Kenya is likely to improve its chances of achieving Vision 2030 if the country increases its budgetary allocation towards science and research.
Currently, this stands at a paltry two percent.
Speaking on Tuesday in Thika, secretary of the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovations Kiambu County Benjamin Wanjau stated that the country’s research and learning institutions were lagging behind in terms of research and innovation as compared to other countries in the developing world such as India and Brazil.
He revealed that majority of the funding for science and research in the country was donor funded, a dangerous sign that if the West decides to pull the plug on funding many research projects in the country would grind to a halt.
“The government should take note that out of the six percent allocation meant for research and innovation, the lion’s share of the funds goes towards recurrent expenditure of paying salaries for the research workers in institutions such as KEMRI,” Wanjau observed.
He pointed out that universities and other tertiary institutions were not spending enough money towards research, a reason he attributed to drop in the quality of higher education in the country.
“Unless the government reconsiders allocating more funds for research, our aspirations of growing Kenya to be a knowledge-based economy will fall flat on its back,” the academician stressed, adding the current obsession among learning institution to increase revenue through parallel learning was doing more harm than good for the universities in the country.
Wanjau also reiterated that Kenya currently has the potential to turn into a supply chain for innovators, and encouraged youths to make applications for funding through the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovations.
He said the government was more than ready to fund young innovators, whose forte will ultimately make the difference in improving the lives of Kenyans through science and innovation, noting that developed countries have been built on the minds of innovators.