State to set aside Sh260 billion for research, development
Education
By
Lewis Nyaundi
| Mar 08, 2024
Researchers and scientists in the country could soon receive a windfall as the government plans to commit about Sh260 billion to research and development.
In proposals to revamp the law governing Science, Technology and Innovation, the Ministry of Education plans to have the research institutions get up to two per cent of the Gross Domestic Product.
Gross domestic spending on research and development is defined as the total expenditure on research and development carried out by resident companies, research institutes, universities and government laboratories among others, in a country. It includes research funded from abroad.
The proposal is contained in the Science Technology and Innovation Amendment (Bill), 2024; which is among 12 laws the government has lined up to reform the education sector.
Walter Oyawa, the Director General of the National Commission for Science, Technology & Innovation (NACOSTI) noted that the government currently provides only 0.8 per cent of the GDP to funding research and innovation.
He said this is short of the recommended amount of two per cent of the GDP which represents about Sh100 billion.
This, however, effectively makes Kenya as Africa's second biggest spender on research and development (R&D) - the process of creating new products and services or improving existing ones.
The biggest spender is South Africa, which spends 0.85 per cent of its GDP on research and development.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu said a third of the funding will go to Technical and Vocational Institutions and another third to universities.
However, if increased to the proposed two per cent, then it will mean universities, research centres and colleges will get Sh250 billion.
According to the Central Bank website, Kenya's GDP stood at Sh13.5 trillion in 2022; thus two per cent of this will be Sh260 billion assuming the GDP stagnates at that.
"Two per cent of the GDP is a lot of billions, it could send someone go crazy, so let's be ready to use that money when it comes," Prof Oyawa said.
He encouraged the private sector to to participate in research and innovation.
"In Switzerland for example which is one of the top countries in the innovation index, they say up to 70 per cent of innovation funding is derived from the private sector, 20 per cent from the government and 10 per cent from philanthropy," he said.
Oyawa also revealed that the government projects to have at least 60 per cent of learners under Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) join Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses when the CBC learners join Senior Secondary School.
"The curriculum that is coming up in Kenya Competency Based Curriculum anticipates that at least 60 per cent of students in senior school will transition to STEM pathway as they progress," he said.
The pioneer class of the CBC is currently in Junior School, Grade 8 and will be transiting to Senior School in 2026 and University/colleges in 2029.
Further, Oyawa said, the government projects that 25 per cent of the learners will join humanities and 15 per cent will join creative studies.