REMOVE THE JARGON TO SELL SCIENCE

The application of ST&I in society is a pre-requisite for socio-economic development. To be appreciated, ST&I must be well understood and its impact felt in the society. An important question posed by wananchi that science must answer is how science is going to address their challenges and improve their socio-economic status.

For a long time, Science articles and features have been misunderstood because of how they are presented.  Science marketing involves packaging Science in a language and format that is both appealing and easily comprehensible. This calls for development of effective communication strategies that take into consideration the target audience to enable the communication to be tailor-made to suit different audiences including policy-makers, younger generation, fellow scientists and peers.

Science communicators include the scientists and researchers involved in scientific work as well as journalists and reporters who fish for science stories and write on them.

The role of reporters and Journalists as science communicators is very crucial yet they pose a big challenge to effective communication as some of them lack training on how to communicate science and technology. Rather than informing they end up misinforming the audience. Scientific communication training for journalists will better their understanding of science concepts as well as provide background information for any feature they write on.

Together with training, I advocate for the establishment of Science- clearing houses to help Journalists authenticate what they write on Science. This may take the form of a Science- media liaison office in Research institutions, Higher Education Institutions and Government institutions involved in Science, Technology and Innovation policy. Institutions must be able to allocate enough resources in form of availing skilled human resource as well as continuous training their personnel in science communication.

Higher Education Institutions need to instill science communication skills in their students as a major component of the curriculum for post graduate level science courses to enable students to effectively communicate the results of their research work.

To gain public confidence and ensure accurate science reporting, we must unpack scientific facts, theories and principles without distorting the meaning. For science to find its way to the heart of the society, it must be un-coded to unravel its impact and application to socio-economic development.  In my opinion, the most critical aspect is to strive to make the connection or linkage between scientific ideas and new discoveries and how they can improve of the society’s day to day lives.

It is important to create more opportunities for dissemination of scientific knowledge, the simplest forums being baraza’s or science café’s where different scientific concepts are discussed and debated to remove any grey areas. We must also utilize and exploit the social networks to reach a wider audience through science blogs and websites.

Science communication is particularly important for information on policy making and agenda-setting. Vision 2030 strategic objectives include the need to enhance ST&I  awareness in order to develop a culture of creativity, innovativeness and a society that supports ST&I uptake and utilization.

Effective Science communication will create a transparent and open forum where the role of science in society will be clearly defined to enable society maximize its usefulness.

KNOWLEDGE CREATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

We live in an era where knowledge has become increasily important and is the foundation for economic growth, social development and political empowerment. Developed countries have embraced this knowledge revolution and necessitated the emergence of knowledge societies where knowledge is accorded more importance than any other resource in their economies.  According to the World Bank, the pillars of knowledge economy are education and training, Information and communication technologies, economic incentive and institutional regime and an efficient innovation system.

Knowledge Economy Index (KEI) is an aggregate index indicating a country’s, or regional’s overall preparedness to compete in the knowledge economy.  It is derived as the average of the four indices which represent the four pillars of the knowledge economy.

According to statistics released by the World bank for KEI 2012 rankings, African countries are ill-prepared for knowledge economy; among the top 100 countries, out of the 146 surveyed  there are only 8 African countries,  Kenya is in position 111 having dropped 3 ranks from previous survey in 2000.

Any steps towards creating knowledge societies in Africa must focus on improving the situation in the four pillars of knowledge economy already mentioned, in essence we must strive to develop a society whose growth and development is pegged on continual generation, dissemination and application of knowledge. How do we do this?

Africa is well endowed with natural resources but we still lack the know-how of translating this rich and diverse resources into tangible products that can drive our economies and assure a better quality of life to our citizens. For many decades we have been importers of knowledge but it is a high time that we participate in the global economy by contributing to the existing knowledge stock by generating knowledge as well as blending new knowledge with our indigenous knowledge.

First and foremost, we must change our mind sets and adopt new approaches to solve our problems. If we keep doing things the same way, we will keep getting the same results and will never progress.

To participate in global Knowledge society, Africa must therefore develop and maintain a pool of highly skilled human resource, equip them with skills and innovative capabilities to be able to translate knowledge into socioeconomic development and at the same time create new knowledge. Restructure and reform institutions and facilities, strengthen the information technology delivery framework to enable the efficient generation, dissemination and application of knowledge.  Break the silo-mentality by collaborating and encouraging interactions among the knowledge generators and en-users.

As we generate knowledge it is important to protect it by putting in place an   intellectual property rights system.

Leaders in Africa must be transformational and visionary to harness the wealth of scientific and technological knowledge and skill base and also encourage indigenous skill development and capacity building on the continent tailor- made to meet the socio-economic and environmental needs.

Developing countries like us must ride on the knowledge revolution wave and improve our competitiveness by building on our strengths, invest in human capital, develop effective institutions, adopt relevant technologies, encourage innovativeness and creativity as well as promote entrepreneurship.

Knowledge sharing amongst ourselves will help individual countries apply what has worked in another country as we face inter-related challenges.

We must create a prosperous future based on our ability to adopt new concepts and innovatively translate them into opportunities for wealth creation.

Focusing on efforts towards the creation, distribution and application of knowledge is the only way we will be able to catch up with the rest of the world and achieve sustainable development on a knowledge based development process.

DOUBLE SIDES OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE

Biological science when properly utilized can contribute positively to socio- economic development of any given nation. It can play a great role in agriculture, health, environment and industries and also provide goods and services to an ever growing global population. This field of science has been used to increase crop yields, improve quality and quantity of livestock and their products, develop diagnostic tools for both animal and human health and exploit natures' flora and fauna sustainably for socio-economic development. For instance, most pharmaceutical companies all over the world use this field of science to produce drugs and vaccines for infectious and no- infectious diseases. In addition, environmental protection and sustainability is ensured through application of biological sciences. On the other side, if not used well, knowledge from biological science can be used for none peaceful purposes. In the spirit of ensuring safe research and use of biological agents and toxins, Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) was developed.

The BTWC bans the development, production, stockpiling, acquisition and retention of microbial or other biological agents or toxins, in types and in quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes. The convention was simultaneously opened for signature in Moscow, Washington and London in 1972 and entered into force in 1975.  Kenya acceded to the convention in 1976.  By 2012, the total number of States Parties to the Convention was 166 out of which 29 were from Africa with 6  from East Africa namely; Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Sudan. The National Council for Science and Technology is the National Focal Point for the BTWC in Kenya.

Article IV of BTWC requires States Parties to take necessary national measures such as enactment of national laws to prohibit and prevent the misuse of biological agents, toxins, weapons, equipment and means of delivery within their territories; and Article X states that States Parties should undertake to facilitate the fullest possible exchange of equipment, materials and scientific and technological information for the use of biological agents and toxins for peaceful purposes.  Under the two articles, the Government of Kenya has benefited through capacity building in research institutions and institutions of higher learning; upgrading of laboratories, sensitization of stakeholders and training of communication officers from various government ministries and agencies in addition to finalization of the draft Biosciences Policy and Biosciences Bill. Two Kenyans have been fully sponsored in the past to attend the Meeting of States parties and the Seventh Review Conference of the convention respectively.

The fact that biological sciences research is crucial in Kenya should not be underestimated. This is because such research can contribute heavily to socio-economic development of the country. Kenya through its research institutions such as KARI and KEMRI which have positively used biological science knowledge generated through research to address national development challenges such as food insecurity and human health.

In KARI, research in biotechnology has played a significant role in improving the quality and quantity of animals and  increased crop production through breeding, improved indigenous crops such as sorghum, sweet potatoes and cassava by their fortification with Vitamin A  Already, farmers have started reaping the benefits of tissue cultured bananas through increased yields and better prices in the local market in many regions in Kenya. In animal production, research has led to development of disease resistant breeds for increased milk and beef production.. Regionally, Kenya not only boasts of having the best dairy breeds but also has developed through biological research livestock vaccines such as Avivax, (anti-Newcastle virus vaccine), Riftvax (Rift valley fever vaccine) and Rindervax (Rinderpest vaccine) and Fowlvax (Fowl typhoid vaccine) among many others against common livestock diseases and infections.

In health, KEMRI has developed a fully fledged production unit that utilizes findings from human research to develop innovative tools to address national health problems. Among the discoveries made by KEMRI scientists that are fully approved by relevant statutory national authorities include: KEMTAQ, an enzyme for gene multiplication; KEMRAB, a hand sanitizer; HEPCELL Rapid, a Hepatitis B surface antigen detection kit for laboratory diagnosis of Hepatis B virus infection; KEMCOM Rapid, a rapid HIV1 and 2 detection kit among other. These products have been tested and proven not only to be functional but relatively less costly and should therefore be used by Kenyans instead of relying on expensive imported similar products from overseas.

However, when not properly regulated, the biological sciences research can be used for non-peaceful purposes. For instance, the release of organisms causing smallpox, plague, anthrax, influenza or other diseases could prove catastrophic in terms of the resulting illnesses and deaths compounded by the panic such outbreaks  generate. The other reasons that calls for regulation of biological sciences research include: the potential for production of new microbial agents as expertise in biosciences grows and methods for genetic manipulation of organisms become simpler. With the threats caused by globalization and transport systems including increased number of emerging and re-emerging diseases, the trans boundary spread of infectious diseases, insecure transport and transfer of materials from sampling sites during importation and exportation, inadequate laboratories to ensure bio-safety and bio-security, there should be a legal framework in place to ensure that dual-use research is prevented. The Government of Kenya, through Vision 2030, recognizes the need to enhance biosecurity due to the growing threat of biological agents that may be misused to cause devastating epidemics.

All States Parties are expected to domesticate the convention. In Africa, Kenya is miles ahead as far as the domestication of the convention is concerned.

Kenya has prepared a draft Biosciences Policy and Biosciences Bill which has been shared with stakeholders and policy makers. The country also developed biotechnology awareness (BioAWARE) Strategy to inform stakeholders of the uses of biotechnology; established National Biosafety Authority in 2009 to ensure and assure safe application and use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs); developed regulations on safe handling, use, import, export and transit of GMOs; established Biotechnology institutions at the Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kenyatta University, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute. However, the country still needs to do more in terms of capacity building in bioinformatics, disease surveillance, and nanotechnology and upgrading of public laboratories to Biosafety Level 3. Enacting the Biosciences Policy and Bill will therefore enhance domestication of the BTWC in the country in line with requirements of the new Constitution that all treaties that Kenya has ascended to must be part of the country’s Laws.

The legal framework will also catalyze research in biological sciences for the benefit of society. There is need to equally strengthen the basic sciences to generate knowledge and contribute to global knowledge pool.

 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AS A TOOL FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH

The developed world and emerging economies have recognized the importance of strategic management of intellectual property rights for their economies. These countries value Intellectual Property (IP) both as a national resource and as an incentive to attract foreign investment. Despite the fact that there is a world-wide intellectual property protection regime each country is expected to develop and implement an appropriate policy regime in order to ensure that her citizenry benefit from their intellectual capital.  A pro-active policy regime should be able to support and reward creators, scientists, innovators while at the same time stimulating economic growth and development.

According to the 2011 World Intellectual Property Report titled The Changing Face of Innovation it is important that policymakers monitor and assess how innovations change. Governments are key stakeholders in national innovation systems. They  directly fund research and provide incentives for firms to invest in innovation –through the protection of intellectual property. As innovation practices shift, governments need to assess the effectiveness of existing policies and, where necessary, adopt them.

Innovation is particularly important for the economy as the country seeks to transform itself into a knowledge economy in the next two decades. Adoption of existing technologies or making incremental improvements on the same is unlikely to spur growth at levels necessary for the achievement of Kenya Vision 2030. It is therefore expected that players in both public and private sector should be able to leverage on intellectual property to design and develop competitive products and services for both local, regional and global markets. 

The Country’s new Constitutional dispensation contains considerable positive aspects in relation to the development of Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) in Kenya. Article 11(2) of the supreme law rests promotion of intellectual property rights of the people of Kenya to the State. Moreover, The Fourth Schedule that deals with distribution of functions places intellectual assets under the National Government and not County Government.   Intellectual property rights has thus been grouped with other critical national issues such as education policy, research, energy policy, health policy, agriculture policy, environment and natural resources, transport and communication.

The first medium term plan of Kenya Vision 2030 clearly recognised the need to use IPR as an economic tool. The Plan appreciated the fact that introduction of innovative ideas into products, processes and services is highly dependent on the presence of a clearly defined and supportive policy framework. This must continue as we plan for the second medium term plan.

The role of the government is therefore to provide an enabling policy framework for investment in science, technology and research for development by both public and private sector. The country has four public intellectual property agencies; the Kenya Copyright Board, Kenya Industrial Property Institute, Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service, and Anti Counterfeit Agency.  Currently, efforts are underway to develop a national intellectual property policy. Some of the policy issues that are likely to arise include capacity development, management of IP from public resources, indigenous knowledge, emerging technologies and commercialisation of IP.

Only a few hundred Kenyans hold postgraduate qualifications in Intellectual Property. This poses a great challenge not only to the research and institutions of higher learning that need to establish technology transfer offices but also to the provision of innovation related services. Development of a critical mass of Intellectual Property human resources is necessary for generation and effective utilisation of IP as a national resource. i have been adcocating for building human resources capacity, and this area is equally crucial.

The proposed establishment of a national IP academy is a step in the right direction.  In the meantime, the IP agencies should work with universities to launch postgraduate programs on intellectual property at both masters and doctoral degree levels. Specific training on Patent Drafting is essential if we are to increase both the quantity and quality of patent applications and patent grants. 

Debate on how to manage intellectual property arising from publicly funded resources is inevitable. The Science and Technology Act places all rights in all discoveries, inventions and improvements in respect of processes, and machines made on behalf of the research institutes in the respective research institutes. However, the best practice requires that all the players namely inventors, organisation and the public benefit from such breakthroughs. The national council for science and technology has supported several innovators to move from idea to product,  and urge the private sector to fill in the gap in commercilization of products.

There is an utgent need to to pro-actively manage ndigenous knowledge and create a balance between intellectual property protection and access to information, indigenous technologies, and cultural resources.  Whereas there is need to recognise the contribution of various communities, mutual benefit will be gained if appropriate mechanisms are in place to promote scientific and technological outcomes of such resources. Policy makers have to ask themselves whether the current IP regime is sufficient to achieve the goals of equitable access and benefit sharing.

The development and governance of emerging technologies is today a challenge to many countries given their potential benefits and risks. Technologies such as biotechnology, nanotechnology and nuclear technology provide an excellent opportunity for scientists, industrialists, and entrepreneurs to develop competitive goods and services for new business ventures necessary for economic take off. However, one issue that should be addressed is whether the existing intellectual property regime is adequate for management of new and emerging technologies.

Finally, proactive policies on science, technology and innovation encourage commercial application of research findings. Intellectual property rights should not be viewed as an end in itself but as means to an end. Appropriate strategies should be put in place to ensure that IP holders commercialize their products and services for the benefit of humankind. The government should encourage development of a system that would pro-actively respond to IP infringement and improve the capacity for handling such disputes. We shall continue to guide on this matter for social, economic benefit for our society.

TAP FROM DIASPORA FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Kenyans living abroad have a responsibility towards nation building.  It is estimated that more than 3 million Kenyans reside in the Diaspora.  The Diaspora is an important pool of useful human resource that can help speed up our development goals but we need to develop strategies to mobilize their participation. Creating an enabling environment in the country will enable their inputs to be effectively integrated into the overall development plan and for them to make significant contribution to the country’s development.

First of all, there is a need to develop database on demographics profiles for Government and Diaspora mutual benefit. Secondly we need to improve governance through leadership development strategies to attract their participation. Develop structures framework for their effective contribution to national development.

Creating employment opportunities through short-tem engagements as consultancies and especially now that we have many projects to be implemented under Vision 2030 is another avenue that we can explore. Universities for example need to be flexible to accommodate visiting professorship in few month basis.

Strive to lower the country’s cost of doing business which has resulted into low number of investors willing to do business with us. Of paramount importance is the need to curb inefficiencies and seal all loop holes for corruption. We must not miss out on opportunities to access capital for business and industrial incubation which we need.

The development of a Diaspora policy is envisaged to maximize the Diaspora’s participation in national development issues and advocates for establishments of networks of skilled Diaspora based on their technical expertise, investment interests as well as policy related. The policy also advocates for the Diaspora establishing links with counterpart institutions at home for best practices.

We can reverse brain drain and develop local capacities and capabilities through tapping into the Diaspora’s immense talents. Best practices exist from countries like China and India which have capitalized on their links with their Diaspora and greatly developed their technologies.

Through opportunities like information technology, the Diaspora can participate virtually without necessarily coming back home.  Through expansion of education which has enabled distance learning, lecturers and professional in the Diaspora can give online classes.

Opportunity through dual citizenships as accorded by Constitution of Kenya 2010 will encourage more participation.

We must create awareness among the Diaspora of areas of investment potential in the country for them to effectively utilize their professional and entrepreneurs skills. We could explore the venture capitalist to support our innovation and stop our innovators rushing out for lucrative offers.

The Diaspora is a resource that cannot be ignored. The increasing remittances they send home are enough prove that they are willing to contribute to the country’s development yet we must creatively deploy them to offer their skills, expertise and experience into nation building. We must go beyond this. There are several Kenyans outside there working in areas where we are deficient in the country, such as space science, nuclear technology, material sciences, nanotechnology just to mention a few. We can easily tap the talent for national development. By all means they must also have a say in leadership of the country, hence efforts must be done for them to vote in the long run.

LEADERSHIP HAMPERING EDUCATION AT COAST

A forum recently organized by the Ministry of Education dubbed “Re-engineering Education Standards in the Coast Province” saw representatives from the region’s six counties come together to discuss how to revive academic standards.

Factors that should be looked into in an effort to help return academic glory to the province were discussed. Sitting there for almost five hours, listening to one speaker after another, I wondered whether we were discussing anything new.

Looking at the participants, I imagined they had come in the hope of getting an easy solution to the problem of ailing education standards — but that did not happen and it remains just a hope.

The challenges of shortage of teachers and poor infrastructure notwithstanding, it are my opinion that the biggest enemy of education at the Coast is attitude. It is a long chain from the students, to the teachers, parents and political leadership.

I say attitude and not necessarily harsh climatic conditions or poor staffing because other regions experience more severe constraints and perform better in national examinations.

Garissa District, for example, is an arid area, but it had a mean score of 283.54 compared to Mombasa District’s 267.49 in the 2009 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination results.

A negative attitude towards education by parents and students is to blame for poor performance. Poor families chose to send their boy children to school, keeping girls at home or marrying them off at an early age.

There are also few role models and mentorship, contributing to apathy towards education. Although enrolment rates have gone up because of the government’s free primary and day secondary education projects, Coast schools have continued to performed poorly.

In the 2009 KCSE results, the 21 districts in Coast Province collectively produced 24 candidates with the grade of A plain. Individual schools in other districts produced the same number of candidates or even double that.

In the 2009 KCPE, Coast Province had only seven candidates among the top 100 students nationwide, while Nairobi Province was first with 35 candidates.

The multiplier effect of poor performance in primary school leads to fewer students joining secondary schools and universities. This, in turn, means that there are fewer candidates from the region in the national job market.

Remedial strategies include leaders holding forums at county level to discuss the challenges. Schools should be encouraged to develop strategic plans, improve monitoring and evaluation, and benchmark with clearly set performance targets.

Incentives like prizes could help motivate both teachers and students. Professionals from the region should be encouraged to act as role models and mentors for the students by participating in the governance of schools.

To support students whose parents cannot afford to pay for their tertiary education, each county should establish an endowment fund to complement the government’s efforts.

Offering bursaries to needy students would go a long way to ensure that they are retained in school. The Coastal region has enormous potential, but it requires relevant, adequate, and quality human resource for its socio-economic development.