Knowledge is locked up in ‘ivory towers’

We rarely hear of significant longitudinal studies on social or health issues produced by Kenya’s universities. Neither do we hear enough on significant innovations from these parts of the tropics. 

This does not entirely signal absence of rigorous, transformative research but is mostly a question of dissemination. It’s difficult for a Kenyan with ‘O’ level schooling to read a university research paper and understand anything.

Besides the unintelligible academic language, significant research remains buried in foreign expensive academic journals. Most Kenyan universities make no effort to disseminate the knowledge to the public in easily accessible formats, available channels and, above all, a language comprehensible even to the uneducated. 

Their social platforms, which would have been used to unlock research, display pictures of politicians planting trees, a hangover antic from then-President Daniel arap Moi. This suggests that East African societies cannot wholly rely on universities to produce research with fundamental implications on their lives.

Axax

This has led to a society that relies on politicians, bloggers and pop culture artistes for direction in every aspect of their lives. For instance, upon the desert locust invasion in several parts of the country early last year, affected citizens listened to the voices of clueless influential people, among them politicians, who touted gun toting and gong banging as effective control measures. 

The voices of the highly educated entomologists were confined in the ‘ivory towers’. Ironically, those dons will seek NRF funds to study the origins, ‘creative’ control measures and adverse effects of desert locusts on livelihoods!

Worst of all, faith-based universities have learnt from the secular ones the sin of non-payment of part-time lecturers’ dues, in disregard of Chapter Six of the Constitution on integrity.

Dr Yenjela teaches literature at South Eastern Kenya University (Seku). [email protected]