Political settlements and public authority in the DRC
On 8 December 2017, the Rift Valley Forum hosted a panel discussion on political settlements, public authority and armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The panel brought together researchers from the Political Settlements Research Programme (PSRP), a four-year research programme funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and led […]
The impact of war on Somali men and its effects on the family, women and children
In recent years Somalia has earned the ignominy of being ranked ‘one of the worst places in the world to be a woman’, the worst place on Earth to be a mother and ‘one of the worst places in the world to be a child.’ Contributing factors cited include high female illiteracy, widespread Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), early and […]
Preliminary Observations from the 2017 Somaliland Presidential Elections
Listen to Part 2 and the Q&A here. Somaliland declared independence on 18 May 1991. Since then, the country has enjoyed effective autonomy and established significant international cooperation and diplomatic ties with other countries. It has held a series of elections in the presence of international electoral observers. On 13 November 2017, Somalilanders went to […]
Coal: Development, energy and employment
The mining of Kenya’s coal deposits has started in earnest in line with Kenya’s aspiration to become a middle-income industrialized country by the year 2030. A key element in reaching this goal is the generation of energy to power industries and making electricity more widely accessible to the population in Kenya. While the government is […]
Cultural Identity: Kenya and the coast
During 2010 and 2011, a secessionist campaign led by a group calling itself the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) dominated debates about coastal politics. As a result of local grievances, the MRC’s call for secession attracted a degree of public sympathy on the coast. Debates emerged that portrayed two contrasting images of Kenya: the inclusive nation […]
We Do Not Have Borders
Somalis have lived in Kenya for generations, in many cases long before the founding of the country. Despite their long residency, they are often perceived to be an alien presence in the country and a threat to security, especially following tragic events by al-Shabaab in Kenya. On 4 January 2017, the Rift Valley Forum launched We […]
Going on Tahriib
‘An enlightening exposé of the motives and societal pressures that spur irregular migration, in this particular case, from Somaliland and Puntland. This study could not be timelier given that people smugglers and migrant traffickers have proven themselves to be extremely adept at continuously adjusting their methods to changed and changing policy contexts. Policymakers in both […]
One slum, three upgrades
In 2004, the Kenyan government in collaboration with UN-HABITAT launched the Kenya Slum Upgrading Programme (KENSUP), which aims to improve the living conditions of about 60 per cent of the country’s urban population by 2020. Kibera, the largest informal settlement in the country, is a pilot project under this programme. Other major development projects in […]
Big Barrier: Youth unemployment at the coast
In Kenya, 80 per cent of the unemployed are believed to be below the age of 35. The rate of unemployment in Mombasa, Kenya’s second largest city and home to the region’s largest port, is estimated to be 44 per cent. The Kuza project’s definition of unemployment includes those earning less than KES 10,000 (USD […]
A Year of Protests in Ethiopia
For more than a year now, two decades of relative social and political order in Ethiopia has been disrupted by unprecedented protest and unrest. Long-standing grievances erupted in November 2015, only six months after the ruling Ethiopia Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) won a total electoral victory earlier in May the same year. The two […]