The University of Nairobi is strategically positioning itself to bolster the management of its intellectual property (IP) and innovation pipeline through leveraging its partnership with the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA).
On Friday 10 April 2026, KeNIA’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Tony Omwansa, hosted a crucial strategic meeting with the University’s Research, Innovation, and Enterprise (RIE) Division led by the Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof. Leonidah Kerubo. The meeting sought to align the University’s goals for innovation development with the national innovation agenda for enhanced partnership and collaboration. The DVC was accompanied by the Director of Intellectual Property Management Office, Prof. Maina Wagacha, and some of the Division staff.
Recognising that universities drive over 40 percent of the national innovation landscape, KeNIA pledged comprehensive institutional support for the University of Nairobi especially drawing upon its innovation commercialisation objective for higher education institutions. To ensure effective implementation of the university’s Innovation Master Plan, KeNIA will assign a dedicated officer to facilitate follow-through on commercialisation goals and also help institutionalise the innovation framework.
Furthermore, KeNIA will implement its IP Management Excellence Framework to professionalise the university’s intellectual property systems, moving beyond simple patenting to active commercialisation. To bridge the funding gap, KeNIA will provide direct linkages to angel investor networks, such as the Nairobi Angel Investment Association, helping researchers move out of the "ivory tower" and into the investor circuit.
"The secret is to build relationships with entities proactively...it is difficult to take an agenda from zero concept to the market by yourself... so partnerships are very important in the way we support the university", Dr Omwansa said.
The KeNIA CEO’s familiarity with the University innovation developments helped to steer the conversation in the right direction. Dr Omwansa is a founding member of the University’s School of Computing and Informatics and a pioneer of the Nairobi Innovation Week now moving into its ninth edition in 2026 at the University of Nairobi. The discussion centered on a bold vision of transforming the university into a fundraising giant capable of scaling research from the laboratory to the global market.
For this partnership to thrive, the RIE Division will spearhead capacity building and a culture shift within the University. This will include activities such as:
- Training of senior management to ensure the innovation ecosystem is supported from the top down.
- Strengthening Student Innovation Clubs and integrating them into KeNIA’s "Startup School" to nurture entrepreneurial talent early.
- Enhancing IP connectivity labs and creating spaces for spin-off companies.
Prof. Kerubo highlighted the university's current challenges in funding innovations development in spite of the increasing internal momentum and interest. She also mentioned the urgent need to move beyond traditional academic metrics and focus on commercialisation through working closely with like-minded institutions like KeNIA. “We have to think of how we fund and how we can work with our partners to help us. We need to partner very closely with the government system", she said.
Prof. Wagacha emphasised the urgency of securing the investor linkages, infrastructure, and commercialisation frameworks necessary to sustain the university's 149 active patents during the current year and student-led innovations.
The meeting addressed the future of Nairobi Innovation Week and how to scale the event for global visibility. The 2026 edition should focus on the entire innovation ecosyststem, connecting the university’s current projects with the instruments and investors needed for real-world impact.
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