Guest Lecture, On How People Living In And Around Floodplains In Kenya Navigate Immobility

On February 20, 2024, Maseno University's School of Development and Strategic Studies hosted its first Guest Lecture Series at its Kisumu City Campus, with simultaneous participation via Zoom. The event drew a diverse audience, including both staff and postgraduate students from Maseno University.

The guest speaker for the occasion was Louisa Brain, a Leverhulme Trust Doctoral Scholar from the School of Geography at Queen Mary University of London. Louisa's lecture, titled "How People Living in and Around Floodplains in Kenya Navigate Im/Mobility," captivated attendees with its exploration of the complex relationship between environmental change and human mobility in Kenya.

In her presentation, Louisa highlighted the emerging discourse surrounding environmental change and mobility, emphasizing the risks faced by communities residing in flood-prone areas. Drawing on her research conducted as part of her PhD studies, Louisa challenged the conventional binary framing of mobility and immobility. She argued for a more nuanced understanding of immobilities as dynamic processes shaped by social, economic, and environmental factors.

Throughout the lecture, Louisa engaged the audience with insights gleaned from oral histories, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews conducted during her research. Attendees had the opportunity to delve into the complexities of immobility in the context of floodplains, gaining valuable perspectives on adaptation strategies, community resilience, and the lived experiences of those navigating environmental risks.