Mark Bradbury is a social analyst with over 20 years’ experience in international development and humanitarian aid. He has worked in and written about Somalia, Somaliland, Sudan, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Uganda, and Kosovo as a development worker and researcher. He is author of Becoming Somaliland (Indianapolis, Indiana University Press, 2008).

Benedict joined RVI as Head of Finance and Operations in June 2018. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree, specialising in Strategic Management, as well as a Bachelor of Commerce Degree, Accounting option. He is a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

Sylvia Kitema is the Finance Manager at the Rift Valley Institute, Nairobi. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) and a Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (CPA-K) II degree.

Amina is the Engagement Coordinator for the Rift Valley Forum and the Research Communities of Practice project. She has experience in strategic communications, having worked as a Communications Officer and Media Liaison Officer for local NGOs operating in Kenya and Somalia before joining RVI.

Elizabeth Mahiri is the Programme Administrator for Education at the Rift Valley Institute. Previously, Liz was the editor for Ghetto Mirror, a newspaper that focuses on social, political, and economic issues in informal settlements. She trained slum youth in journalistic writing and photography, and empowered them to design and produce high-quality media material.

Richard joined RVI in February 2016, after working in the commercial sector for seven years as an accountant. He holds a Bachelor of Finance degree from Strathmore University, Nairobi, and is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Dr. David Otieno Ngira is the Research Training Manager and Coordinator, Research Communities of Practice Project at RVI. David holds a PhD in human rights law from Utrecht University in the Netherlands and a Masters degree in International Development Law from Warwick University.

Anna joined RVI as the South Sudan Programme Manager in January 2017. She has been working in South Sudan since 2012 and has experience managing and coordinating programmes in the country with national and international NGOs, and with the UN. In 2015, Anna established a Human Resources company in South Sudan focused on developing opportunities for South Sudanese job seekers.

Najma is a Research Lead at RVI and works on the Somali Dialogue Platform. She previously worked in the international development and humanitarian sector, conducting research on a wide range of thematic areas including conflict, climate change and migration. Najma holds a master’s degree in Humanitarian Action and Conflict and a bachelor’s degree in Law. 

With several years of work experience both in the UK and South Sudan, Mimi has worked in the fields of media and marketing, cultural exchange, gender analysis, project implementation and communications.

Nancy Joined RVI in June 2021, after having worked as an Accountant in the corporate world for fourteen years. She holds a Masters degree in Business Administration (Strategic Management), Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) from University of Nairobi; and is a Certified Public Accountant (ICPAK member number 16771).

Magnus Taylor is Senior Publications and Programme Manager at RVI, based in London. Previously, he was Horn of Africa analyst at International Crisis Group—working from Nairobi, Kampala and Khartoum—focused on conflict and political developments in Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda. Prior to this, he was editor of the Royal African Society's online analysis portal, African Arguments.

Alex Miskin Simple joined RVI in February 2019 as Project Officer working on the National Archives Project. From 2017, he has been working with RVI on various consultancies as a trainer and researcher.

Hannah is the Horn of Africa Programme Manager at RVI, based in London. She joined RVI in December 2017 and works part time. Hannah lived and worked in East Africa for 7 years working for International Crisis Group and Saferworld in Nairobi, and in political affairs for the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Sudan, in Khartoum.

Partha is a Research Manager at RVI and works on the Somali Dialogue Platform. He previously worked at Africa’s Voices Foundation, working on civic engagement and research projects in Somalia and Kenya, and the Africa Programme at Chatham House. He has also worked as an independent consultant in the field of peace-building and good governance for Somali NGOs.

Ahmed Omer is a Programme Administrator working with Rift Valley Institute based in Hargeisa. He has close to 10 years’ experience in research, M&E and project management. He has worked in the Somali regions and Djibouti as an M&E Coordinator and Programme Manager for international organizations such as ActionAid, DRC, NRC and PSI.

Ben joined  RVI in March 2022 and has 5 years of experience with different international organizations as an accountant. He holds a Diploma in Banking and Finance and a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration.