Nairobi, KENYA: East African Science and Technology commission has faulted East African states for under funding research projects in the region.
In a media briefing on Tuesday in Nairobi, the Director General of National Commission for Science and Technology Kenya chapter Moses Rugut and his counterpart Gertrude Ngabirano who is the Executive secretary of the East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTCO), said that most East African countries have not invested in research to enhance innovations.
“In terms of comparison at the East African level, I think Kenya is doing the best, in terms of allocating money to research, science technology and innovation especially research, by law Kenya has pledged to contribute at least two percent of its GDP which is higher than others, who have not even met one percent,” Ngabirano said.
The universal requirement of resource mobilization to research projects stands at four percent.
“Kenya Medical Research institute gets a budget of one billion from the government and yet their operational budget is seven billion, the rest like six billion come from donors and so the donors say research this for us, you are undertaking an agenda of a donor,” Rugut said
Consequently, Rugut urged the states to invest in procuring research equipment which will propel research sector in the region to make it a competitive hub in the globe.
The EASTECO also launched the regional collaborative research grant called Cooperation Grant initiative to strengthen the capacity of science and granting councils through scientific cooperation with each other and with other science system actors.
