By Brian Kiprono - Reporter
Kenya, 21 November 2025 - President William Ruto on Friday sketched an ambitious new chapter for Kenya’s scientific and security future, unveiling plans to push the country’s research budget to nearly KSh 1 trillion by 2035, a bold step he says is essential for a nation “living through a fast-changing and unpredictable world.”
Speaking during the 3rd graduation ceremony of the National Defence University–Kenya (NDU-K), where he serves as Chancellor, the President said Kenya can no longer afford to treat research as an afterthought.
Instead, he described it as the backbone of innovation, security readiness and long-term economic stability.
Ruto announced that the government will scale up national research funding from the current 0.8% of GDP to the constitutionally required 2%, a jump he framed not merely as compliance but as an investment in Kenya’s survival and competitiveness.
He told graduates that the country’s institutions must become engines of discovery, equipped to confront the complex realities of a world where the lines between traditional and modern threats are increasingly blurred.
From artificial intelligence to cyber-crime and disinformation campaigns, he said Kenya must prepare for a future that demands both agility and creativity.
“The global environment is shifting rapidly. We must match this speed with strategic thinking and disciplined innovation,” he said, adding that his administration has already reorganised the government to create a dedicated State Department for Research, Technology and Innovation.
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Ruto took time to praise NDU-K for leading national efforts in areas considered too sensitive or technically complex for most institutions.
He said the university’s work has already shaped government decisions on national security, conflict management and technology adoption.
He pointed to urgent national concerns demanding deeper study, among them sustainable solutions to insecurity in the North Rift, the growing crisis of femicide, and the spread of misinformation that continues to weaken public trust.
The President stressed that Kenya’s long-term growth depends on investing in people, especially in engineering, science and technology, so that local talent drives the country’s next wave of development.
If achieved, the trillion-shilling research budget would mark one of the largest scientific investments in Africa, a shift Ruto says is designed to ensure Kenya is not “a spectator but a contributor” in the global race for ideas, technology and security.
