Mombasa, Kenya – Chief of Staff Felix Koskei has called on universities to play a greater role in addressing national challenges by translating research into practical solutions. Speaking during the Commercial and Entrepreneurial Institutions Leaders (CEIL) Summit in Mombasa, Koskei urged closer collaboration between academia, county governments, the national government, and the private sector.
“For many years, we have been doing research and putting it on the shelves. We are not utilizing our findings after so much effort and funding. It is high time we wake up and walk the talk,” he said.
Koskei emphasized that the country must move beyond publishing academic papers to ensuring research drives enterprise, food sufficiency, healthcare improvements, and transformative mindsets. “The real challenge before us is not producing more research papers, but ensuring that research translates into production and impact. We must think outside the box – and when necessary, create entirely new boxes,” he added.
He also underscored the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in modern research, urging scholars to embrace digital tools to improve efficiency. “We must embrace AI to deliver our work effectively. Let us learn and relearn in order to perform our duties well,” he noted.
To unlock Kenya’s innovation potential, Koskei said the country must strengthen knowledge repositories, build up the National Research Fund, and honestly evaluate its position on the Global Competitiveness Index for Research and Innovation. He urged policymakers to increase funding to research institutions, noting that current allocations remain inadequate.
Principal Secretary for the State Department for Science, Research, and Innovation echoed this call, rallying for research funding to be raised to at least 2 percent of GDP, up from the current 0.8 percent.
Adding to the discussion, Kenya National Innovation Agency (KENIA) CEO Tony Omwanza highlighted the progress made despite limited resources. He noted that in three years, KENIA has expanded its support from 5 institutions to 25, while also strengthening innovation ecosystems.
“Many ideas from our universities are not getting the attention they deserve. We have built partnerships that are already bearing fruit. With the little funding we received, we set up a pillar that is now driving real innovation,” Omwanza said.
To safeguard research outputs, Omwanza revealed that KENIA is introducing intellectual property (IP) management frameworks across all universities to curb copyright infringements and leakage of local innovations. “By next year, IP management will be implemented in all universities to protect the work of our researchers,” he confirmed.
The CEIL Summit brought together leaders from academia, government, and industry to chart pathways for transforming Kenya’s research into innovation-led growth.
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