UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May led a delegation to Kenya this week to further a partnership between the State of California and the Government of Kenya. The focus of the collaboration is on climate action, clean transportation, climate-smart agriculture, public health, and innovation. Samuel Assefa, director of the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, joined May along with several university representatives. The trip was organized by UC Davis Global Affairs, the Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Davis), and Kenya’s Office of the Special Envoy on Climate.
The delegation included Vice Chancellor for Research Simon Atkinson; Dean of the College of Letters and Science Estella Atekwana; Dean of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing Stephen Cavanagh; Dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Ashley M. Stokes; Vice Provost and Dean of Global Affairs Joanna Regulska; Associate Vice Provost for Global Affairs Michael Lazzara; Director of ITS-Davis Alissa Kendall; Director of the Global South Centre for Clean Transportation Aditya Ramji; as well as Assefa.
This visit comes after a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in September 2025 by California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin and Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry Lee Kinyanjui. The signing took place in front of California Governor Gavin Newsom and Kenyan President William Ruto. Under this agreement, ITS-Davis was named Secretariat for the partnership. Its Global South Center for Clean Transportation will oversee collaborative efforts and ensure that research expertise guides government priorities.
“This partnership positions UC Davis at the forefront of global climate and transportation innovation,” said Chancellor May. “By connecting our research strengths with Kenya’s emerging clean-tech sector, we can accelerate solutions that benefit both our regions and the planet.”
During their stay in Kenya, Chancellor May met with senior officials from President Ruto’s administration to discuss joint research projects, investment opportunities, and strategies to expand solutions in sectors such as electric mobility, public transportation, plant breeding, livestock management, soil health productivity, public health, and community development. These discussions build on three decades of UC Davis collaborations in Kenya.
The group also visited partner NGOs including Human Needs Project and HEART. They explored potential academic partnerships with institutions like University of Nairobi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, and Strathmore University to develop faculty collaborations, student exchanges, and innovation partnerships intended to put elements from the MOU into practice.
Kenya has become recognized as Africa’s “Silicon Savannah” due to its growing role as a center for digital innovation and clean-energy entrepreneurship. Like California it faces increasing challenges from climate change while working on policy solutions for decarbonization.
UC Davis aims to link California’s policy landscape with Silicon Valley’s technology sector through its role as an intermediary among policymakers, researchers, industry professionals,and entrepreneurs in both regions.
One major outcome from this visit was progress toward establishing Africa’s first Center of Excellence for Sustainable Transport in Nairobi.The center will be led by UC Davis’ Global South Center for Clean Transportation.It is designed to support African governments by providing research training,and technical guidance tailored specificallyto local needsin orderto develop resilient low-carbon transport systems.
“This Center is not about exporting California’s model,it’s about co-creating solutions with African governments that reflect local realities,” said Ramji.“Kenya is already a leader in innovationand entrepreneurship.By pairing that energywith UC Davis’ research expertise,we can help acceleratesustainable transport transitionsacross the continent.”
Africa experiences someof themost severeclimate impacts globally despite being responsiblefor onlya small portionof worldwide emissions.The new center aims tomakea long-term impactby integratingresearch directlyinto policymakingand implementation processes.
With more than 400 million young people aged 15–35,Africa has oneofthe world’s most dynamicinnovation environments.“The next generationof world-changing innovationis as likelyto emergefrom Nairobior Lagosas itis from Silicon Valley,”said Chancellor May.“UC Davismust beat those tables—learning contributingand leading.”
Through this international partnershipUC Davis intends toenhanceits global reachwhile creatingnew opportunitiesfor research collaborationstudent engagementand positive climate outcomesinCaliforniaKenyaand beyond.
