President William Ruto has established a new State Department for Science, Research, and Innovation within the Ministry of Education and nominated Prof. Abdulrazak Shaukat as its Principal Secretary.
The department was previously part of the Higher Education docket, which remains under Beatrice Inyangala.
With this change, the Ministry of Education, led by Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, will now have three Principal Secretaries.
The other State Department in the ministry is Basic Education, which will be headed by Julius Bitok, who previously served in the Immigration docket. Bitok has swapped positions with Belio Kipsang.
Prof. Shaukat is currently the Director of the Africa division for Africa at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
He previously served as the CEO of the Kenya National Commission for Science, Technology, and Innovation from 2008 to 2014.
With over 30 years of experience, he has held various leadership and advisory roles in science, technology, and innovation.
His past positions include Vice-Chancellor of Umma University, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Egerton University, and Chair of the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute.
He has also been a board member of the Kenya Medical Research Institute and a member of the Kenya National Economic and Social Council.
Shaukat is a Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences, the African Academy of Sciences, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Sciences.
He has published extensively in international journals, scientific conferences, and symposiums.
He studied at Egerton University and later pursued his MSc and PhD in Agricultural Sciences at the University of Aberdeen in the UK. He completed his postdoctoral studies at Shimane University in Japan.
The creation of the department follows Ruto’s recent remarks about the need for a dedicated focus on research and innovation.
Speaking at the charter-awarding ceremony for Riara University, Ruto emphasized the government's commitment to expanding higher education and innovation.
“I am seriously considering a State Department to deal specifically with research, development, and innovation as a way of ensuring that we grow that space because of the tremendous opportunity that exists in innovation and research," he said.
The government aims to develop policies that will transform universities into centers of research, innovation, and excellence.