• Royce Fellowship
Royce Fellow Yohan Mutta
Yohan
Mutta

Concentration 

International and Public Affairs

Award Year 

2021
The Rich Man's Road

Yohan is a sophomore at Brown concentrating in International and Public Affairs. Originally from Mombasa, Kenya, Yohan has grown up in various places across the world. He is passionate about critically examining inequality, African politics, leadership, and youth participation in governance. All this in an effort to ultimately enter public service in his home country, Kenya.

Project: 

In Nairobi, Kenya, the government is currently constructing an elevated expressway that runs through the center of the city. The road faces strong public opposition for a myriad of reasons: economic, environmental and aesthetic. However, the authorities deem it necessary to solve Nairobi’s perennial traffic problems. Some view the road as a connector, moving people from the airport to the north of the city, but others view it as a barrier, separating Nairobi’s wealthier Western side from the poorer Eastern side. This project aims to examine how this road manifests Kenyan ideals of progress and modernity, how these ideals are connected to colonial logics and how they continue to entrench classism in Kenyan society.

Advisor: Aalyia Sadruddin