinary animal and sciences which is hoped to augment livestock production in the ASAL areas.  It also promotes management and utilization of free range by wildlife as a  complement to domestic livestock production under extensive livestock production.  The school has wide ranging collaborations with both research and development agencies to enhance research outputs and transfer of technologies.