By Hilton Mwabili
University Education and Research Principal Secretary Simon Nabukwesi has said Kenyan scientists, jointly with their international counterparts, were on the “verge of getting a solution” to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nabukwesi said Kenyan researchers, working in collaboration with scientists in other parts of the world, were actively involved in the search for a vaccine.
“Our scientists are working in collaboration with scholars in the rest of the world. For instance, right now we have our top professors Ratemo Micheka and Raphael Munavu leading fellow scientists in Africa in the search for a Covid-19 vaccine,” he said.
The PS said trials for a Covid-19 vaccine were ongoing and the progress was “very encouraging”.
However, he said, patience is required for conclusive results, pointing out that a vaccine trial is not a one-day event.
Speaking during the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (Nacosti) conference in Mombasa, the PS said the government had identified six priority areas to bolster university education and research under the United Kingdom-Kenya Science, Technology and Innovation joint Covid-19 Action Plan 2020/2021.
Under the plan, Nabukwesi said government intends to focus on, among other areas, digital content for basic and university education, affordable, inclusive, safe, and secure digital access for excluded and marginalised populations, research to improve local capability for Covid-19 testing, therapeutics and vaccine development.
Other priority areas include disease epidemiology and surveillance, disease control strategies and prevention measures and innovations to address social and economic impact of Covid-19.
The PS said the government was collaborating with science and technology organisations in other countries with the motive of learning and sharing best practices.
This, he said, will ensure the country is at par with other countries that are at the forefront in innovation and technology.
“We want to realign our thinking and our planning to focus on challenges that affect humanity. Right now, Nacosti is looking for ways to support scientists to combat Covid-19 pandemic and others that may come in future,” he said.
Nabukwesi at the same time said the government was preparing recommendations aimed at reforming the country’s university education and research sector.
This, he said, would address numerous challenges facing the sector such as low funding which has led to budget crises in most universities.
“As it stands today, 80 per cent of recurrent expenditure budget for most universities is used to pay salaries while the remaining 20 per cent is used to meet administrative expenses and students’ facilitation,” he noted.
He cited weak financial management systems and slow automation of operations as among areas where the government seeks to address.
Another challenge, Nabuwesi said, is staffing in newly established universities and university colleges, particularly in professional courses such as medicine and engineering.
