Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) hosted the Institutional Working Groups (IWGs) to a Workshop at Sawela Lodges, Naivasha, from 14th to 15th January 2026. The workshop was a follow-up engagement on the preparation of the Entrepreneurial and Commercialization Masterplan aimed at aligning institutional strategies with the Government of Kenya’s national Entrepreneurship and Commercialization agenda. Cohort 3 institutions, including the University of Eldoret (UoE), were required to present their draft master plans for peer review and technical input from KeNIA. The workshop provided an opportunity to benchmark best practices, identify strategic gaps, and receive expert guidance on alignment with the Entrepreneurial and Innovation Maturity Framework (EIMF).
The IWGs workshop was organized to support higher education institutions in customizing and operationalizing the national Entrepreneurial and Commercialization Masterplan. Specifically, the workshop sought to: Review draft institutional Entrepreneurial and Commercialization Masterplans; Facilitate peer learning and sharing of best practices; Provide technical guidance from KeNIA on EIMF alignment, monitoring, and evaluation; and enable institutions to refine their implementation matrices prior to final submission to KeNIA.
The University of Eldoret was represented by 3 members of its Institutional Working Group as follows: Dr. Caroline Ayuma – Dean, School of Business, Economics and Management Sciences (SBUS); Chair, Implementation Board, Innovation Incubation & Commercialization Centre (IICC); Dr. Becky Aloo – Head of Department, IPMO; Member, Implementation Board, IICC; Dr. Fatuma Daudi – Director, ILPC; Member, Implementation Board, IICC.
During the workshop, KeNIA stated that the EIMF assessment tool previously used was still under development and would be shared later with institutions for self-assessment, monitoring, evaluation, and continuous improvement. Institutions presented their situational analyses and strategic issues arising from their draft master plans. From the workshop deliberations, the following cross-cutting issues emerged:
- The importance of embedding entrepreneurship and innovation across curricula; The need for centralized innovation and commercialization structures for coordination, monitoring, and evaluation;
- Clear differentiation and ring-fencing of funding for research, innovation, and commercialization;
- Use of data-driven dashboards for real-time tracking of innovation and commercialization outcomes; and
- Alignment of institutional reward and promotion systems with innovation and commercialization outputs.
The IWGs Workshop provided valuable insights, benchmarking opportunities, and technical guidance that will significantly strengthen the University of Eldoret’s Entrepreneurial and Commercialization Masterplan.
