Seminar: Understanding the Shallowness & Fragility of the Banking Sector in Kenya, Dec. 7 2011 @ BIEA

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Date: December 7, 2011
Venue: British Institute of Eastern Africa (BIEA)
Time: 11am -12.30pm
Entry: Prior Reservation with Kerry (kerry.kyaa@biea.ac.uk)

This presentation will be given by Dr Radha Upadhyaya, an economist with extensive teaching experience at the Department of Finance and Management Studies at SOAS, University of London.
In Kenya, Dr Upadhyaya has been involved in policy reform, the restructuring of a failed Kenyan bank, and has also served on the board of the Institute of Economic Affairs.

The seminar will be chaired by Dr Ambreena Manji who is the Director of the British Institute in Eastern Africa.

Download the The Shallowness and Fragility of Kenya’s Banking Sector programme

Seminar: Language, Cultural Symbolism, and Values-The Case for an AfroScript, Oct. 28 2011 @ BIEA

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The BIEA invites you to a seminar this October on the development of a pan-African writing system. The presentation is scheduled for;

Date: Friday October 28, 2011
Venue: BIEA
Time: 2-3.30pm
Entry: RSVP if you plan to attend (kerry.kyaa@biea.ac.uk)

Titled: Language, Cultural Symbolism, and Values-The Case for an AfroScript

This presentation will be given by Phillip Keane, an international educator and linguist whose research interests into ancient African script led to the development of a proto-type African writing system called the AfroScript – a writing system which can be used to write almost any African language.
Phillip has worked in various parts of East Africa, Europe, the Middle East, as well as the Caribbean.

This session will be chaired by Professor Humphrey Ojwang’. Prof. Humphrey is a lecturer at the Institute of African Studies at the University of Nairobi.

Download the Afroscript Program

Debate: SMS to Map, Nov. 7 2011 @ iHub

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SMS to Map: Using FrontlineSMS + Ushahidi to tell your story

Date: Monday 7th November, 2011
Time: 6-8pm
Hosts: FrontlineSMS, Ushahidi and Ihub
Location: ihub Upper Hill Estate, 4th Floor, Bishop Magua Centre , Nairobi

Speakers:
Laura Walker Hudson (FrontlineSMS)
Anahi Ayala Iacucci (Internews, Professional CrisisMapper)
Linda Raftree (Plan International)
Heather Leson (Ushahidi)
Format: Short presentations followed by Q&A

Connecting: @ushahidi @FrontlineSMS #smsmap #ushmeet
event website

Who should Attend:
We expect an audience made up of academics, students, NGOs and technology experts. The format of the event will be formal presentations followed by participation from the audience.

What to Bring:
Your toolkit: brain, smiles, paper, pen, and (optional) laptop, mobile device, or tablet.

You can tweet about this event using #smsmap, and find both the hosts on Twitter @Ushahidi @FrontlineSMS.

Update/Seminar: Different Seas, Different Histories? Reflections on the Western Indian Ocean, Jul. 6 2011 @ BIEA

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Due to unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances, Professor John Mack has with deep regret had to cancel his trip to Kenya and therefore his Seminar too (Different Seas, Different Histories?), which was scheduled for

Date: July 6, 2011
Venue: British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) Seminar Room, Laikippia Road, Kileleshwa
Speaker: Prof. John Mack, President of the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA)
Chair: Dr. Hassan Wario, Director of Museums, Sites & Monuments-National Museum of Kenya (NMK)
Entry: RSVP with Kerry (Kerry.kyaa@biea.ac.uk)
Tel. Contacts: 0735 260 004 or 0724 576 600

This seminar has been rescheduled to a later date and details will be communicated once we get them. Please accept apologies from BIEA.

The seminar discusses some of the arguments in the speaker’s recent book The Sea, A Cultural History. It begins by suggesting that seas have different characteristics which need to be taken into account in assessing the human engagement with them. Interpretations based on the Mediterranean or the North Sea have dominated interpretation of wider histories as have terrestrial understandings of what it means to be at sea. Topics discussed will include navigational practices, conceptions of the sea, trading practices and piracy. The occupation of Madagascar and the Swahili islands is instructive in terms of the implications of moving across the Equator. The mismatch between astrological systems and navigational knowledge, both based on observations of the stars, provides a suggestive conclusion.

Download Different seas, different histories poster and Map and Directions (pdf)

Update/Seminar: Different Seas, Different Histories? Reflections on the Western Indian Ocean, Jul. 6 2011 @ BIEA

by with No Comment seminar

Due to unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances, Professor John Mack has with deep regret had to cancel his trip to Kenya and therefore his Seminar too (Different Seas, Different Histories?), which was scheduled for

Date: July 6, 2011
Venue: British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) Seminar Room, Laikippia Road, Kileleshwa
Speaker: Prof. John Mack, President of the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA)
Chair: Dr. Hassan Wario, Director of Museums, Sites & Monuments-National Museum of Kenya (NMK)
Entry: RSVP with Kerry (Kerry.kyaa@biea.ac.uk)
Tel. Contacts: 0735 260 004 or 0724 576 600

This seminar has been rescheduled to a later date and details will be communicated once we get them. Please accept apologies from BIEA.

The seminar discusses some of the arguments in the speaker’s recent book The Sea, A Cultural History. It begins by suggesting that seas have different characteristics which need to be taken into account in assessing the human engagement with them. Interpretations based on the Mediterranean or the North Sea have dominated interpretation of wider histories as have terrestrial understandings of what it means to be at sea. Topics discussed will include navigational practices, conceptions of the sea, trading practices and piracy. The occupation of Madagascar and the Swahili islands is instructive in terms of the implications of moving across the Equator. The mismatch between astrological systems and navigational knowledge, both based on observations of the stars, provides a suggestive conclusion.

Download Different seas, different histories poster and Map and Directions (pdf)

Seminar: Kenya’s Water Reform, Jun. 17 2011 @ BIEA

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The British Institute in East Africa (BIEA) is organizing a seminar on Water titled ‘Water Reform: Lessons from a hundred years of water politics’.

Date: June 17, 2011
Venue: BIEA Seminar Room.
Location: Kileleshwa on Laikipia road.
Time: 1.30-3.30pm
To attend register with Kerry: kerry.kyaa@biea.ac.uk

The presentation will be given by Dr David Nilsson who has worked extensively for SIDA in East Africa. Currently an independent adviser and researcher attached to the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, Dr Nilson is also a publisher of several articles on the history of public water supply in Kenya and Uganda

The seminar and the ensuing discussion will be chaired by Dr Samuel Owour Ouma, a senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi.

Attached are the programme and Map to the venue. (Pdf)

Seminar: Constitutions and Constitution Making in E.A. & the Role of Law in Development, Jun. 9-11 2011 @ BIEA

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Dates: June 9–11, 2011
Venue: British Institute in Eastern Africa
Location: Laikipia Road, Kileleshwa, Nairobi
Entry: Contact Hannah the workshop coordinator (constitutionworkshop@gmail.com) to register and to get the full programme of the workshop
Contacts: +254 (0) 704 135913 | http://www.biea.ac.uk

Date: June 9, 2011
Topic: Constitutions and Constitution Making in Eastern Africa
Speakers: Willy Mutunga, Yash Pal Ghai, Goran Hyden, Jill Cottrell Ghai, Ambreena Manji, Patrick McAuslan, Linda Musumba, Wanjiku Kabira, Patricia Kameri-Mbote, Ben Sihanya*

Reflecting on the new era of constitution making in East Africa, the Katiba workshop will focus on: the history and legacy of postcolonial constitution making in the East Africa region, the social, political and economic considerations in drafting contemporary constitutions and the problems and challenges of implementing new constitutions.

Dates: June 10-11, 2011
Topic: The Role of Law in Development
Speakers: Vincent Mutai, Jack Mwimali, Luis Franceschi, Edga Sichangi, Hanna Weijers, Kasaija Phillip Apuuli, Reynolds Richter, Joy Malala, Nathan Tuimising, Benjamin Saccaggi, Thomas Obel Hansen, Charles Kamala, Angela Kronenburg*

On June 10-11, 2011, senior scholars from the Katiba workshop will read and comment on papers by early career scholars on a range of topics, including:

– Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and Constitutionalism
– Law and Natural Resources Management
– Intellectual Property and Health Rights
– Law, Banking and Financial Inclusion
– International Criminal Justice in Kenya

Download the Programme 9th – 11th June (pdf)

Seminar: Slum Upgrading Projects in Nairobi, Apr. 6-7 2011 @ Alliance

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The French Institute for Research in Africa (IFRA-Nairobi) is conducting a seminar on Slum Upgrading Projects in Nairobi focusing on the challenges in programme implementation.

Dates: April 6-7, 2011

Venue: Alliance Française

Time: 8:30am – 5:30pm

Entrance is by prior registration: publications@ifra-nairobi.net

New slum estimates show that currently almost a billion urban dwellers in the world are living in slum conditions. The French Institut for Research in Africa, which has been involved in research projects on informal settlements in East African cities for many years now, presents this conference that brings together key stakeholders involved in slum upgrading projects as well as representatives of associations in Kambi Moto and Korogocho where slum upgrading projects have been carried out. Research papers as well as practical examples, putting forward theoretical frameworks and methodological tools will be shared with the participants.

Programme summary:

* The conference will be opened by His Excellency the Ambassador of France Etienne de Poncins
* What does Slum Upgrading mean?
* KENSUP and KISIP: Overview, comparisons and discussions
* Huruma upgrading project (Kambi Moto, Mahira and Githaturu) the bottom-up approach
* Debate on the issue of the securisation of land tenure in slum upgrading project
* Research findings on informal settlements in Nairobi
* Korogocho upgrading project, the socio-economic profile approach
* The infrastructure approach: the Bio-centres in Mukuru, Korogocho and Kibera
* Lessons and Recommendations

More information on IFRA-Nairobi