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ONGOING PROJECTS
  • Contributor, V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) – Democracy, Elections and Political Parties in Zanzibar(2000-2020).
  • Researcher, Providing for Peacekeeping Project – International Peace Institute (IPI) (2015-Ongoing).
  • Research in Popular Music and Culture (2019-Ongoing).
  • Research in Politics and Elections in Tanzania (Ongoing).
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General Blogs

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Kujenga Amani: Opposition as ‘Incumbent’ and ‘Incumbent’ as Opposition: Analyzing the Key Issues in Kenya’s 2022 Presidential Campaigns

blog, General Blogs, Politics

By Nicodemus Minde Recent victories by opposition parties in Zambia, Malawi, Cape Verde, and Ghana are challenging the power of the incumbent thesis in African elections. In Kenya, no sitting president has ever lost an election but a sitting president has seen his preferred candidate lose an election. In 2002, longtime President Daniel Moi saw his chosen successor Uhuru Kenyatta defeated by Mwai Kibaki in what was seen as the freest elections in Kenya’s history. Fast forward, twenty years on, President Uhuru Kenyatta is backing his longtime political nemesis turned ally...

My Analysis on TheConversation: Change of guard in Kenya: the 5 reasons neighbours watch every step

blog, General Blogs

By Nicodemus Minde Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta – whose final term in office ends after the 9 August polls – has been a key figure in east Africa. Over the last nine years, he has tried to create markets and address issues like peace, malaria and climate change. Within the East African Community, he signalled the end of an era on 21 July when he handed over the bloc’s leadership to his Burundian counterpart, Evariste Ndayishimiye. International relations scholar Nicodemus Minde explores five reasons neighbouring states follow the change of guard in Nairobi very keenly. You can read...

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Wake Up!

General Blogs, Students' Analyses, Students' Tribune

By Umu Jalo  Hey you! Pause for a moment. Hold whatever it is that you are doing for at least three minutes before you resume your routine on the hamster wheel that you have found yourself in.  Do you think that this is it? Being born, going to school by the time you get to four years’ old, being churned through the worlds educational systems, coming out at whatever level, high school, graduate, or even a professor? Do you think that all you were meant to be was a cog in...

Shembeteng and the Rise of Popular creativities in Kenya

blog, General Blogs, Inspirations

By Nicodemus Minde In the recent few weeks a new form of Sheng is emerging. Sheng is Kenyan street slang which has origins in low income urban settings of Nairobi. Dubbed a Shembeteng, this new variety of street slang, has been described by the Kenyan Dictionary as “sheng words that sound like they are encrypted”. The Kenyan Dictionary is a popular platform that decodes Kenyan popular verbal exegeses. It describes itself as a guide to understanding Kenyans. Apart from decoding the verbal exegeses, the platform is a space for reading contemporary...

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Achieving My Diplomatic Vision through My Passion in Culinary Arts

General Blogs, Students' Analyses, Students' Tribune

[vc_row row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" text_align="left" box_shadow_on_row="no"][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Teresa Muthoki “I never start any task on a trial and error basis because I like to see my projects to a successful end.” These are words of Simon Gicharu, an entrepreneur and educationist from the book ‘Life Journeys Nuggets’ compiled by Susan Wakhungu Githuku.   When I chose to pursue a Bachelors of Arts Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy, I was never sure of what I wanted in life but I was certain that humanities and social sciences was my calling. At first I wanted...

Covid-19 Vaccination: Experiences from Israel

General Blogs, Politics, Students' Analyses, Students' Tribune

By Dickens Ngunya The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2), commonly known as the Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is claimed to have originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has spread to all corners of the globe. This virus has claimed the lives of over three million people worldwide and has changed the optics through which we look at public health both locally and internationally. The novel coronavirus disease has demonstrated that individual states have the onus to mitigate, manage, plan, and implement strategies tailored for their specific situations in future...

Poor Water Infrastructure and Covid-19 in the Democratic Republic of Congo

blog, General Blogs, Students' Tribune

By Frank Odhiambo Introduction According to UNEP, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s water sources account for more than half of Africa’s surface water but by 2018 only 26% of its population had access to safe water. Years of political instability have left the water infrastructure in the DRC neglected. Consequently, affluent Congolese can buy imported water at $1 per litre, but for the millions earning less than $2 a day, this is unlikely. Since access to water is a key element to ensuring the health of a country, poor water infrastructure has compromised...

Is the government doing enough for the economic development of rural youth in Kenya?

General Blogs, Students' Analyses, Students' Tribune

By Peter Kirongothi   The United Nations (UN) defines ‘Youth’ as persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years. However, this is not regarded as explicit. Article 260 of Kenya’s constitution defines a youth as a person between the ages of 18 and 35 years. A country’s youth is usually considered as the economic driving force and to some degree, political and cultural as well. Ignoring this population could prove to be pernicious. Dissatisfaction by this group can easily spiral out of control with a snowball effect incentivized by technological advancements...

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