The population of Kenya is estimated at 54.986 million people (in 2021) [3], and according to current projections, the population will surpass 100 million by the end of 2058 [4]. Annual population growth rate is estimated at 2.3% [2].  

Approximately 27% of Kenya’s population currently live in urban areas. This is projected to increase to 33% and 46% of the population by 2030 and 2050, respectively [2]. The capital and largest city in Kenya is Nairobi [4], home to about 4.556 million people (in 2019) [3]. Other major cities in Kenya include Mombasa, Kisumu, and Nakuru [4].

Nairobi is also home to one of the largest slums in the world, the slum of Kibera [4]. Kibera is the biggest informal settlement in Kenya and arguably in the Africa continent. Its population is estimated at 250,000, and has the highest settlement density of any settlement in the country [5]. In Nairobi, poverty is highly concentrated in unplanned settlements, with nearly 33% of slum residents being poor, compared to just 9% of those living outside slum areas. Although the national poverty rate continues to fall, poverty rates in urban areas have stagnated. Over the past decade, the urban poor population has increased both in absolute terms and as a share of the total poor population [6].

Kenya, while considered a lower middle-income country, has the largest economy in East Africa [2]. Between 2015-2019, Kenya’s economic growth averaged 5.7%, making it one of the fastest growing economies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Kenya has implemented significant economic and structural reforms, which have helped to sustain economic growth and political gains over the past decade. However, key development challenges remain, namely, poverty, inequality, climate change, continued weak private sector investment and the vulnerability of the economy to internal and external shocks [7].

In 2020, Kenya’s economy was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, through supply and demand shocks on both the external and domestic fronts (real gross domestic product is estimated to have contracted by 0.3% in 2020). Agricultural output grew robustly, while manufacturing and many services subsectors (e.g., tourism, education) were severely disrupted. In addition, a regional locust infestation, which started early 2020, also affected some parts of Kenya, especially the North East. Nevertheless, a significant economic recovery has been underway, although it remains highly uneven across sectors (with some, such as tourism, remaining under severe pressure) [7].

Access to electricity has been steadily improving in Kenya in recent decades, which has been important for the country’s economic development. According to Kenya’s latest Voluntary National Review (2020), the percentage of population with access to electricity rose from 41.5% in 2016 to 50.4% in 2019. The country has set an ambitious plan to achieve universal access rate by the year 2022. In addition, the proportion of population with primary reliance on clean fuels and technology increased from 14.6% in 2016 to 25.4% in 2019 [8].

Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) is key in the implementation of the SDGs, and an enabler of Kenya’s National Development Agenda. Kenya places emphasis on STI through its Vision 2030 and medium-term plans (MTPs). The MTP III, 2018- 2022 clearly outlines the importance of STI in the development process and gives ways of enhancing scientific innovations for future development. The Government prioritises excellence in research and development for the generation of new knowledge and technologies. In addition, Under MTP III, the STI sector aims to drive the transformation agenda by supporting the Big Four Agenda initiatives, namely Food and Nutrition Security, Universal Health Coverage, Manufacturing and Affordable Housing by ensuring that all sectors have access to new technologies in order to increase productivity and efficiency [8].

With one of the largest refugee populations in Africa, Kenya hosts over 520,000 refugees, including more than 278,000 from Somalia, close to 133,000 from South Sudan, 47,000 from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and 29,000 from Ethiopia. Most refugees stay in the Dadaab camp in the southeast, the Kakuma camp in the northwest, and in Nairobi [9].