Why it’s time to step up our research capacity

Time to revitalise and revolutionise Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) research in Kenya has finally come.

Research is vital for economic development, yet it has been long neglected and poorly funded. The one per cent allocation of gross domestic product (GDP) for research and development that was agreed upon in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2007 has become a mirage. Political and resource allocation honchos are replete with alibis because of their non-scientific background. Their insular cogitation considers research as a sack into which money is poured but nothing of value comes out.