Irene Ikomu

Irene Ikomu is a lawyer based in Nairobi, Kenya. Prior to becoming a Hurford fellow, she was a consultant on civic spaces in the East and Horn of Africa, with the Heinrich Boell Foundation. Previously, she managed the Aga Khan Development Network’s East Africa Civil Society Initiative, supporting resilient civil society in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania; and co-founded and managed Parliament Watch Uganda, a civic tech parliament monitoring initiative. Additionally, Ikomu was a Mandela Washington civic engagement fellow in 2014 and received the Young Female Lawyer of the Year Award by the Uganda Law Society in recognition of her contribution to Uganda’s democratic development. During her fellowship, Ms. Ikomu is focusing on how young people are opening up new models of political participation outside of traditional political channels. Her discussions will examine what it means to challenge the political status quo in the digital age, and will explore this generation’s emerging voices and new ideas, harnessing lessons learned from their unique approaches to creating democratic space within their countries.