We would like to engage the services of a digital rights researcher to produce our annual State of the Internet in Kenya report as part of our iFreedoms Kenya initiative. The report covers topic areas that include digital rights, digital journalism, freedom of expression, freedom of the media, litigation on digital rights, digital publishing and the digital economy in Kenya for the period between January 2019 to December 2019.
We welcome applications from people who have demonstrated familiarity with research on digital rights in Kenya and especially the impact of these rights on vulnerable groups.
Job description
We are seeking a highly qualified applicant for the position of a Researcher which will focus on researching, analyzing, and compiling a report on digital rights, digital journalism, freedom of expression, litigation on digital rights, freedom of the media, digital publishing and the digital economy in Kenya among others. The position will be part time and the Researcher will report to the Executive Director, BAKE. The Researcher should be preferably based in Nairobi.
Responsibilities
- Research and document internet policy and governance including new policies, laws, and proposed laws;
- Research on court cases that touch on digital rights including strategic litigation on laws that may affect digital rights;
- Research and document digital rights abuses by state actors and other non-state actors;
- Research on media rights, digital journalism, litigation on digital rights, freedom of the media, digital publishing and the digital economy , litigation on digital rights, digital publishing in Kenya among others in 2019;
- Research on the digital economy in Kenya in 2019 including new public and private sector initiatives and developments;
- Make policy recommendations based on the research findings;
- Compile research findings into a report titled the State of the Internet in Kenya 2019. The report will be based on verifiable research and complete with footnotes and quotes for reference.
Qualifications, skills and knowledge
- An advanced (graduate) degree in international relations, business, journalism, law, social sciences, or commensurate experience is required.
- Minimum three years of relevant experience is required. Relevant experience may include, work as an investigative reporter or lawyer on issues related to digital rights, media rights, or digital journalism.
- Ability to identify, research, analyze, and effectively communicate important digital rights developments in Kenya.
- Proven track record of producing timely reports and editing experience is required.
- Exceptionally strong research, analytical, writing, and editing skills are required.
Salary
This position is short term and contractual and compensation will be dependent on the person’s experience.
How to Apply
Please submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, salary requirements, a brief writing sample (unedited by others), and contact information for three references to [email protected]. Please use Digital Researcher Application as the subject of your email.
Only complete applications will be reviewed and only qualified candidates will be contacted.
Apply by 1st May 2020.
About BAKE
The Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) was founded in 2010 and it is a member organization of online content creators in Kenya. It promotes online content creation, digital rights, and media rights in Kenya.
In 2015, we established the iFreedoms Kenya initiative, to specifically promote and protect digital rights in Kenya.
iFreedoms Kenya’s work includes:
- Documentation of important occurrences (threats, events, legislation, important cases) online and on our annual report.
- Public interest litigation
- Policy intervention
- Advocacy
- Training (digital security, Internet and the law training for lawyers and online content creators)
In 2015, we began documenting, under iFreedoms Kenya, occurences around digital rights and the digital economy in an anual report. It was originally titled The State of Social and Blogging in Kenya which changed in 2016 to The State of the Internet in Kenya report. The name change was to accommodate the broad focus of the report. Find previous reports here ifree.co.ke/reports.