Mukuru, Nairobi, is one of Kenya’s largest informal settlements. It counts over 100 000 residents and is characterised by poor drainage and sewage systems, poorly designed houses built near the road reserves and drainage system, and the grabbing of land meant for development of infrastructure.  Infrastructural expansion has become a complex task due to land cartels and gangs who strongly oppose upgrading initiatives. Social amenities put up by...

Human mobility and global migration have been gaining increasing attention and visibility, as we are faced with an unprecedented crisis surrounding the lives and security of forcefully displaced people. The Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, has noted that 2016 is proving particularly deadly for migrants and asylum seekers, and has called for the international community to address the root causes of such movements, protect...

Indigenous peoples and groups worldwide are experiencing violent human rights violations. They are being increasingly marginalised as land is being taken away from them and their access to basic rights such as health and education is shrinking. Many of them are being excluded from participating in policy decisions that affect them, thus deprived from their rights to free, prior and informed consent. At the core of these violations against...

People with albinism face particularly difficult stigma in Tanzania, as local beliefs have cemented the perception that they are unnatural or cursed individuals. They are rejected by their families, avoided by their peers, and discriminated against, from school yards to court rooms. In many cases, people with albinism have suffered violent mutilations at the hands of traditional leaders who lead people to believe this puts an end to their...