By Office of Communications and Public Affairs
21 August 2026 – H.E. Mrs. Lucy Njeri Kiruthu, Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to the Kingdom of Thailand, accompanied by Mr. Edward Maroko, Second Secretary, visited the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) on 21 August 2026. The Ambassador met with AIT President Prof. Pai-Chi Li and other AIT officials for discussions on strengthening cooperation between AIT and Kenya in education, research, innovation, technology transfer, and capacity building.
Welcoming the delegation, Prof. Pai-Chi Li highlighted the longstanding relationship between Kenya and AIT and expressed hope that the visit would strengthen the partnership and create new opportunities for collaboration.
“Kenya and AIT have had very good connections over many years. Today’s visit is a good opportunity not just to renew our connections, but also to discuss how to take them further,” Prof. Li said. He added that AIT looks forward to identifying practical opportunities to strengthen connections between Kenya, Thailand, and the wider region.
H.E. Mrs. Lucy Njeri Kiruthu thanked AIT for the warm welcome and emphasized Kenya’s interest in deepening its engagement with the Institute. She noted that the visit followed AIT’s Asia–Africa Aquaculture Partnership Forum, held on 10 July 2026, which highlighted opportunities for greater cooperation between Asia and Africa in education, research, technology transfer, innovation, and capacity development.
“We are very keen to deepen the cooperation that exists between AIT and Kenya,” the Ambassador said.
She highlighted several areas that align with Kenya’s development priorities, including agriculture and food security, the blue economy, aquaculture, science and technology, climate change and sustainability, infrastructure, research and innovation, and human capital development.
The Ambassador placed particular emphasis on the blue economy and aquaculture, noting Kenya’s extensive freshwater and marine resources. She also stressed the importance of moving from discussions toward practical cooperation through research, training, technology transfer, and institutional partnerships.
During the meeting, AIT representatives presented the Institute’s academic, research, innovation, and outreach capabilities. Discussions covered AIT’s expertise in climate change and sustainability, infrastructure and environmental engineering, artificial intelligence and digital technologies, entrepreneurship and innovation, food and agriculture, and aquaculture and aquatic resources management.
AIT also shared opportunities for postgraduate education, professional training, research collaboration, technology transfer, and engagement with industry.
Ambassador Kiruthu noted that the discussions had identified a wider range of opportunities than initially expected. She expressed particular interest in sustainability, applied research, innovation, and stronger connections between academia and industry. Kenya’s growing innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem was also discussed as an area where closer links with AIT could be developed.
Other areas explored included scholarships and postgraduate opportunities for Kenyan students, capacity building for women in business, collaboration between Kenyan and AIT researchers, entrepreneurship, trade and business engagement, and knowledge sharing between Africa and ASEAN.
Both sides also discussed strengthening partnerships between AIT and Kenyan universities, research organizations, government agencies, and the private sector. Opportunities to jointly develop research and capacity-building proposals with support from international development partners were also considered.
The Embassy of Kenya expressed its readiness to help connect AIT with relevant institutions in Kenya, while AIT indicated its willingness to work with Kenyan partners on academic programs, professional training, research initiatives, and joint proposals.
The meeting concluded with both sides emphasizing their interest in developing a long-term, practical, and mutually beneficial partnership between AIT and Kenya, while contributing to stronger cooperation between Africa, Thailand, and ASEAN.
From AIT, the meeting was attended by Prof. Manukid Parnichkun, Vice President for Academic and Research; Prof. Siddharth K. Jabade, Vice President for Administration and Development; Prof. Jai Govind Singh, Dean of the Faculty of Climate Change and Sustainability; Prof. Nitin K. Tripathi, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology; Dr. Ha Thanh Dong, Associate Professor, Faculty of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources; Mr. Voravate Chonlasin, Executive Director, AIT Extension; Dr. Sumana Shrestha, Director of the Office of International Affairs and the Office of Development and External Affairs; Dr. Indra Kumari, Coordinator, OIA; and Ms. Sirima Sirimattayanan, Senior Program Officer, OIA.
