Profile

I am a Research Fellow at the University of Sussex, UK. I am married with two children, who are all grown up. My daughter is a financial economist and my son is a software engineer. My favorite food is maize and beans. I love meeting people and traveling. I am curious about the world around me and I read almost anything I can lay my hands on. I read topics outside my area of expertise for fun. I enjoy writing and discussing my thoughts with others. I love the outdoors though I am an indoor person!

As a corruption researcher, I investigate how power is abused for personal gain—and how that abuse affects everyday people, institutions, and society as a whole. But my work goes deeper than that. Here’s a more detailed description of what I do:

🔍I examine the systems, not just the scandals.

I don’t just focus on flashy headlines or high-profile cases—I study the structures, norms, and policies that allow corruption to take root and persist, especially in public institutions and governance processes.

👥 I explore how corruption affects people differently.

My research pays special attention to gendered impacts—how women, girls, and marginalized groups often bear the brunt of corruption, and how anti-corruption efforts can unintentionally exclude or disadvantage them. I help design more inclusive and equitable solutions.

📊 I use evidence to inform action.

I collect and analyze data—qualitative and quantitative—to uncover patterns of corruption and test ideas. But I don’t stop at the research—I share your findings with governments, civil society, academics, and international bodies to improve policy and practice.

🎙️ I speak truth to power.

In conferences, classrooms, and community forums, I translate research into stories, tools, and strategies that inspire change. You also advocate for safer, more transparent spaces for those fighting corruption on the ground.

🌍 I connect the local to the global.

Whether working in Kenya’s county governments or presenting at international forums, I show how local governance challenges link to global issues like development, security, and inequality.

I start my day with a strong cup of coffee.

I then dig into my emails and respond to the most urgent ones. The less urgent ones I respond later in the evening.

I then collect data or design research, review books, articles and thesis for marking, usually in the morning section. I then travel for meetings and conferences and workshops, in the afternoon. Sometimes these meetings could be in the morning or take the whole day and I have to adjust myself accordingly.

I would work with students to research on how public money in their school is being spent and I would help them develop tools to monitor its usage and overall effectiveness. I would help the students publish their research and ensure they continue utilizing the tools to promote accountability and transparency in the utilization of public funds in their school.