The elusive and meagre funding for research in universities has now been identified as a major obstacle to Kenya’s ambition of achieving its own version of the Singapore dream.
The concern emerges at a time when President William Ruto is pushing to transform the country’s economy into a first-world powerhouse, mirroring the rapid development that propelled Singapore’s rise.
However, scholars warn that such aspirations will remain out of reach unless the government addresses chronic undefunding of research and innovation.
They argue that the country cannot attain world-class status while its universities key drivers of knowledge, technology and industrial advancement, operate with limited and inconsistent support.
On Friday, academics strongly faulted the State for failing to honour its long-standing commitment to allocate two per cent of the country’s GDP to research funding.
They noted that without meeting this obligation, the nation’s research ecosystem will continue to stagnate, undermining both economic transformation and the broader national development agenda.
Speakers at Kenyatta University’s 50th Postgraduate showcase seminar for PhD graduands on Friday warned that unless the State closes this gap, the country risks weakening its own knowledge base.
Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa, said the Treasury’s failure to meet its legal commitment has denied the country the innovations needed to confront its development challenges.
Barasa, who chairs the Finance, Planning and Economic Affairs Committee at the Council of Governors, has decried the lack of adequate funding for research, noting that in the last financial year, only Sh343 million was allocated to research against a Sh200 billion budget.
This means the allocation to research last year stood at just 0.17 per cent, a stark reminder of the government’s continued failure to honour its commitment to allocate 2 per cent of the GDP to research.
“We cannot speak about national progress while our research institutions remain starved of resources. The 2 per cent of GDP is not optional; it is a legal and moral obligation. Funding must translate into research that impacts communities, not papers that gather dust,” the governor stated.
With a Sh200 bullion revenue, it means the country would need to allocate about Sh4 billion to meet the two percent committment.
At the same time, there is renewed push for industry and government agencies to shift their reliance from politically conected private consultants and instead source expertise, technical guidance and research-backed solutions from local universities.
Scholars argue that strengthening the industry–university link is critical in grounding development decisions in evidence and local context.
Barasa also warned that the proliferation of private consultants—many trading on political networks—has overshadowed universities that have the technical capacity and authenticity to steer Kenya’s development agenda.
Kenyatta University Vice Chancellor Prof. Paul Wainaina echoed these concerns, arguing that the country’s dependence on foreign donors and external consultants for major State projects has sidelined public universities.
“We have world-class scholars whose expertise remains underutilised. Donor-funded projects routinly bypass local universities, yet no one understands Kenya’s development realities better than our own researchers,” Wainaina said.
To address this gap, the VC proposed a major policy shift by ring-fencing consultancy services for all State-funded projects to public university scholars and researchers.
He said this would ensure taxpayer-funded projects are guided by local knowlege, strengthen research culture and retain technical capacity within Kenyan institutions.
Both leaders called for a renewed national framework that aligns government, academia and industry, noting that such collaboration is essential for Kenya to realise the promise of innovation-led development.