Education for responsible technology transfer in Kenya: Towards a conceptual underpinning for HE in the development of the Jua Kali sector

Creativity and innovation, fundamental elements upon which Kenya´s economy is expected to grow, are embedded in Kenya Vision 2030, the country´s blue print for economic growth and industrialisation. Though expected to play a role in this process, the production oriented informal sector employs a large number of semiskilled artisans that have little formal education. Calls for empowering and capacitating the informal sector have led to the problematisation of the creative and cultural industry, but the Jua Kali sector has not had direct mention in terms of quality addition for its creative and production enterprises. This paper presents a response to the challenges of technological education, highlighting various government policy initiatives and the special role that higher education can play in responsible skills and technology transfer. Using the Technical University of Kenya (TU-K) as a case, the proposed intervention may be suitable for similar institutions of technology in Kenya and elsewhere.