Njoki Wamai

Njoki Wamai Kenyan academic, feminist activist, and Pan-africanist whose work has focused on marginalized people, human rights movements, post-conflict transitional justice, women rights and African politics using Critical, Feminist and Decolonial approaches.^[1][2] She is an assistant professor in the International Relations Department at United States International University Africa (USIU-A) in Nairobi.^[3] In 2016, she was awarded the Bill Gates Sr Prize for her leadership and contributions to the Gates Cambridge community.^[4][5]

Njoki Wamai
Njoki Wamai in 2025
Nationality	Kenyan
Education	PhD
Alma mater	University of Nairobi, King's College London, University of Cambridge
Occupation(s)	Academic, researcher
Employer	United States International University Africa
Known for	Transitional justice, African feminism, peace and security
Title	Assistant Professor, International Relations

Early life and education

Wamai earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Food Science and Technology and a Postgraduate Diploma in Gender and Development from the University of Nairobi.^[1][6] She later completed a Master's in Conflict, Security and Development at King's College London through the African Leadership Centre, graduating with distinction.^[7][5][6]

She received her PhD in Politics and International Studies from the University of Cambridge in 2017 as a Gates Cambridge Scholar.^[8] Following her PhD, she pursued postdoctoral research at Cambridge's Centre for Governance and Human Rights (CGHR).^[9]

Career and Research

Wamai is Cambridge scholar and an assistant professor of International Relations at the United States International University Africa (USIU-A) in Nairobi, where she teaches and researches on human rights, African politics, and international development.^[10] Her academic work explores the relationship between international legal institutions, such as the International Criminal Court, and local practices of justice in Kenya and other African contexts.^[5][6]

Her research engages with themes in Women, Peace and Security, African feminism, gender equality, transitional justice and critical approaches to peacebuilding and knowledge production. She has held roles in civil society organisations, including the Kenya Human Rights Commission and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.^[8] She has contributed to national policy frameworks such as Kenya's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.^[5]

Public Scholarship

She has participated in public discussions and contributed commentary on African politics and justice systems through platforms such as The Conversation, The Elephant, HuffPost, Pambazuka News, and through various broadcast interviews.

Affiliations and Recognition

Wamai is a board member of the Life & Peace Institute, where she contributes to peacebuilding initiatives across Africa.^[3] She is also an alumna of the African Leadership Centre at King's College London alongside Toyin Ajao and Shuvai Busuman Nyoni, all of whom have held leadership roles within the centre.^{[7][11][12][13]}

While at the University of Cambridge, Wamai co-founded the Black Cantabs Research Society, a counter-history initiative that documents the contributions of Black alumni and challenges historical erasure.^[14] Her work with the society is featured on the Black people in Cambridge page, which highlights the experiences and activism of Black students and scholars at the university. She also helped establish the Cambridge Eastern African Society and the African Society of Cambridge University.^[8]

In 2024, Wamai was named one of the Top 100 Career Women in Africa by 9to5Chick, a platform that highlights professional achievements of African women across diverse sectors.^[15]

Publications

• Wamai, N. (2025). Review of Some of Us Are Brave: Interviews and Conversations with Sistas on Life, Art and Struggle, by Thandisizwe Chimurenga. Gender & Development, 33(1), 279–281. doi:10.1080/13552074.2025.2464475 Gender & Development
• Wamai, N., & Waweru, K. (2024). Regimes and Resistance: Kenya's Resistance History through Underground and Alternative Publications. Radical History Review, 2024(150), 233–238. doi:10.1215/01636545-11257551 Duke University Press
• Wamai, N. (2023). Kenya, Politics, Economy and Society in 2023. In Africa Yearbook Volume 20. Brill. doi:10.1163/9789004696976_036 Brill
• Parrin, A., Simpson, G., Altiok, A., & Wamai, N. (2022). Youth and Transitional Justice. International Journal of Transitional Justice, 16(1), 1–18. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ijtj/ijac003 Oxford Academic
• Wamai, N. (2022). Kenya, Politics, Economy and Society in 2022. In Africa Yearbook Volume 19. Brill. doi:10.1163/9789004538115_036
• Wamai, N. (2021). Kenya, Politics, Economy and Society in 2021. In Africa Yearbook Volume 18. Brill. doi:10.1163/9789004519565_036
• Wamai, N. (2020). Kenya, Politics, Economy and Society in 2020. In Africa Yearbook Volume 17. Brill. doi:10.1163/9789004503182_036
• Wamai, N. (2020). International Relations and the International Criminal Court. In Cheeseman, N., Kanyinga, K., & Lynch, G. (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Kenyan Politics. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198815693. Oxford University Press
• Wamai, N. (2017). Peace, Justice and Moving On: Local Political Contestation of the International Criminal Court in Kenya. PhD thesis, University of Cambridge.

See also

• Rhodes Must Fall
• Black people in Cambridge
• African Leadership Centre
• Awino Okech – Professor of Feminist and Security Studies at SOAS, University of London
• Eka Ikpe – Nigerian development economist and Director of the African Leadership Centre at King's College London
• Toyin Ajao – Nigerian scholar and founder of Ìmọ́lẹ̀ of Afrika Centre, focused on restorative healing of intergenerational trauma
• Funmi Olonisakin – Founding Director of the African Leadership Centre and scholar of leadership and peacebuilding in Africa