Research not a preserve of the West

A brief story in this newspaper indicating that Koreans will do a study on the Kenyan youth, I guess Generation Z (Gen Z), who seem an enigma to even outsiders, piqued my curiosity.  

I have argued that Gen Z is not an enigma; the environment they grew up in made them who they are.

That includes the inception of the 2010 Constitution and its ensuing freedoms. They are digital natives and have access to information 24 hours.

We ignore what bothers the government most—their adherence to global standards and benchmarks.

Whether it’s governance, education, medical services or even relationships, Kenya’s youth, particularly Gen Z use global standards, which they are not shy to advocate for. On that, they have left their leaders and parents behind. 

The behaviour of Gen Z simply shows Kenya is ahead of its time. Our reaction is putting new wine in old skins.

Yet Gen Alpha is already taking the mantle from Gen Z. Should we not be celebrating that progress instead of panicking? Should we not positively exploit the boundless optimism and exuberance of our youth? Enough on Gen Z enigmatism. Why should Koreans study them, and not Kenyans?  

One, South Koreans had their Gen Z moment in the 1980s with the famous June 10-29, 1987 demonstrations led to direct presidential elections and other democratic reforms.

The youth were heavily involved in these protests. Koreans have great insights they can share. 

Two, beyond being a tourist and investment destination, Kenya is also a researcher’s paradise.

Scholars have won Nobel prizes because of their research in Kenya. They include James Tobin (Economics, 1981) and Joseph Stiglitz (Economics, 2000).

Add Elinor Ostrom (Economics, 2009) and Michael Kremer (Economics, 2019). Our openness and socio-cultural diversity make our country a researcher’s paradise. 

And think of it, we have communities that have not changed their traditional way of life and others who would dine with the King without any lessons in table manners. 

Economists, anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, policy analysts and other experts have something to pick in Kenya. The country is so dynamic, and there is always something happening; change is one of the raw materials of groundbreaking research.

The dynamism you find in Kenya is rare. Developed countries are stable and value traditions over monumental changes. Immigration is such a hot issue in Europe and the US; they don’t want to change their way of life.  

Koreans are coming to Kenya because they have money. Research is expensive, from data collection to its analysis and report writing.

Research in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is even more expensive. Check the price of an electron microscope or a European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) project.  

Rarely are we assured of returns in research. Think of research on HIV with no cure for decades. That is why the public funds research to reduce the risks.  Sometimes research is like a lottery; you may hit a jackpot and make money. But the public sector is rarely excited by research. Have you ever found a research topic in social places?

We think it’s a waste of money, and the solutions can easily be “imported “from the West or, more recently, the East. But we forget the context and environment. A good example: Who eats pizza in Kenya compared with, say, the US or China? 

One wishes we appreciated and funded research more.  The research we import is often outdated, just like our second-hand cars and clothes. No wonder we rarely get groundbreaking innovations.

That is where China has beaten us, focusing on original research. Seen her head start in AI and electric cars?  

More ominous is the asymmetrical research. Developed countries do a lot of research in developing countries.

We do little in developed countries, mostly using secondary data. These countries know so much about us, but we know so little about them beyond what we see in the media and movies. Their research is primary, based on reality. No wonder we are outfoxed in negotiations on trade, in treaties and other engagements. We get the short end of the stick.

It’s like marrying a girl who knows everything about you, but you know nothing about her. I am always amazed by the insights foreigners have of us, including stereotypes.  

There is another reason why Koreans and other foreigners do research in Kenya. There is a deeply ingrained belief that we can’t do research. That foreigners are better than us, even when the research is on witchcraft.  

That starts early with getting foreign names, such as Chloe, Jayden, Ethan, Liam, among others. Once in school, we learnt to quote Western scholars. Quoting Onyango, Njoki or Lemaiyan “feels” odd and unintellectual.  

We come to believe that foreign scholars are better. But let’s also be fair; they do more research and are better funded.

They also became scholars because they have the acumen, the passion and the motivation to do research. They did not join universities because they had connections or were jobless.  

Our scholars rarely come up with earth-shaking discoveries or research, which would give us more credibility and money.

Suppose M-Pesa came from a student thesis. We also complicate matters. Did I hear nowadays, counties charge you to do research in their jurisdiction?

Who do we believe more, researchers or sweet talkers? Let us also remember that returns from research can take a long time to be seen. It has taken a century to exploit quantum mechanics in computing. 

Until we fund research, give our universities more autonomy, stop seeing research as a luxury, and only fit for Westerners, foreigners will continue doing more research and making money from it. We shall continue relying on muchene (gossip) to make critical decisions. And the twin of research, innovation, will continue evading us.

I hope the Koreans will ask my insights into Gen Z for a fee; the price of fuel has gone up, and we are all suffering.