Kenya’s research festival is bringing science to the people

With a mandate to mobilise resources for research, capacity development, dissemination of findings, and science for sustainable national development, the National Research Fund (NRF) Kenya stands as a cornerstone of the country’s research ecosystem.

As Kenya’s premier research funding body, NRF Kenya is playing an important role in simplifying science for Kenyans through the Kenya National Research Festival, KNRF.

A platform for innovation

The KNRF is one of the ways the council is fostering research and innovation excellence and collaboration.

The festival will be held at Egerton University, Njoro, Nakuru County, from 18-22 August.

This year’s festival theme is “Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security”, a theme that directly addresses one of Kenya’s core development priorities.

Building on the success of the 2024 festival, which was celebrated as “a celebration of ideas, impact, and innovation,” the 2025 festival promises to be more than just an academic gathering.

In partnership with Egerton University and the County Government of Nakuru, the 2025 research festival represents a socio-economic transformation through science, bringing together the nation’s leading researchers, innovators, and changemakers for a week of bold ideas, transformative research, and strategic partnerships.

The festival will showcase cutting-edge research in sustainable agriculture, facilitate knowledge exchange between researchers and practitioners, build strategic partnerships across sectors, promote evidence-based solutions to food security challenges, and connect research outcomes with policy implementation.

Research impact

Kenya’s research success lies in its real-world applications, as evidenced in the compelling research stories featured on the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) newsletter, which demonstrate how the council’s investments are making impact.

See some of the research impact stories below.

New cassava plant boosts income for Kenyan farmers

Kenya’s Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) established a cassava processing plant in Busia County, as part of a pilot project funded by Kenya’s National Research Fund, which also includes research to develop resilient crop varieties.

The plant has the capacity to mill one tonne of cassava flour per day from five tonnes of fresh cassava.

Climate-smart tech helps Kenyan farmers sell native veg

Researchers from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) introduced an initiative to promote sustainable production and commercialisation of indigenous vegetables.

They trained smallholders in the preparation of nurseries, application of organic fertiliser, and crop management.

The festival will showcase the featured research on the SGCI website and more.

The festival is open to all. Learn more here

Please check out the stories and let us know what you think. We would love to hear from you!

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Published on 20 June 2025

Written by Jackie Opara