In this post, Martin Skrydstrup tells us about ‘My First Election Day’, a project that he conceived and directed around Kenya’s 2013 elections. As part of the project, 10 young Kenyans who were voting for the first time were given cameras and tasked with recording their election-day experiences. Martin has a PhD in cultural anthropology […]
In this article our Co-editor, Nic Cheeseman, reflects back on Kenya’s experiences in 2013. He argues that the country is currently at a cross-roads, with signposts pointing both towards ethnic manipulation and civil conflict, as well as democratic consolidation and peace against-the-odds. The country’s recent elections also bear signs of these divergent paths. The future […]
In his article our Co-editor, Nic Cheeseman, turns his attention to the cabinet in Kenya. He argues that cabinets that provide places for technocrats can work well – as seen in the examples of South Korea and Botswana – but Uhuru Kenyatta’s cabinet is not. Although the individuals involved explain part of the problem, the […]
Professor David Anderson and others are considering mounting a legal challenge to the FCO following their intransigence over the ‘Special Collections’ they are currently holding. Despite assurances to the contrary, these 1.2 million historical files are still inaccessible to the public and no clear timetable for their release is currently available.
Following the sad news of Joel Barkan’s death, our co-editor Nic Cheeseman reflects on his life and his contribution to the study of Kenya. This remembrance was first published in Kenya’s Daily Nation.
In his bi-monthly column for the Daily Nation, our co-editor Nic Cheeseman, reflects back on a workshop he organised in Nairobi. The workshop drew in colleagues from the University of Oxford and the Institute for Development Studies at Nairobi University to discuss the impact that coalitions have on nine different political systems based on legislative data and MP […]
1. Tell us a bit about yourself, and your area of interest. I’m currently a lecturer in International Development at the Univeristy of Edinburgh. My work focuses above all on understanding the dynamics of migration and citizenship, especially in conflict and crisis settings. My first book, The Point of No Return: Refugees, Rights and Repatriation, came out […]
Reflecting back on the Women in Politics and Government Conference in November 2013, our Co-editor, Nic Cheeseman argues we need to increase the number of women in government, but in order for these women to have leverage in their respective legislatures, they need to be seen as legitimate representatives who have earned the positions that […]
In this blog, Alexander Noyes tells us about his recent research, which explores the relationship between power sharing agreements and Security Sector Reform (SSR). In many transitional countries, SSR can play a crucial role in making situations more stable and democracy more feasible. But can power sharing agreements help SSR where it matters most? Alexander is a […]
Are newspapers on their way out?
With a new series on media and democracy in the pipeline at DiA, our co-editor ponders the future of newspapers in Kenya and beyond.