Africa’s Railway Renaissance: Continental Aspirations versus National Realities

by Mandira Bagwandeen Abstract As per the African Union’s 2016 prescription, most new rail projects in Africa are greenfield standard gauge railways (SGR) that cost billions of dollars, which, if successfully implemented and well run, can offer better services than road transport. However, to be viable, SGR investments must have adequate freight traffic, provide reliable […]

US-Africa Relations: A Case Study of US-Kenyan Economic Diplomacy

by Vahid Nick Pay and Ronny Gitonga-Mutethia Abstract Challenging the predominant tendency of political economy scholars and practitioners to rationalize the evolution towards unprecedented US-African bilateral Free Trade Agreements almost exclusively through the lens of US interests and global geoeconomic rivalries—and rarely from the perspective of deliberate and calculated intentions of African countries—this article establishes […]

Jogoo La Shambani Haliwiki Mjini: The Village and the Town in the Mũgithi and One-Man Guitar Performances in Kenya

by Maina wa Mũtonya Abstract The 1990s marked an emergence of a relatively new genre in the contours of Kenyan popular culture. The Mũgithi performance signaled a beginning of new directions, largely in Kenyan music and specifically in the contemporary Gĩkũyũ music in terms of themes and style. The performance, mostly an urban phenomenon dominated by […]

Governing Conservation Change from Below

A Reaction to “Africa’s Environment: The Final Frontier, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Africa of the Committee on International Relations House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourth Congress, Second Session, July 17, 1996.” by Richard R. Marcus Note: Statements at the Hearing were made by the following: Hon. Gary Bombardier, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa, Agency […]

Employment Relationships and Organizing Strategies in the Informal Construction Sector

by Jill Wells and Arthur Jason Abstract The expansion of self-employment, casual labor and outsourcing in the construction sector around the world and the growing involvement of intermediaries has led to an increasing complexity of employment relationships. The paper discusses the implications of this complexity for collective organizing, drawing on recent studies of informal labor in the […]

Creating Peace in an Armed Society: Karamoja, Uganda, 1996

by Michael D. Quam, University of illinois at Springfield Introduction to Karamoja Located in the northeastern part of Uganda, Karamoja is a 27,200 square kilometer area of semi-arid savannah, bush and mountains. To the east, the escarpment drops down into Turkana District in Kenya; to the north is the Sudan; to the west and south […]

Human Rights Abuse in Kenya under Daniel Arap Moi, 1978-2001

by Korwa G. Adar and Issac M. Munyae Introduction Jomo Kenyatta, the founding president of Kenya, passed away in August 1978 after fourteen years as head of state. His successor, Daniel Arap Moi, served as Kenyattas vice-president from 1966 – 1978. During Kenyatta’s presidency, the political realm was dominated by a small Kikuyu elite, the […]

AgroForestry Innovations in Africa: Can They Improve Soil Fertility on Women Farmers’ Fields?

by Christina H. Gladwin, Jennifer S. Peterson, and Robert Uttaro Abstract Most observers agree that the verdict is still out for agroforestry innovations known as improved fallows, which may take a decade for farmers to test properly. First farmers plant several small plots of different tree species, cut them after two years and plant a cash […]

Delimitation of the Elastic Ilemi Triangle: Pastoral Conflicts and Official Indifference in the Horn of Africa

by Nene Mburu Abstract This article observes that although scholars have addressed the problem of the inherited colonial boundaries in Africa, there are lacunae in our knowledge of the complexity of demarcating the Kenya-Sudan-Ethiopia tri-junctional point known as the Ilemi Triangle. Apart from being a gateway to an area of Sudan rich in unexplored oil […]

Taking American Race Relations on the Road…to Africa

by Rebecca Gearhart Author’s Note I originally wrote this article in the summer of 2001, after returning from Kenya where I had spent the month of May with eighteen Illinois Wesleyan students enrolled in my travel course. Inspired by a series of articles devoted to study abroad programs in Africa (African Issues, volume XXVIII/1&2) in […]

African Studies Quarterly

Tag: Kenya