About ASC

Staff

KINYUA Laban Kithinji

KINYUA Laban Kithinji
Name KINYUA Laban Kithinji
Affiliation Visiting Researcher, African Studies Center - TUFS
E-mail labsgithinjitufs.ac.jp
Research Field Global Studies, Comparative Politics, & Area(African) Studies
Key Words Youth; Rural Africa; Information Communication Technologies; Globalisation and Africa; Rural Livelihoods in Africa; State and Decentralisation in Africa
Research Interest Dr. Kinyua's research interests span several key areas within African studies, political science, and global studies. He focuses on political ethnography, particularly in rural Africa, and in informal urban settlements, examining themes such as decentralisation, governance, political contestation, digital use, and resilience among marginalized communities. His work also delves into broader issues of African politics, including governance structures, social movements, and the impact of globalization and technological advancements. His main area of research is Eastern Africa, particulary Kenya, and Africans in general. He is committed to interdisciplinary approaches, utilizing methods from anthropology, political science, and area studies to explore complex socio-political phenomena in sub-Saharan Africa.
Academic Career Dr. Kinyua is a global studies scholar with a strong foundation in comparative politics and African studies. He earned his Ph.D. in Global Studies from Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan (2018), with a dissertation examining decentralization and politics of distribution in Kenya. He also holds an M.A. in Global Studies from Sophia University (2014) and a B.A. in Theology from Tokyo Christian University (2011).
Degree Ph.D. in Global Studies from Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan (2018),
M.A. in Global Studies from Sophia University (2014),
and a B.A. in Theology from Tokyo Christian University (2011).
Professional Career Dr. Kinyua has built an extensive academic career, holding research and teaching positions at multiple institutions in Japan. He was a Research Fellow at the Institute of Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Studies (IAAMES), Sophia University, where he conducted research on political ethnography, digital platforms, and governance in sub-Saharan Africa. Previously, he was a Research Fellow at the Faculty of Global Studies, Sophia University (2021-2022) and a JSPS Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Hosei University (2019-2021), where he explored the political economy of mobile money transfers in Africa, particularly focusing on Kenya’s M-Pesa system.
In addition to research, Dr. Kithinji has been an Adjunct Lecturer at Hosei University, Sophia University, and Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) since 2018, teaching courses on African politics, African society, global studies, media analysis, and essay writing. His teaching approach integrates interdisciplinary methodologies, encouraging student-led research and critical engagement with contemporary African issues.
Academic Associations Association of Global Studies Research Network
Japan Association of African Studies (JAAS)
Japan Association for Afrasian Studies (JSAS)
Association for the Study of Worldwide African Diaspora (ASWAD)
Major Works

【Papers】

【Books】

  • Hanai, K., Kinyua, L. K., Muchetu, R. G., & Mine, Y. (2025, forthcoming). Exploration of practical wisdom and resilience overcoming downside risk: Collecting grassroots voices in Africa under COVID-19. Springer.

  • Kinyua, L. K. (2022). Experiencing the State in Sub-Saharan Africa: Historicizing District Toponymy and Decentralization as a Landscape for Development in Central Kenya. Institute for Asian African and Middle Eastern Studies, Sophia University.

[Books Chapter]

  • Kinyua, K., & Babirye, R. (2025). Belonging beyond borders: Support networks and integration for African immigrants in Japan. In B. Maiangwa (Ed.), Boundaries Traversed: Belonging, Home, and the Gradations of Return. Palgrave Macmillan/Hurst & Co. Publishers.

  • Kinyua, L. K. (2025). Making queer African Ekklesia: Young gospel ministers and politicized sexualities in Kenya. In W. Shiino (Ed.), Sexuality in Contemporary Africa: Tradition, Education, and Practices. Research Institute for Language and Cultures in Contemporary Africa.

  • Kinyua, K., & Babirye, R. (2021). East African youths in motion: Exploring opportunities in Asia. In W. Shiino & I. Karusigarira (Eds.), Youths in Struggles: Unemployment, Politics, and Cultures in Contemporary Africa (pp. 217-232). Research Institute for Language and Cultures in Contemporary Africa. https://doi.org/10.15026/117002

【Essays】

  • Kinyua, L. K. (2018). Democracy in post-conflict states in Africa: Is the "Gospel" of peace undermining democracy in Eastern Africa? Asia Peace Building Initiatives. https://www.spf.org/apbi/news_en/i_180831.html

  • Kinyua, L.K. (2020). Burial Rites During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Rural Africa: The Changing Dynamics (Part 1 & 2). Japan Society for Afrasian Studies. https://www.afrasia.org/post/stories-from-the-pandemic-1

  • Kinyua, L.K. (2021). The Mystery of Magufuli's Illness and Death: Rethinking the Place of Rumours in Contemporary Digitised African Politics. Japan Society for Afrasian Studies. https://www.afrasia.org/post/governance-death-and-rumours-in-tanzania

  • Kinyua, L.K. (2024). Kenya's Gen Z Protests 2024: Beneath the Rage. Japan Society for Afrasian Studies. https://www.afrasia.org/post/kenya-s-gen-z-protests-2024-beneath-the-rage

【Presentations】

  • Kinyua, L. K. (2024, May). Belonging beyond borders: Support networks and integration for African immigrants in Japan. Paper presented at Japan Association for African Studies Conference. Osaka University.

  • Kinyua, L. K. (2024, February). Making sense of digital storytelling in Kenya. Paper presented at the Institute of Asian African and Middle Eastern Studies, Sophia University.

  • Kinyua, L. K. (2023, October). The youths & digital media platforms in rural Africa: Spaces for refuge, safety nets, and soliciting justice. Paper presented at 'Global Youth Dynamics and "Reality" Negotiation in Eastern Africa', TUFS-ILCAA.

  • Kinyua, L. K. (2023, June). Political ethnography of digital platforms in Africa: Social networks of gossip and rumour in rural livelihoods. Paper presented at the Korean Association of African Studies Annual Conference.

  • Hanai, K., Otchia, C. S., Kinyua, L. K., & Muchetu, R. G. (2023, May). Exploration of practical wisdom and resilience overcoming downside risk: Collecting grassroots voices in Africa under COVID-19. Forum presented at the Japan Association for African Studies 60th Annual Conference.

  • Kinyua, L. K. (2023, February). Political ethnography of digital platforms in Africa: Social networks of gossip and rumour in rural livelihoods. Paper presented at the British Institute of Eastern Africa (BIEA) Annual Conference, Nairobi.

【Research Grants Awarded (in the last 10 years)】

1) Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows. ケニアにおける携帯電話による送金普及の政治経済学的考察：日本のODAへの示. Department of Global Politics, Faculty of Law, Hosei University, 2019-2020.

2) Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up [KAKENHI] (21K20108). The political economy of digital platforms in sub-Saharan Africa: Leveraging decentralisation programmes and digital democracy by the youth. Faculty of Global Studies, Sophia University, 2021-2023.