Hello

Your subscription is almost coming to an end. Don’t miss out on the great content on Nation.Africa

Ready to continue your informative journey with us?

Hello

Your premium access has ended, but the best of Nation.Africa is still within reach. Renew now to unlock exclusive stories and in-depth features.

Reclaim your full access. Click below to renew.

Subscribe for a month to get full access

We must invest more in research, innovation

Kemri

Eunice Nduati, a research scientist at Kenya Medical Research Institute in Kilifi, working in one of the Institute's laboratories.  

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

In the heart of Nairobi’s Industrial Area, a large concrete structure looms, the skeleton of Kenya’s dream for scientific and industrial innovation.

This is the stalled building of the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI), a project that was meant to revolutionise the country’s capacity for applied research and industrial development. It stands as a stark reminder of how we have failed to prioritise research and development (R&D) as a driver of the country’s economic growth.

According to the Auditor general’s report, the project has already cost taxpayers Sh5 billion, surpassing the original budget of Sh3.9 billion due to delays.

Also Read

In a related development, the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) recently said that it may be forced to halt operations after being left out of the 2025/2026 budget. The government allocated only Sh2.7 billion for salaries and recurrent expenses, leaving the institute solely reliant on donor funding for research.

The total national budget allocation for research, science, technology, and innovation for 2025/2026 is a mere Sh993 million, a drop from last year’s Sh1.1 billion. Kenya, like in most African countries, has remained below the Africa Union target of 1 per cent of Gross Domestic Product in R&D. Kenya has been investing an average of 0.79 per cent of GDP in R&D, which is below the country’s target of 2 per cent.

One often-asked question is why Asia has advanced more rapidly than Africa in terms of economic growth. The answer may lie in R&D investment. Take South Korea, ranked 10th globally in innovation with 80.29 per cent of its R&D expenditure contributed by business enterprises.

Kenya can strengthen its R&D ecosystem by: establishing transparent funding mechanisms for both public and private initiatives; prioritising contracts for local research institutions; promoting the commercialisation of research outputs through clear national policies; and supporting the creation and growth of technology hubs that drive R&D investment.

Technology commercialisation policies can lead to more investment in R&D activities that are likely to result in marketable products and firms.

Eunice Jebet Kandie