As a social anthropologist who conducted fieldwork in Kenya’s evidence-based development sector, I witnessed a variety of ethically and scientifically problematic practices. These not only hinder the progress of science and risk harming research participants and aid beneficiaries but also prevent us from reaching development goals by producing “evidence” of impact which, upon closer scrutiny, does not hold up to the highest critical standards. With my work in Busara’s CREME developmental meta-research team, I hope to help eradicate some of these practices by applying a qualitatively more sensitive approach that makes use of ethnography to open up the space for multiple and contradictory voices to be heard, actors to be seen, and (potential) beneficiaries to be reached. 

Previously, I have been a postdoctoral scholar at a variety of academic institutions focusing on a wide range of topics. Since my first fieldwork experience in a small village in Homa Bay County, I have conducted over four years of participant observation across Kenya. Among my research interests are notions of masculinity among labor migrants in Nairobi, unconditional cash transfers, sports betting, indigenous food, as well as practices and discourses of the applied behavioral sciences. 

At Busara, I particularly aim to develop innovative tools and produce evidence on how to improve the experience of field officers, enumerators, research participants and aid beneficiaries, how to enhance their understanding of the behavioral and social sciences, and how to build a more robust and fair environment for all actors involved in the sector.

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