The government is encouraging universities to embrace agricultural innovations and research to address the rising cost of living. The Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, emphasized the importance of the agricultural sector, which contributes around 33% of the country’s GDP and employs over 40% of the total population and 70% of the rural population.
Mudavadi highlighted the need to increase agricultural production by at least 2% annually to meet the demands of a growing population. He emphasized the Kenya Kwanza economic transformation agenda, focusing on production subsidies rather than consumption.
Speaking at the groundbreaking of the Agricultural Technology and Innovation Centre (ATIC) at the University of Nairobi (UoN), Mudavadi emphasized the importance of partnerships between academia and industry. He stressed that collaboration between universities and industry could enhance graduates’ innovative capacity through internship programs and practical experiences.
Mudavadi praised the collaboration between UoN and Elgon Kenya Limited, which aims to provide hands-on skills to students through joint internship programs. He urged universities to move beyond storing research outputs and focus on delivering research products to benefit society.
Mudavadi acknowledged the challenges facing public universities, including financial insolvency. He emphasized the need for proper resource management and issued policy measures to prevent graft and wastage in universities. The government plans to conduct frequent inspections to ensure compliance with regulations and policies in both State Corporations and universities.