By Bonface Mulyungi
Kenyans should brace themselves for tougher economic times ahead, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has warned.
Mudavadi said this is a result of the normalcy of the global economy being systematically destabilized by cascading global shocks.
He said severe economic pressures driven by a combination of surging fuel prices as a result of the crisis in the conflict prone middle east coupled with other emerging global trends should be an awakening call to Kenyans.
“In the recent past humanity has been affected due to what is going on globally, affecting economies, livelihoods and destabilizing societies. Kenyans must realise that it is not going to be like instant coffee to fix some of the challenges we are facing now,” warned the Prime CS.
“It might not be business as usual in the next three or four months as a result of what is happening in the middle east, and the surge in oil prices is only one of the indicators that we should begin thinking of alternative solutions that will be available to make us survive.”
Mudavadi said these challenges are fueling widespread inflation, increasing transport and production costs, and threatening job security across the board.
He hence said Kenyans should be wary of the net effects, stop finger-pointing and rally together to find both medium and long-term solutions for sustainability.
Mudavadi, who also doubles as the Foreign Affairs CS, said from the COVID-19 shock that shook the world as well as the Russia-Ukraine war, many nations are yet to fully recover and stabilize their economies.
He was speaking when he officially closed the week-long Science, Technology, Research and Innovation week that was held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi.
“Advancements in solutions from skills in technology and innovation, based on enhanced science and research should be the central focus for us. We need to think outside the box to help society adjust to the global shocks through accelerated research and innovation.” said Mudavadi.
“We should begin thinking of what innovations we are bringing to the market and be honest with each other that the impact of these shocks, especially what is happening in the middle east, is going to be with us for sometimes.”
Mudavadi said not only Kenya but the globe is walking on a tight rope and fixing some of these challenges will not be like instant coffee.
He said the globe will be feeling more pressure in the near future and called on Kenyans to psychologically prepare for tougher times and embrace new ways of survival.
“Ramping up the whole idea of science and technology, therefore remains very important for us as a country. Research, science, technology and innovation remain to be essential drivers of Kenya’s economic transformation and inclusive growth,” he said.
The Prime CS said that Kenya is among the leading innovation-driven economies in Africa and the government is committed to enhance funding for research, science and innovation to at least two per cent of Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product to reflect a strong and growing foundation for the ecosystem.
He said President William Ruto has strategically placed science, technology and innovation at the core of Kenya’s socioeconomic transformation journey by effectively harnessing science, technology and innovation for sustainable development and societal transformation.
Mudavadi said scientific knowledge becomes more useful when it is transferred to communities, markets, industry, policy and the next generation.
“The task before us now is to build upon these possibilities deliberately, decisively and at scale to drive national growth and shared prosperity. It is equally important that we confront the constraints that continue to limit the full realization of our national science, technology and innovation potential as a driver of national development,” Mudavadi said.
“I am confident that the establishment of the State Department for Science, Research and Innovation will help resolve the coordination and governance issues. It will ensure that we collectively drive the changes required so that research informs policy, inventions are translated into market-ready innovations and science delivers measurable economic value in the daily lives of Kenyan citizens.”
The Prime CS also launched the Masterplan for Research Financing and Capacity Strengthening document, which is supported by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Present were Principal Secretaries Prof. Shaukat Abdulrazak (Science, Research and Innovation) and Beatrice Inyangala (Higher Education) among other distinguished scholars, researchers and innovators drawn from various sectors of the economy.
