Prof Abdularazk Shaukat/FILEPresident William Ruto has created a new State Department in the Ministry of Education and named Prof Abdulrazak Shaukat as the Principal Secretary.
Shaukat will be in charge of the Science, Research and Innovation which has been hived off from that of Higher Education currently held by Beatrice Inyangala.
This now means the ministry headed Julius Ogamba will have three PSs.
The other State Department in the ministry is that of Basic Education which will be held by Julius Bitok formerly of Immigration who has swapped positions with Belio Kipsang.
Shaukat is the current Director for the Division for Africa, at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
He is the former Kenya National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation CEO, a position he held between 2008-2014.
He has over 30 years working experience as Professor and administrator at university, leader and advisor on matters related to Science Technology and Innovation.
He served as a Vice-Chancellor of Umma University and Deputy VC at Egerton University, former Governor of ICGEB, ex-chair of Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, Board member of Kenya Medical Research Institute and alsomember of the Kenya National Economic Social Council.
He is a Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences, the African Academy of Sciences Japan Society for the Promotion of Sciences. He has published widely in international journals, scientific conferences, and symposium proceedings.
His Undergraduate studies were at Egerton University, Kenya, his MSc and PhD Agricultural Sciences, from University of Aberdeen, UK and his Post Doctorate from Shimane University, Japan.
The creation of the Department comes only a day after Ruto revealed about the plan.
Speaking during when he awarded charter to Riara University, Ruto expressed the government’s commitment to the growth of higher education in the country.
“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.
According to the Head of State, the government is keen on designing policies that help to transform universities into hubs of research, innovation and excellence.
