Students to pay more for research licence as Kenya raises NACOSTI fees

• Researchers will pay up to six times more than the licensing fee that has been in place for more than a decade.

Students and researchers conducting studies in Kenya will have to pay more money to get licences to conduct their research.

This is after the National Commission for Science, Technology and Information (NACOSTI) announced new licence fees beginning October 1, 2026.

In the new schedule, researchers will pay up to six times more than the licensing fee that has been in place for more than a decade.

In a gazette notice dated August 21, 2026, NACOSTI announced that students who are Citizens of an East African Community Partner State at Diploma level will pay Ksh.1000, up from Ksh.100, or pay Ksh.1,500 for an expedited review of their research licence.

For degree level, the fee has been raised from Ksh.100 to Ksh.2,000 or Ksh.3000 for an expedited review. A post-graduate diploma licence will, from October 1, cost Ksh.3,000 or Ksh.5,000 for an expedited review.

Master's-level researchers will be required to pay Ksh. 6,000 up from ksh 1,000, or ksh 8,000 for an expedited review, while PhD students will be required to pay Ksh. 10,000 or ksh. 15,000 for expedited review, up from the previous charge of Ksh 2,000.

Post-Doctoral or Individuals will pay Ksh. 15,000 or Ksh. 20,000 for an expedited review, up from the previous Ksh. 5,000. Research Institutions will now pay Ksh. 30,000 or Ksh. 50,000 for an expedited review, while companies will pay Ksh. 50,000 or Ksh.70, 000 for an expedited review. Previously, the two would pay Ksh.20,000.

The rates for Citizens of Non-East African Community Partner States have also gone up to USD 200 or USD 300 for expedited review for diploma students, USD 300 or USD 400 for expedited review of undergraduate students, USD 350 or USD 450 expedited review for postgraduate diploma students, USD 400 or USD 500 expedited review for master's students, USD 500 or USD 600 expedited review for PhD students, USD 750 or USD 850 expedited review for Post-Doctoral, Individual or Non-Academic and finally USD 1,000 for Clinical Trials.