Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei Tuesday held a consultative meeting with the leadership of key research institutions to discuss strategies for strengthening their capacity to drive national development
The meeting that brought together Principal Secretaries, Board Chairpersons and Chief Executive Officers oversighting research institutions focused on enhancing coordination and applying evidence-based solutions across sectors.
Koskei underscored the critical role of research in the success of government projects, noting that it must be aligned with national development priorities. He emphasized that research findings should be distilled into clear, practical policy briefs to inform implementation frameworks.
“Government decisions must be anchored in solid evidence from the very beginning. Too often, research comes in after policies have already been rolled out and challenges have begun to surface. That approach is costly. If we are to govern responsibly, research must shape policy at conception. Before major programmes are launched, there must be clear feasibility assessments, sound fiscal projections and structured pilots that test assumptions in real conditions”, he said.
As Kenya advances toward developed nation status, Koskei said its time organisations institutionalize a culture where science, innovation and data are not peripheral, but central to governance.
“High-performing administrations such as Singapore demonstrate that sustained competitiveness and administrative efficiency are built on anticipatory, policy-linked research. That level of coherence does not happen by accident; it is designed” he said challenging research institutions to rise to that responsibility.
