Historical Perspective

KARI was established in 1979 as a semi-autonomous government institution through the amendment of the Science and Technology Act Cap 250, following the collapse of the East African Community (EAC) in 1977. The new institute took over research activities from the East African Agricultural and Forestry Research Organisation (EAAFRO), East African Veterinary Research Organisation (EAAVRO) and later the Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock Development. Further, in 1986 the Kenyan government recognized the challenge to meet long-term food production constraints in the country as recognized in Sessional Paper No. 1 of 1986 entitled "Economic management for renewed growth." More recently, the Kenya Veterinary Vaccines Production Institute (KEVEVAPI) and the Kenya Tripanosomiasis Research Institute (KETRI) have been integrated into KARI. The government has recognized the need to further strengthen its agricultural research system by placing these research centres under KARI to create an institutional framework to effectively manage, reorganise and consolidate agricultural research within the country.