UNIVERSITY AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS ON SPOT FROM LACK OF PATENT REGISTRATION

Kenyan universities and other publicly funded research and development institutions were put on spot during this year world intellectual property day celebrations. Assistant Minister for Industrialization, Hon. Ndiritu Muriithi lamented that since independence the institutions have only applied for the registration of 42 patents.

Muriithi said, “It is time that this institutions recognize that the tax payer want research that is innovation oriented and can lead products in the market and the birth of new companies that can offer jobs to the hundreds of thousands of educated jobless youths.”

Kenyan youth were commended during the celebration for the interest they are showing towards protecting their innovations. He said for the past three years alone, they have submitted to Kenya Intellectual Property Institution (KIPI) more than 38 patent applications individually in the area of telecommunications and ICT sectors.

Said he: “What I find very inspiring in the youth is that their research was individually funded compared to universities and other research and development institutions that are funded by the public funds and have only papers to show for it which not many Kenyans have time to read.”

He called upon KIPI to work with these institutions to come up with intellectual property policies to enable them conduct research and strategically focus on how they would come up with innovative ideas and products that can be patented, commercialized into spin off companies that give returns on public investment, in competitive products they would manufacture.

Available data from the ministry indicate that out of the 1270 applications for patents in the last 20 years, KIPI has only issued 450 patents. There have also been 280 applications for technical solutions in the same period of time out of which 100 have been granted and 1200 applications for ornamental or aesthetic articles of which 630 were issued.

Prof. Shaukat Abdulrazak, CEO, National Council for Science & Technology (NCST) challenged the universities to overcome the syndrome of copy and paste in their proposal writing to ignite a perpetual fire of innovation and creativity. The CEO said of the 12 innovators the council funded 90 percent are of young people.

Prof. Abdulrazak put the Kenyan engineers on spot from the lack of designing technical solutions. He said no engineer has applied for any grant from NCST in this year budgetary allocation. He called upon Kenyan engineers and scientist to come together to coordinate science, technology and innovation to steer Kenya into a middle level income.

He said since 2005 and 2009 Kenya registered 24 patents recognized by UNESCO. He challenged universities to stop the culture of publish or perish and embrace Intellectual Property (IP) otherwise Vision 2030 will remain a mere pipe dream.

KIPI was challenged to embark on a vigorous public awareness campaign and sensitize public before their innovations are stolen and registered elsewhere denying them the benefits of their hard work.

Muriithi said patents are important as they open the door for licensing, assignment and transfer of technology from developed to developing countries. Sylvance Sange, Principal Examiner, KIPI, said they provide mechanism for Kenyans to protect their creativity and innovation.

Sange called upon the manufactures to make haste and register their industrial and intellectual property rights in the member counties of the East Africa Community so that their products can be protected against counterfeiting from the region.

On challenges that are facing the country such as food insecurity the minister said the government has put in place appropriate IP systems to promote innovation through research which will lead to production of new varieties of plants that are resistant to drought, pests, diseases, hyper salinity among others.

During the conference dubbed "Designing the future by promoting intellectual property rights to attain Vision 2030" it was pointed out that internet, music and film industry are the fastest growing in the world. Notwithstanding that counterfeit and piracy is stifling the film industry it generates Sh 3 billion per year as much as it has a potential of Sh 40 billion while indirectly generating Sh 60 billion, said Peter Mutia, CEO, Kenya Film Commission.

According to the ministry of industrialization currently the manufacturing sector loses Sh 50 billion due to counterfeiting while the government is losing Sh 19 billion in evaded tax. Food insecurity is aggravated through counterfeited agricultural inputs such as certified seeds, fertilizers and pesticides combating counterfeiting agricultural productivity and enhance environmental conservation.

Marisella Ouma, Executive Director, Kenya Copyright Board said they are training magistrates and police officers on intellectual property to prosecute those who are infringing and engaging in counterfeit and piracy.

The ministry assured both the existing and potential investors that a conducive business environment is now available as the Anti-Counterfeit Agency addresses the vice.