Shortly after coming to power last December, Kenya’s new president, Mwai Kibaki, issued a heartfelt plea to the country's graduates now working in the developed world. “We invite all of those who have been hounded out of our shores by repressive policies of our predecessors to come back home and join us in nation-building,” the president said. “Kenya needs the genius of its citizens wherever they are. It’s time for healing, and we need every hand on deck.” The loss of skilled personnel is a major drain on the whole development process, nowhere more than in science and technology. A new SciDev.Net dossier provides a guide to this complex issue.