The signed policy, as approved by Senate.
Download PDFThis page carries the working rules for research at Kenyatta University. It sits with the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Outreach and is reviewed every three years.
The policy sets one standard for how research is proposed, cleared, carried out and reported across the university. It protects the people we study, the staff and students who do the work, and the name of the institution.
It applies to everyone doing research under the name of Kenyatta University.
No study begins before clearance. Proposals go to the Centre for Research Ethics and Safety through RMS, and are checked against NACOSTI guidelines.
Participants join freely and know what they are joining. Consent is recorded, and it can be withdrawn.
Data is stored on university systems, kept only as long as the study needs it, and handled in line with the Data Protection Act. Personal identifiers are removed before sharing.
Work produced with university time, funds or facilities belongs to the university, with the researcher holding moral rights. Where a funder claims rights, the grant agreement is read alongside this policy.
Inventions and creative work are declared to the directorate before any commercial talk begins.
Authorship follows contribution, not rank. Anyone listed must have shaped the work and be able to defend it. Anyone who helped without shaping the work is acknowledged.
Grants are received and spent through university accounts. Budgets follow the approved proposal, and reports go to the funder and the directorate on the same dates.
Declare any interest that a reader might see as pulling your findings, whether it is money, a seat on a board or a family tie.
Fabrication, plagiarism, undisclosed conflict and collecting data without clearance are treated as misconduct and handled under university statutes.
Concerns are raised with the Registrar, Research, Innovation and Outreach. They are looked into in confidence, and no one is punished for reporting in good faith.
Sections 03 and 04 carry the parts most requests get sent back for.
Start with ethical clearance and the rest of the file follows.
Ask me about ethics review, letters of support, fees, required documents, or where your application has reached.