KeNIA boss on how Kenya can turn research findings into innovations, wealth

The system largely rewards publishing more than monetising because most promotions and recognition in universities and research institutions are tied to journal articles, not to ventures.

The Business Daily talked to chief executive of the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA), Dr Tonny Omwansa, on why research commercialisation has lagged, what interventions the agency is driving, and how Kenya can turn ideas into industries.

Why does so much research in universities end at publication rather than commercialisation stage?

We recognise that one of the gaps in the [innovation] ecosystem is research commercialisation.

What typically happens is that a researcher conducts work, makes a discovery, or solves a problem, and then stops there by publishing. Generally, there’s intellectual satisfaction in saying, ‘I have found the solution to this problem”.

That, combined with academic recognition, often feels enough. So, making that solution work and become a business is not something that many researchers would think about.

How are you supporting research laboratories and innovation offices in universities to commercialise their ideas?

Our work as an innovation agency is to try to bridge that gap so that either the researcher or another actor can take research outputs and make them commercially viable. This requires institutional support, incentives, and funding.

Our work involves engaging university leaders to ensure they create environments that allow researchers to explore commercialisation alongside their teaching and publishing roles.

What steps have you taken to support the innovation and technology transfer offices in universities and research institutions?

Support may not only come from us as an agency. Some of it has to be operational support at the university or research institution level.

That is why we work closely with heads of institutions to ensure they can provide the right backing to their researchers.

The second part is making institutional leaders appreciate the potential of innovation and how to support it.

We do some interventions because if the incentives are not aligned, researchers won’t bother going beyond publishing and pursuing ventures.

So, we work with universities to review institutional policies and create the right incentives, so both researchers and the universities benefit.

A classic example is the case of the University of Embu, where there is a gentleman [Associate Professor of Cement and Concrete Technology Jackson Muthengia] who developed a self-healing cement which, if you apply it to the walls, will not have cracks.

We convinced the Vice-Chancellor to give him a six-month to one-year off [sabbatical] to focus on this venture without removing him from the payroll. Then we brought in a business expert to work with him on the business model and execution.

We also fund opportunities for such innovators to showcase and sell their solutions at events. This gives them media exposure, platforms to pitch, and connections to customers.

How is the agency addressing the funding gap at the “valley of death” stage between research and market adoption?

We don’t have all the funding ourselves, but we are good at connecting innovators to capital. We have started building a huge pool of investors, angel investors, and networks.

We also run the Presidential Innovation Challenge, where winners get up to Sh5 million. Beyond funding, we build capacity. Many researchers are excellent in their fields but lack entrepreneurial skills.

So we try to help them in designing business models, market segmentation, or fundraising. We are seeing evidence of innovators successfully raising their own funds.

The level of funding differs depending on the stage of innovation. How do you handle this?

We normally have a nine-level innovation framework. At level one, you are doing early research. At level nine, you are in the industry, scaling with a proven model.

So we create the right financial instrument and amount based on the level of innovation. It also depends on the sector. A software innovator only needs a laptop. But if you’re in bioeconomy, you need labs and equipment. So, the financial instrument varies.

At early stages, innovators need grants — it’s not money that you're going to pay back like a loan.

The government money, through the National Research Fund, is essentially de-risking capital to prove concepts.

Through our own agency programmes and partner support, innovators can typically access anywhere between Sh1 million and Sh20 million, depending on their context.

Do you feel that amount is enough to support innovators commercialise their ideas?

I have become persuaded that funding of between Sh1 million and Sh20 million is enough. It depends on the level. The intention is to help you move from one level to another so that you can access the appropriate funding for that level.

What we provide may not be enough to help you reach the very end. By the time you are reaching level nine, you probably have received close to Sh500 million. I may not be the one giving you the Sh500 million, but I give you enough to move to the next level.

How do you ensure that the annual Kenya Innovation Week translates into sustainable opportunities for start-ups beyond networking?

The Innovation Week is not just an event; it is a convening platform. Last year, for example, we had 27 side events. We bring in different stakeholders—policy actors, investors, universities, startups—each driving very specific agendas.

As an agency, we create pitching platforms for startups, exhibitions for students, and policy dialogues for regulators. The aim is to build partnerships that continue beyond the event.

For example, we host investor pitching sessions so startups can attract funding, and we facilitate the signing of MOUs between institutions.

We also run year-long training for researchers, industrialists, and university leaders. Innovation Week becomes the space where they graduate, showcase their work, and secure mandates to act on what they have learned. In short, it’s the melting point of government, academia, and industry to push forward the national innovation system.

How are you helping innovators, especially start-ups, access government tenders?

First, the law already provides favourable treatment—through AGPO—for youth, women, and persons with disabilities. The problem is that many startups don’t know how to navigate procurement. So, we do capacity building to help them exploit what exists.

Second, we will use government-to-government procurement, which will allow us to source from another public entity without lengthy processes.

We are also piloting sandboxes and innovation fellowships so startups can test solutions safely while working with the government.

We also directly recommend and introduce startups to institutions that need their solutions. A good example is Dedan Kimathi University, which built its own ERP [Enterprise Resource Planning] system. They use it themselves, and today, they have sold about eight instances of that ERP to other institutions, including a hospital.

What is your outlook on Kenya’s innovation ecosystem?

Innovation is complex. It’s not like a road where people can see it and count kilometers. It’s often intangible and requires a lot of capacity building and exposure to make stakeholders appreciate its value.

That said, I see tremendous potential.

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Kenya is carving a stronger space in innovation, and the future looks extremely bright. We are now unlocking the fundamentals that will make the ecosystem sustainable—funding, policy, capacity development, infrastructure, and market access.
We already have a 10-year innovation master plan, launched by the President two years ago, which guides our strategic direction. Its pillars include capacity development, funding access, infrastructure, markets, and policy.
I can confidently say the wheels of innovation for economic transformation are turning faster by the day. As we enter the AI era, we can't remove innovation from the dining table. We will have to talk about it every evening —it has to be part of our daily national conversation.