Participation, Voice and Governance in Investment Corridors in Africa: The case of LAPSSET
Since 2012, the Kenyan government has begun commissioning work on the Lamu Port and South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (Corridor) project, commonly known as LAPSSET. The corridor, which consists of road, railway and new port facilities, promises to radically alter the landscape of northern Kenya—a historically marginalized region. Communities living in the corridor have raised concerns […]
Women in Islam
Muslim women around the world have increasingly been in the limelight for their leadership roles and the boldness with which they address critical issues affecting their community. In Sudan for instance, women are visibly on the frontline of the current uprising, defying security forces to demand for president Omar Al-Bashir’s resignation after three decades […]
Masculinities and Violent Extremism
Little attention has been given to the gendered dimensions of radicalization and violent extremist organizations, yet extremist leaders demonstrate how gendered norms and expectations versus individuals’ realities and lack of power can play into recruitment push and pull factors. On 8 May 2019, the Rift Valley Forum, in collaboration with Promundo, hosted a panel discussion to share […]
The Struggle for South Sudan
South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, has had a turbulent start to its existence as an independent nation. Although fighting has reduced in most parts of the country since the revitalised peace deal in September 2018, conflict and violence continue. More than four million people have been forced to flee their homes, 200,000 of […]
Launch of the Special Issue of the Journal of Eastern African Studies
In 2017, the Rift Valley Institute was involved in a study on the risks and challenges facing Kenya ahead of the 2017 elections and the prospects for a peaceful poll. On 27 May 2019, the findings from that study were disseminated through the launch of a special issue of the Journal of Eastern African Studies: Has […]
Research Collaboration in Conflict
Although institutions in the Global North have awoken to the need for local and contextualized knowledge in research, less is understood—or operationalized—about the risks associated with the lopsided conditions under which local partners must operate in the field. How conflict is understood is strongly influenced by how conflict research is produced. On Monday 10 […]
Green Dreams, Local Struggles: ‘Seeing’ conflicts in and around large energy projects in Kenya
Unprecedented levels of investment in ‘green’ resources—hydropower, geothermal, wind, landscapes and wildlife—are a central feature of national development strategies across eastern Africa. Political and business leaders have welcomed this investment for the benefits it will bring to the national population and the local jobs created. Many of these resource development projects are located at the […]
Responding to Drought in the Horn of Africa
Drought is once again devastating the Horn of Africa. It has severely affected the food security of more than 13 million people in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. Although droughts and other climatic shocks are recurrent in the region, are humanitarians, donors and governments learning from the successes and failures of past responses? On 23 October 2019, […]
Book Launch: Benga, a Kenyan Kaleidoscope
As the process of globalization and digitalization intensifies, previously confidential music genres are now experiencing a heightened level of visibility. Access to new audiences, however, can also present challenges for these often peripheral cultures, related to their re-interpretation and the ethical, economic and cultural difficulties associated with their diffusion. As a genre often looked down […]
Somalia: In search of a workable 2020 electoral model
For the fifth time since 2010, Somalia is exploring options for an electoral model that will advance the country’s democratic process. Despite previous attempts to pursue democracy, Somalia has failed to shed its clan-based political system. So far, the Federal Government of Somalia and other key stakeholders have been unable to agree on a workable […]