The Head of Department, School of International Relations and Diplomacy, Francis Onditi, Ph.D., is a Conflictologist with specialization in peace, conflict and war studies. Since 2008 he has been researching on a conceptual model in the realm of civil-military relations as a social innovation towards ‘multidimensional’ peacekeeping (in progress). He was a Guest Editor for the African Conflict and Peacebuilding Review (ACPR) of Indiana University Press, USA for a Special Issue on Gender, Politics and Peacebuilding published in Vol. 7, Issue 1 (Spring 2017). Currently, he is closely studying the return of global politico-military marketplace phenomenon in Middle East, Africa and Central Latin America.
Before joining academia, Francis worked for more than a decade in various international organizations as a researcher/advisor/analyst, including: United Nations (UN Women) on Leadership and Governance; UNDP (K)/International Peace Support Training Centre/ co-located with the Kenya Defense Staff College-Kenya; Japan Centre for Conflict Prevention (JCCP). He began his career as a Graduate Research Assistant/Fellow at the University of Nairobi’s IDS on a full scholarship scheme to pursue his MA (2006-2009). As an adjunct faculty he taught theories of human geography at University of Nairobi and units in international relations at USIU-Africa. He was a visiting scholar on cosmopolitanism and African conflicts at Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany.
Francis holds Doctor of Philosophy (D.Phil.) degree in peace and conflict studies, from Masinde Muliro University of Science & Technology (2012-2015). Before then, he was educated at the University of Nairobi, graduating with Bachelor’s degree (Geography), 2002-2006 and MA (IDS), 2007-2009. Francis has attained several other professional certifications, including; Transformative Leadership (MCTC-MASHAV, Haifa, Israel); Rule of Law for peacekeeping experts (UNDPKO, New York); and International Humanitarian Law (techniques on negotiating with non-state armed groups) (PHAP, Geneva). He has a standing membership with the Geneva based Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection (PHAP).
As a leader in academic industry, he advocates for academic and professional excellence among students and faculties through the annual conference on African Unity for Renaissance Conference (AURC) organized by Human Science Research Council, South Africa.