Kenya’s drive towards nurturing innovation and building a robust knowledge-based economy took centre stage at the high-level policy dialogue on doctoral training and skills development, a landmark event organized by International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), the Regional Coordination Unit of the PASET Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif) and in collaboration with the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTs) at the Great Rift Valley Lodge in Naivasha.

The event brought together about 50 stakeholders drawn from relevant ministries, academia, industry, development partners to foster meaningful discussions on aligning national priorities and emerging trends, best practices and shape strategies that will enhance doctoral training in Kenya and beyond.

This policy dialogue was organized on the backdrop of a multi-country study on doctoral and post-doctoral training and their contributions to national economies in Kenya, Rwanda, and Ethiopia which was conducted by the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) on behalf of PASET Rsif and funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York through a grant to icipe. It is drawing from a rich evidence base on the study and anchored on national priorities like Vision 2030 and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

Kenya’s PhD challenge

Though Kenya’s higher education sector has expanded with the number of licensed universities reaching 80 and university enrollment soaring to over 600,000 students by 2025, only 1.2 per cent these students are enrolled in PhD programmes – a clear indicator of the structural imbalance in the talent pipeline.

“This dialogue is more than a policy discussion—it is a commitment,”  Dr Everlyn  Nguku, Head of Capacity Building and Institutional Development at icipe, pointed out in her opening address  while urging for a commitment to building the intellectual infrastructure that will power Kenya’s next chapter. Dr Nguku stated, “By advancing high-quality doctoral education and fostering African-led research, Rsif plays a key role in promoting inclusive development, scientific excellence, and long-term capacity building across the continent.” She added that, “icipe’s work addresses pressing global challenges by generating cutting-edge, insect-based solutions.”

“icipe is widely recognized as a Centre of Excellence and through its integrated platforms and partnerships, it continues to shape evidence-based policies, drive bioeconomy development, and empower the next generation of African scientific leaders,” she mentioned.

On his part, Dr David Muthaka, Deputy Commission Secretary at the Commission for University Education (CUE), underscored a growing disconnect: “Despite increasing university enrollment, the economy is yet to feel the transformative impact of advanced research. Only 43 per cent of academic staff in our universities hold PhDs, and just 15 per cent of graduates have practical, work-based experience.”

His remarks outlined the broader policy dilemma: Kenya aspires to lead Africa in innovation yet remains constrained by low research and development investment—currently at 0.8 per cent of GDP, below the African Union target of 1.5 per cent  and far from innovation powerhouses like South Korea at 4.5 per cent.

Dr Agnes Lutomiah, the Head of Programme, Science Technology and Innovation Knowledge in Society at African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTSNET), also touched on  pathways to strengthen PhD training and postgraduate impact. Her presentation pointed out the importance of enabling environments, collaboration, and policies that support impactful research and also curb PhD dropout rate.

“50 per cent students drop out of the PhD many of the retake longer to complete the PhD programmes. Contributing factors included: Funding challenges, mental health issues, family, work commitment, and supervisor frustrations,” Dr Lutomiah said.

Roadmap for Doctoral Reform

The dialogue raised the following key issues:

• Research and Development investment gap which is currently at 0.8per cent of the GDP, still behind AU target of 1.5 per cent.
• The research objective in universities is neglected.
• Poor alignment of policy, research and innovation.
• Limited research capacity – only 43 per cent of university staff hold PhDs.
• Skills and market need mismatch – with over 40 per cent employers citing inadequate skills as a barrier.
• Pipeline challenges when it comes to career progression options.
• Structural challenges when it comes to research infrastructure, industry alignment and IP structures.
• There are glaring gender disparities – more enrolment of males than females (34 per cent only) in our universities.

A recurring theme was the need to shift doctoral training from academic exercises to engines of applied problem-solving.

There was also a panel discussion which explored strengthening institutional and national policy synergies to maximize the development impact of doctoral training which was moderated by Prof George Owuor, Director of Research and Extension at Egerton University.

The panelists were the leading voices in academia and policy including; Prof Tom Ogada, Director, ACTS; Ms Charity Musembi, National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation; Prof Benard Muthiani Kivunge, Registrar Academics, Kenyatta University; Prof Eunice Kamara, Moi University and Dr Mwende Mbilo, Rsif Alumna and Lecturer, Pwani University. The panelists discussed actionable ways to align national strategies and institutional frameworks to enhance the quality and relevance of doctoral education and research. They also stated that NACOSTI needs to ensure quality assurance and research ethics adherence in ensuring the quality of doctoral education to compare with global universities.

Rsif  through icipe has already made significant contributions, so far it has offered 302 PhD scholarships, 64 research grants (of these 23 are research awards grants to faculty at Rsif African Host Universities (AHUs) faculties and 23 Junior Investigator Research Award (JIRA), 10 institutional Innovation Capacity Strengthening grants awarded to support their innovation environment and 8 Cooperability Innovation grants awards to faculty to support them to commercialize their research awarded to Rsif alumni), and institutional capacity building, offering a blueprint for strengthening science, technology, and innovation across Africa.

Rsif focuses on transformative technologies with far-reaching societal impacts in five priority thematic areas namely, ICT including big data and artificial intelligence, Food security and agri-business, Minerals, mining and materials engineering, Energy including renewables and Climate change. Rsif is funded by 9 African governments – Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, and the World Bank, the Government of Korea, and other development partners.

A call for collaborative action

“We must move from policy dialogue to implementation,” urged Dr Nguku in her closing remarks. “The partnerships forged in this room today must become the engines of change tomorrow.” A sentiment echoed by all the participants with a call for strategic partnerships between universities, the private sector, and global institutions, greater inclusion of young researchers and early-career scientists in national development planning, expanded investment in digital infrastructure, innovation hubs, and STEM scholarships.

The policy dialogue workshop collectively recommended a multifaceted approach to strengthen the research and innovation ecosystem, emphasizing the need to align research impact with policy and industry through robust industry-university partnerships and incentives for applied research. Strategic investment in research and development, the creation of funding portals, mentorship, and ensuring fair competition were highlighted as critical to increasing research funding. The establishment of innovation hubs and mandating industry participation were seen as vital for practical knowledge transfer, while faculty development and targeted infrastructure and technology investments were underscored as foundational supports. Promoting gender equity through incentives, flexible schedules, and female mentorship programmes, alongside regular evaluation of supervisory performance, were identified as essential for inclusive and effective research environments.

Dr Salome Wawire from Science for Africa Foundation reiterated the need for  improvement on quality assurance to set standards while outlining the way forward.

“Additional recommendations included structured support for doctoral students’ career transitions, moving beyond the “publish or perish” culture by fostering commercialization studies, technology transfer mechanisms, and robust IP policies,” stated Dr Wawire.

The event also called for national research councils and funds to focus on research uptake, the implementation of quality assurance measures for university scholarship—including research integrity offices and standardized requirements for doctoral programmes and internships—comprehensive mental health support within programmes, integration of policies for coherence, and improved data availability to inform national and university policy and management.

What Lies Ahead

The Policy Dialogue concluded with a strong consensus: Kenya must treat knowledge as a strategic asset, not just for education, but as a cornerstone of national competitiveness. The institutions should be intentional about attracting and retaining global talent.

To achieve this; the country must scale up doctoral training to produce the next generation of scientists, educators, and policy leaders, elevate university research output to levels that can drive global relevance and impact plus develop a robust, well-funded postdoctoral ecosystem to ensure that talent is retained and nurtured within the country.

As Dr Muthaka aptly put it, “Transforming higher education is no longer optional — it is a national imperative.”

Shared commitment to the future

In a country where 75 per cent of the population is under 35, the stakes are high—but so is the potential. As the dialogue ends and implementation begins, the message is clear: Kenya’s knowledge economy starts now.