Science and research: To develop, a nation must fund new knowledge

Professor Raphael Munavu is a professor of Chemistry at the University of Nairobi and the Chair of Kenya National Academy of Sciences. He also served as the First Chancellor of Laikipia University

What does Kenya National Academy of Science do?

The late Prof Thomas Odhiambo, who is also credited with establishing Icipe (International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology), established the institution in 1983.

KNAS comprises of 167 fellows who are distinguished scientists charged with publishing new knowledge.

It assists in policy development, gives policy advisories, and holds conferences and workshops on emerging trends in science. In 2004, for instance, the institution was the first to host all the African science academies in Nairobi to discuss how these constituents can assist in attaining the SDGs.

The academy holds the annual scientific revival day for Africa in June. We have given advisories on various matters of national importance like genetically modified organisms and support young scientists. In 2015, we launched the young science academy that currently has 30 members who are being nurtured to be participants.

How can science move the nation forward?

Any nation that develops socio-economically must create wealth. It is science that catalyses this process. Every country that has developed recently or even in the past did so because they committed themselves and invested resources in the development of science, especially new knowledge.

America through their congress, for instance, mobilised scientists back in 1600 and were able to make incredible strides as an economy.

China, India, South Korea, and other Asian nations are investing over three to four per cent of their GDP on science. Continentally, the AU recommends African governments to commit at least two per cent of their GDP. We, however, allocate a meagre 0.4 per cent of our budget to research and development of science.

We should be developing research institutes in universities as well and the private sector should be involved to judge whether the new knowledge generated is useful or not.

How committed are universities in research development?

The government is committed to science, research and development of new knowledge in the universities. We also have many research institutions focusing on various research aspects of agriculture, fisheries, forestry, medicine and we have to appreciate the fact that the government is supporting them.

We have the government research fund managed by an agency that assesses proposals and provides funding to researchers in various sectors. However, I think there is need to recommit. I propose that a national day of science be set around end of June, every year, to look at the state of science, technology and innovation in Kenya. This is the time when the country’s financial year is ending and is when the African union has committed to ensure that all nations in Africa have a scientific revival day celebrated during that month.

There is a lot of new knowledge being generated and lost. How do universities work with the private sector to ensure that the findings are relevant?

This is the elephant in the room. Since we are developing the new knowledge with public resources, it must have an impact on us as a society. We need to look at new services, types of infrastructure emerging from the new knowledge that we are developing as scientists.

In other countries, like the US, private partnership with research is profound while in Kenya, the partnership is not at the place where we desire it to be.

We need to create favourable climate to encourage the private sector to invest in research. We also need to involve them in creating incubation centres in campuses.

How is your department ensuring that you graduate adequate PhDs?

Our universities require sufficient infrastructure, like well-equipped laboratories, especially in the sciences to be able to produce the number of PhDs that we need. We also need offer incentives to encourage staff to supervise students.

In our discipline, we get four or five of our best students getting scholarships to go and study abroad. Their scholarship is substantial with tuition fees, research as well as a stipend to rent a room and even eat as you study. This is what we need to think about locally.

Where else have you served?

I have worked in the academia for the last 40 years serving in various capacities. The highlight of my career is helping set up South Eastern Kenya University and Laikipia University. I would later serve as the chancellor of the latter for six years.

In addition, I was involved in a team headed by Prof Kabiru Kinyanjui that inspected public universities and recommended the establishment of new university colleges. At that time, we had only six universities but our intervention expanded the sector to the current 31 public and 30 private universities.

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