Biography
Christopher Hockey joined RUSI Nairobi in 2019. He has been involved in numerous peacebuilding and countering violent extremism projects across the Horn of Africa.
Christopher has published on Al-Shabaab, Somali piracy, political violence, counterterrorism policy and peacebuilding. He regularly delivers training and guest lectures to students, security forces, civil society and government agencies. Between 2023 and 2026, he led the research and analysis component of Deris Wanaag, the UK and Dutch funded peace and stability initiative in the Kenya-Somalia-Ethiopia borderlands. He has also been engaged on multi-year EU and US funded projects.
Brought up in Kenya, Christopher previously worked in Nairobi’s risk management space. As an analyst, he developed an extensive understanding of the transnational threat from Islamist extremism across eastern and central Africa. He has spent considerable time on projects in Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria and has trained analysts from across the continent. Prior to joining RUSI, Christopher led the information and intelligence branch of a leading risk consulting firm in eastern Africa.
Christopher holds a BA in Archaeology and Anthropology from the University of Cambridge and an MA in Cultural Heritage and International Relations from the University of East Anglia. Throughout his studies, he focused on state-building and conflict, looking specifically at the role of identity and heritage as drivers of violence.
Areas of expertise
- Political violence in sub-Saharan Africa
- Violent extremist recruitment
- Al Shabaab in Kenya and the Horn
- Peace and stability programming
- Political Economy Analysis (PEA) and context monitoring in development / humanitarian programming
- Maritime security in the Indian Ocean
- Private security in eastern Africa
- Nationalism and identity in Kenya
