My broad research interest is digital media cultures and civic engagement. My research paradigm goes beyond traditional theory to draw an alternative reflection to the philosophy of power and technology with particular interest in emerging technologies and social movements.
My research is a critique of existing societal structures and how they impact human relations within a postmodern critical theory approach. Often, I attempt to draw an alternative reflection to the philosophy of technology in multicultural societies, and an analysis of how biases (race, gender, class, power) in the design, creation and access of technologies can serve to reinforce existing power structures and social exclusion of groups in the society.
In collaboration with Winston Mano (University of Westminster, UK), Masibo Lumala (Moi University, Kenya) and Edwin Ataro (Technical University of Kenya), we were awarded a 50k grant by Mozilla foundation for our project titled: Wezesha na Kabambe: Swahili Voice ChatBot for Empowering Smallholder Farmers in Kenya.
In June 2022, together with Job Mwaura (University of Cape Town, South Africa) and David Cheruiyot (University of Groningen, Netherlands) we were awarded a 5k grant for an exploratory study on Immersive technologies in Africa as part of the Future Africa: Telling Stories, Building Worlds Program led by Africa No Filter in partnership with Meta.
In March 2022, together with Winton Mano (University of Westminster, UK) and Wallace Chuma (University of Cape Town, South Africa), we were awarded a research grant by Africa No Filter (ANF). ANF is a donor collaborative Read more about ANF here.
I am currently working on an African Media Collaborative project focussing on retelling African stories on a global platform free of biases and discrimination. In 2021, I developed a three-step RDO Model of repositioning African media narratives on global platforms that focusses on reframing, disruption and occupying online spaces. This is also an ongoing project.
In October 2020 I was appointed as a consultant for Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc. to serve as a Research Mentor/Academic Advisor to the Emerging Scholars Fellowship Program, at Africa No Filter. In this role, we were tasked with circulating the call for proposals to our networks and evaluating incoming proposals. We then submitted written feedback for the selected fellows proposals, research reports and journal manuscripts. We also attended launches, workshops and other events related to the program.
In 2017 I was appointed as an International Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies (WIAS) University of Westminster, London, UK to work with Professor Christian Fuchs. The title of the project was Justice or Imperialism? Africanness as the “other” in online postcolonial discourses of emancipation from the International Criminal Court. (I deferred the project due to other work obligations at the time).
Another collaborative project i engaged in was In 2013-2014, together with Winston Mano (University of Westminster, UK). We received a grant from the British Academy, under the International Partnership and Mobility Scheme to carry out research on media and democracy and launch a collaborative network: UK-Africa Media and Democracy Research Network.http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/awards/intl/international_partnership_and_mobility.cfm. As part of the project, we also hosted an international conference in Westminster University, on 29th March 2014, which drew participants from different countries. The theme of the conference was Media and Elections in Africa. Thereafter we held a workshop for faculty, journalists, bloggers and graduate students in Nairobi, Kenya, that was themed: Citizen Journalism and democracy in Africa: New Questions in a New Era
I also have experience in transnational comparative research. In 2008, as a Guest Researcher at University of Groningen, Netherlands I carried out a comparative research project between television audiences in Kenya and the Netherlands. The project was funded by the Coimbra Group Scholarship Programme for Young African Researchers. The title of the project was Television Images and Sounds among the Urban Youth: A Comparative Analysis of ‘Uses and Gratification Theory’ and ‘Social Learning Theory’ in Kenya and the Netherlands
Below is a list of research awards and projects:
July 2022: Mozilla Common Voice Grant
Funded by: Mozilla Foundation
Title of Project: Wezesha na Kabambe: Swahili Voice ChatBot for Empowering Smallholder Farmers in Kenya.
Team: Winston Mano (University of Westminster, UK), L. Lusike Mukhongo, Masibo Lumala (Moi University, Kenya), and Edwin Ataro (Technical University of Kenya).
June 2022-December 2022: Immersive Technologies Grant
Funded by: Africa No Filter, in partnership with Meta, Electric South and Imisi3D
Title of Project: Young African Diaspora: Global African Narratives and Identity Formation.
Team: Job Mwaura (University of Cape Town, South Africa), L. Lusike Mukhongo, David Cheruiyot (University of Groningen, Netherlands).
March 2022-December 2022: ANF Research Grant
Funded by: Africa No Filter
Title of Project: Young African Diaspora: Global African Narratives and Identity Formation.
Team: L. Lusike mukhongo, Winston Mano (University of Westminster, UK, and Wallace Chuma (University of Cape Town, SA)
May – August 2017: International Senior Research Fellow: (Deferred)
Funded by: Westminster Institute for Advanced Studies (WIAS)
University of Westminster, UK
https://www.westminster.ac.uk/the-westminster-institute-for-advanced-studies/research
Title of Project: Justice or Imperialism? Africanness as the “other” in online postcolonial discourses of emancipation from the International Criminal Court
2013 – 2014: International Partnership and Mobility Scheme
Funded by: The British Academy
University of Westminster, UK/Moi University, Kenya
Title of Project: UK-Africa Media and Democracy Research Network
http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/awards/intl/international_partnership_and_mobility.cfm
2008-2012: University Research Grant
Funded by: Moi University 5TH University Research Fund (URF) Award Program
Title of Project: The Influence of Mass Media on Political Mobilization and Ethnic Conflict in Kenya: A Case of Mt. Elgon
Sep 2008- Dec 2008: Guest Researcher
Funded by: Coimbra Group Scholarship Program for Young African Researchers
University of Groningen, Netherlands
Title of Project: Television Images and Sounds among the Urban Youth: A Comparative Analysis of ‘Uses and Gratification Theory’ and ‘Social Learning Theory’ in Kenya and the Netherlands
2005 – 2010: PhD Research
Funded by: German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
Title of Project: Influence of Television Images and Sounds among the Youth in Selected Kenyan Urban Centers
Digital Media and Civic Engagement 