Daniel Rogei holds a doctorate in Anthropology from Carleton University, Canada. His research thesis is entitled, Mediating Maendeleo: Examining the nexus between geothermal extraction, wildlife conservation and community well-being in Olkaria-Suswa, Southern Kenya. Daniel also holds a MSc. Environmental science and climate change from the University of Nairobi. Has collaboratively undertaken various research programs such as International Canopy of Conservation (McGill University) and Seeing Conflicts at the Margins (Institute of Development Studies, IDS) and lately, Nature based solutions for East Africa’s Resilience to climate change (Sussex University). Dr Rogei completed a post doctorate research fellow at Carleton University’s sociology and Anthropology department (Canada) in (2022-2024). His research focused on the use of technology to reduce cattle theft in pastoralist communities in Kenya and Uganda.

Dr Rogei has extensively (for over 20 years) researched on and consulted with indigenous and pastoral communities on development, climate change, environment and social-economic empowerment projects. As an indigenous scholar, Daniel’s interests embody the intersections between culture and modernity; indigenous knowledge and modern forms of knowledge creation as well as sustainable well-being (enkishon philosphy of the Maasai and or Ubuntu concept). Through diverse participatory approaches, Dr Rogei envisages to understand how the ‘indigeneity’ concept is mobilized and applied by indigenous (including the marginalized and minorities) communities to mediate maendeleo’ (development) coming to their marginal frontiers in form of green energy.

Dr. Rogei joined the SARChi chair research program in the last quarter of 2024 and will undertake a comparative study entitled: Re-imagining Biodiverse Anthropocene in the green Energy Epoch: Comparative studies of change and development at the Karoo of South Africa and Kenya’s Rift valley. The comparative study will bring out the broader understanding of how global-scale development projects are locally perceived, engaged with, accepted and or contested at a local scale. It will also bring out regional level understanding of structural and systemic bottlenecks and or opportunities within the nation states, that either constrain or advance communities’ interest. In addition to informing community action in anticipating and mediating these developments, the study’s outcome will also inform the regional discourse on green energy revolution and the geopolitical economy it portends in Africa.