An officer working with National Commission for Science and Technology Invention (NACOSTI) has called on the central government to increase funding meant for research.
This is to increase the country’s pool of knowledge.
David Ngigi said the Science and Technology Information Act demands that two percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) be used for research.
“The constitution is very clear on the percentage to be utilised in research but currently only 0.9 percent has been put to use in research and the government ought to consider the stipulations of the Act,” Ngigi said.
Speaking during the inaugural of the Mount Kenya University’s international research conference at the institution’s graduation pavilion in Landless, Thika sub-county, Ngigi said universities, which are centres of research and dissemination of information, should be funded to generate solutions to the societal problems the country is experiencing.
“It is through research that we will be able to find cure to diseases such as cancer and if we do not invest in research, we shall always rely on western countries to solve problems we would have solved by ourselves,” Ngigi said.
Ngigi said cultivating science and technology culture in engineering and mathematics in schools and setting up research centres in the country would lead to sustainable development.