Given the mixed outcomes of different policies, programmes, and projects in the country, there is need to engage academia and professionals throughout the enactment of these instruments and projects. This is because the Government of Kenya spends over 700 billion per year to run the education sector in the country, and it is not the intention of government to lose or waste such humongous amounts of money on a sector they are not keen to utilize its end results – knowledge and human capital/resources development. As a result of huge expenditure by the government on education, Kenya boosts one of the best trained labour force and human capital in the continent ranking behind Seychelles, Mauritius and Algeria in that order, and Kenya ranked top among the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Human Capital Index. Through education systems, we are able to learn and amass massive information which must be applied effectively in our national development.
Kenya has over 68 public and private universities churning out about 50,000 graduates every year. There is need for the legislative, executive and judiciary arms of government to consult meaningfully such graduates in order to make effective policies, programmes and projects based on the current information that they have acquired. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, who was a Roman Emperor between 161 t0 180 AD and a stoic philosopher, noted that “the opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them knows anything about the subject”, from which we should always consult the experts in various fields before finalizing such projects and programmes. The academia and professionals can contribute to national development through five major ways. One is through informing the ideologies, development paradigms and values that a country should pursue to prosperity.
Secondly, providing multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional expertise in a wide range of areas critical for nation building. Thirdly, increasing the stock of knowledge in all areas that are necessary for national development, including African, traditional and indigenous knowledge. Fourthly, by supporting evidenced-based decision making by the law makers and decision makers. Fifthly by supporting the development of human capital, research, scholarship and pragmatic endeavours to inform models of delivery in all sectors of the economy. The role of the academia and professionals is shown by the fact that when President JF Kennedy gave “we choose to go to the moon” speech to a crowd in 1962, he went to Rice university and tasked them with working out the details for making man to land on the moon. Many countries send teams of professionals and academia ahead of official delegations to other countries and are always accompanied by academia in such forums. Dr Giti is an urban management, public – private partnerships (PPP) and environment specialist. mutegigiti@gmail.com , @danielgiti
Dr. Daniel Mutegi Giti 