Emmah Wabuke holds a PhD from University of Cambridge, a a Master of Laws (LL.M) from Harvard Law Schooland a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from the University of Nairobi. She is also an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya. She has experience conducting in-depth and impactful research works on varied human rights issues, including, women, peace and security, reproductive justice, criminal justice reform and sexual and gender-based violence.
Emmah also has extensive experience designing teaching curriculums on the impact of the law and politics on women’s lived experiences, and has conducted professional trainings on refugee protection, SGBV and human rights law in Kenya; and the laws governing Human Rights Defenders’ advocacy. She has previously worked as a law lecturer and was the Founding Director of Strathmore Law Clinic, based at Strathmore Law School, Nairobi, from 2018 to 2020. She has also worked as a summer lecturer at Pembroke College, University of Cambridge on Politics of Conflict and Peace.
Ethnic discrimination or persecution, Ex-combatant reintegration, Female genital mutilation/circumcision/FGC, Forced conscription, Forced marriage ,Gang-related violence/non-state actors, Gender-based violence/domestic violence, Healthcare access/health systems capacity, HIV/AIDS, Journalist persecution, LGBTQ, Military/police service, Political persecution, Prison conditions, Religious discrimination or persecution, Government/state actor persecution, Risk of retaliation, Safe internal relocation, Sexual abuse/assault, Sufficiency of protection, Torture, Trafficking, Tribal discrimination or persecution, Violence against children/child abuse, Refugee rights
I have engaged in capacity strengthening initiatives with refugee leaders at Kakuma Refugee Camp, focusing on enhancing awareness and advocacy for the rights of refugees, particularly in protection against sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).
While I lack direct experience in writing country of origin expert reports, I possess demonstrable expertise in drafting official reports and policy papers, particularly concerning issues such as prosecutorial trends, human rights, gender and anti-discriminatory laws, prison reform, and juvenile justice systems. For instance, I conducted research for Kenya Legal & Ethical Issues Network on HIV and AIDS (KELIN) in 2018 and 2020, resulting in an official report advocating for the respect of rule of law and human rights in the prosecution of offenses related to abortion. Additionally, as Lead Researcher in a collaboration between CleanStart Kenya and Birkbeck University, I investigated women's incarceration in Kenya, resulting in specific recommendations for stakeholders, including the Kenya Prisons Service and the criminal justice system. Moreover, in 2020, I spearheaded a research and policy project on the impact of juvenile detention on girls in Kenya, producing an Advocacy Tool on Diversion Systems for Juvenile Girls in Kenya, which has been adopted by the Taskforce on Children Matters under Chief Justice Martha Koome
PUBLICATIONS
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
2023 “Possibilities of New Approaches to Gender, Security and Constitutionalism: A Living Gender Probe into Kenyan National Security Architecture in the Constitution.” Verfassung in Recht und Übersee: p. 191 -212.
2018 “Female Militancy in Terrorist Groups and the African Union Counter-Terrorism Response” Journal of African Peace and Security Vol. 1, No. 1, p. 87 – 102.
2016 Harrison Mbori Otieno, Emmah Wabuke and Smith Ouma, “The Fission and Fusion in International Use of Force” Case Western Journal of International Law Vol. 48, p. 303 – 352.
Peer Reviewed Book Chapters
2022 Patricia Ouma and Emmah Wabuke, ‘Regional Responses to Nationality, Citizenship and Child Statelessness: The Case of the East African Community’ in Markiewicz – Stanny, Milej and Wedel-Domaradzka (eds.) Children in Migration: Status and Identity (Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, Baden – Baden, Germany).
2021 Luis Franceschi and Emmah Wabuke, ‘Mapping the Legal Contours of Presidential Electoral Law in Kenya: A Case Review of Raila Odinga v IEBC Presidential Election No. 1 of 2017’ in Muna Ndulo (ed) Handbook of African Law (Routledge/Taylor and Francis Publishers, New York, USA).
2020 COVID-19, Access to Socio-Economic Rights and Countering Violent Extremism Among Women: Reflections and Propositions From Kenya in Justice Mavedzenge (ed) COVID-19 Pandemic and Socio-Economic Rights in Selected Eastern and Southern African Countries (Juta Press, Cape Town, South Africa).
2017 Luis Franceschi, Linet Muthoni Njeri and Emmah Wabuke, ‘Judicial Review and Public Power in Kenya: Revisiting Judicial Response to Select Political Cases’ in Arnold, R., Martínez-Estay, J. (eds) Rule of Law, Human Rights and Judicial Control of Power Springer Publishers, Cham, Switzerland).
Other Professional Publications
2023 “Litigating Forced Sterilization in Africa: Insights From Practice”, Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA), Johannesburg, South Africa.
2017 “Not All Amnesty Deals Are Made the Same”, Foreign Policy Magazine, New York, USA <http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/10/06/not-all-amnesty-deals-are-made-the-…;