Invest in research to turn Kenya into a real knowledge economy

Lab technologists during routine clinical research at Kombewa Clinical Research Centre in Seme, Kisumu county. [File, Standard]

Today, Kenyan universities have expanded student enrolment, opened new campuses, and grown postgraduate programmes. Yet the country still struggles to generate knowledge, innovations, and solutions to its most pressing problems. This is not because our academics lack talent or ambition, but because the university system itself is not designed to properly support research and innovation. Nonetheless, if Kenya is serious about becoming a true knowledge economy, we must rethink how research and innovation are organised, funded, and supported across higher education.