The prospect of devolved county government has been met with particular enthusiasm in Kenya’s former Coast province since the passage of the new constitution in 2010. Many see devolution as offering a panacea for decades of the Coast’s perceived marginalization and underdevelopment by the central state. The Coast’s communities welcomed the…

The Rift Valley Institute, together with the South Sudan Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, and UNESCO, with funding from Norway, are pleased to announce the first 'Tarikh Tana (Our History)' Radio Show, which will air on Wednesday 1 November 2017 at 16:00 EAT on Eye Radio (98.6FM). The 'Tarikh Tana (Our History)' radio shows are taking…

'We first heard about it early last year when we saw Japanese airplanes, followed by strangers (land surveyors) walking around the area, carrying notepads, pens and fancy equipment, just like you' say community members of Isiolo County about the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia (LAPSSET) Transport project. Awareness of LAPSSET seems to be…

President Kenyatta’s disappointment and anger at the decision to sack Gen Johnson Ondieki for the failures of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (Unmiss) peacekeeping force is evident. As commander-in-chief, it is perhaps the gravest task of office to determine if and how compatriots serving the nation in uniform are placed in harm’s way…

Tahriib is an Arabic word that has gained prominence and popularity in the Somali language. In current parlance, young Somalis are said to be “going on tahriib” when they embark on the hazardous journey to Europe via the Sahara and the Mediterranean. Tahriib has gradually become part of Somali youth culture, a practice shared by youth across…

The RVI Board of Trustees announced today that the Executive Director of the Rift Valley Institute, John Ryle, will step down at the end of 2016 after fifteen years as head of the organisation. The trustees have appointed Mark Bradbury—currently RVI Horn of Africa and East Africa Regional Director—as Executive Director from 1 January 2017. Mark…

Like many of his generation, Becu Thomas fled southern Sudan as a teenager in the 1990s. He grew up in a refugee camp in Uganda, then returned home in 2005 and got a job with the Ministry of Culture. Soon he began helping to rescue forgotten historical documents in hopes of one day creating a national archive. When many of his colleagues at the…

The RVI scholarship fund is relaunched this month as the RVI Shading Tree Fund. This follows a generous donation from the family of Ranald Boyle, a former District Commissioner in South Sudan. Since the Institute was founded, the scholarship fund has enabled young scholars and activists from Eastern and Central Africa to participate in RVI…

Maxamed Xuseen Geeldoon waa 27 sano jir, dhowr jeer isku dayey inuu u tahriibo Yurub balse ku guuldarraystay. Dhibaato, rafaad badan iyo sannado badan oo ka lumay cimirigiisa ka dib, waxaa uu dib ugu soo laabtay Somaliland isaga oo go’aansaday inuu dhalinyarada ka waaniyo halisaha tahriibka. Maxamed waxa taariikhdiisa tahriibka oo loogu…

Maxamed Xuseen Geeldoon, waa nin da' yar oo soo maray tahriib halis ah oo uu dhulka saxaraha kaga gudbay oo gaadhay Libya. Doon ayaa la qalibmi gaartay, wuu silcay oo wuu rafaaday, ka dibna wuxuu go'aansaday inuu dalkiisii dib ugu noqdo oo wuxuu ku laabtay magaalada Hargeysa oo uu haatan ku suganyahay. Waxa isaga iyo Alle ha u naxariistee…