22nd May 2026, Nairobi: Kenya has unveiled the Kenya Research Financing and Capacity Strengthening Masterplan (2026–2036), a landmark national framework designed to transform the country into a globally competitive, knowledge-driven economy powered by science, research, technology, and innovation. The Masterplan was highlighted during the closing ceremony of the inaugural Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Society (STRI4Society) Week 2026 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).

The 10-year blueprint provides a comprehensive strategy for strengthening research financing, institutional capacity, infrastructure, commercialization, and innovation uptake across Kenya’s research ecosystem. It seeks to address longstanding challenges including underfunding, fragmented financing, limited commercialization of research outputs, and overreliance on external funding.

Speaking during the official closing ceremony, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, H.E. Dr. Musalia Mudavadi, reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to positioning science, technology, and innovation at the center of Kenya’s development agenda.

“We must place research, invention and the application of knowledge at the heart of how we think about national progress and societal transformation,” said Dr. Mudavadi.

He further emphasized the Government’s commitment to increasing investment in research and innovation to at least two percent of Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in line with the Science, Technology and Innovation Act.

The opening session featured contributions from global partners and private sector leaders who reaffirmed their support for Kenya’s science and innovation agenda.

The Masterplan notes that Kenya currently invests approximately 0.8 percent of GDP in research and development, below both the national target of 2 percent and continental aspirations. It also highlights that nearly 51 percent of research funding currently comes from development partners, underscoring the urgent need for diversified and sustainable domestic financing mechanisms.

Principal Secretary for the State Department for Science, Research and Innovation, Prof. Shaukat Abdulrazak, described the Masterplan as a transformative national blueprint that will strengthen resource mobilization, institutional capacity, and innovation systems.

“The Masterplan provides a coherent, predictable, and sustainable framework for mobilizing and managing research financing while strengthening institutional and human capacity across the research and development ecosystem,” he noted.

The Masterplan is anchored on five strategic pillars: sustainable research financing, research infrastructure and digital systems, human capital and institutional capacity, industry linkages and societal impact, and policy, legal, and regulatory frameworks.

The Masterplan also places strong emphasis on emerging technologies, science diplomacy, open science, digitalization, and county-level integration to ensure research contributes directly to socio-economic transformation and sustainable development.

Developed through an extensive consultative process involving government institutions, academia, research organizations, development partners, the private sector, and civil society, the Masterplan positions Kenya to strengthen its role as a regional hub for research, innovation, and industrial competitiveness.