Introducing Dr Rose Mugiira!
A hearty congratulations to GCI bursar - via the Carnegie Next Generation of African Scholars grant - Rose Mugiira who graduated with a PhD!
GCI welcomes a new PhD graduate to its alumni base – Dr Rose Mugiira.
“It has been an exciting journey and it took me three and a half years to complete my PhD,” says Mugiira. She adds, “Being a PhD student gave me the opportunity to meet and interact with scholars from around the world from various fields of studies. So from a networking point, the PhD has been highly beneficial.”
But it was not all fun and games. Some of the challenges she highlights include undertaking extensive field work and high volume data which took a long time for analysis.
Mugiira says she is already utilising her PhD in her working environment as a lecturer in Kenya.
“I am really happy my PhD is completed and I would like to thank the Wits Postgraduate Support Division and the GCI for giving me support,” says Mugiira. Mugiira was supervised by Uma Kollamparambil (School of Economic and Business Sciences).
Mugiira’s PhD thesis analysed three Common Property Resources (CPRs) from Kenya; viz Lake Victoria fishery, Mwea rice irrigation system and Laikipia group grazing lands. The case studies provide critical variables on resource systems, user groups, institutional arrangements and internal and external environment. The findings show that governance structures and management have evolved over time in terms of scale and involvement of other stakeholders. The co-management models used are Partnership Fisheries Management (PFM) in Lake Victoria fishery, Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) in Mwea rice irrigation system and Holistic Management Framework in Laikipia group grazing lands. These co-management designs have yielded benefits to the resource dependent communities, public, state and resource system because they incorporate state and local (resource users) managers in decision making. The type and degree of governance structures applied in each CPR system depends on the nature (bio-physical and community attributes) of the resource system. Moreover, the degree of participation of other stakeholders, challenges faced and other internal and external factors depend on the nature of CPR, ownership and control CPR by resource users and technical infrastructural investments required for the operation of the system. The thesis fills the existing gap in CPRs literature on sustainability and durability of large scale CPRs, with regards to the involvement of state agencies and other stakeholders in decision making, governance and management. The study contributes to scholarly information on issues of Sustainable Development-Environment nexus.