Kenya is building a research ecosystem that is both home-grown and globally relevant, deeply rooted in local realities yet internationally competitive.

Prof Shaukat Abdulrazak, the Principal Secretary for Science Research and Innovation made the remarks during the Official Opening of the Kenya National Research Festival August 18-22, 2025, at Egerton University.

Prof Shaukat cited the research and innovations presented at the National Research Festival that directly advance Kenya’s national development priorities as espoused in Kenya Vision 2030, the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

This year’s theme: Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security: Research with Impact, Communities Empowered, he said, is both timely and transformative.

“It challenges us to measure scientific excellence not solely by publications, patents or citations, but by its power to transform the daily lives of ordinary Kenyans. From indigenous vegetable value chains to Sahiwal cattle breeding, Kenyan agricultural research is demonstrating to the world what courageous, relevant and transformative science looks like,” Prof Abdulrazak explained.

The principal secretary described the five days’ festival as a strategic convergence of minds, a dynamic platform where knowledge meets urgent need, powered by policy to influence practice, converting ideas into practical solutions and celebrating excellence owing to its tangible capacity to transform lives.

“Let this festival be remembered not only for celebrating achievements but also for affirming our readiness to confront the challenges ahead,” said  Prof Abdulrazak, adding that the research festival is a reminder that science must serve people, research must uphold human dignity and innovation must be inclusive for all.

The principal secretary challenged researchers to confront urgent and interconnected challenges that define our times including climate volatility that threatens harvests, food insecurity that touches too many households, ecosystem degradation that imperils the future, and persistent inequalities that undermine collective potential.

The principal secretary pointed that within these challenges lies the greatest opportunity to unleash the full power of Kenya’s scientific community to innovate, lead and shape the national trajectory.

Besides the research festival being a ceremonial recognition of research breakthroughs, it is an action-oriented forum designed to catalyse partnerships, inform national strategies and scale grassroots innovations across Kenya.

It is also a powerful opportunity to ignite the imagination of young minds, inspiring future scientists to pursue careers in STEM and agricultural sciences.

The principal secretary urged researchers, scholars, students, farmers and entrepreneurs to be curios, resilient, collaborative and for service to guide their path contributing to Kenya’s transformation with purpose and measurable results.

“We must boldly reject the outdated notion that Africa merely consumes global knowledge with minimal contribution in research and development. In this regard, our scientific output must be enhanced to reflect Kenya’s rightful place as a nation of innovators and entrepreneurs,” he said, adding that the ground-breaking work witnessed here this week is living proof of that immense potential.

The principal secretary commended the strategic partnership between the National Research Fund, Egerton University, and the Nakuru County government among other partners as an exceptional demonstration yielding tangible results for our nation.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Joseph Kamolo Mutua