Annabel Mwangi Profile
Annabel Mwangi (Kenya & St Cross 1999) is a Senior Protection Coordinator, working with UNHCR Regional Office for the East, Horn and Great Lakes based in Nairobi, Kenya. She had previous placements with the UNHCR in Switzerland, South Sudan, Turkey, Yemen, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia. She has also previously worked at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the International Criminal Court. She holds a DPhil in Development Studies and International Refugee Law from the University of Oxford, an MSc in Forced Migration and International Refugee Law from the University of Oxford, an MSc in Development Studies and International Human Rights Law from the London School of Economics and a BA in International Relations from the United States International University in Nairobi.
Rhodes Project: Where do you call home?
Annabel Mwangi: I am half Kenyan and half Bulgarian, but I was born and raised in Kenya. I call Kenya home, but I spent more than 25 years – most of my adult life - living and working in other countries. I returned to Nairobi one month before the world went into Covid lockdown, which was quite a surreal experience and made for quite a difficult re-entry, but I think I have finally found my feet now!
Rhodes Project: What surprised you upon arriving at Oxford?
Annabel Mwangi: To be honest, I was initially a little reluctant to go to Oxford because I wasn’t really sure how I would fit in there. I was most surprised by the diversity of people that I encountered. I was doing a Masters in Forced Migration and we were a small group; there were about fifteen of us from a range of countries and disciplinary backgrounds. They were down-to-earth and we’d have great conversations and debates. We ended up all being really good friends and even though we are spread out all over the world, we’re still in touch. I think that was the nicest surprise for me. I thought it was going to be quite a difficult adjustment, but it ended up being one of the best experiences of my life.
Rhodes Project: Why were you initially reluctant?
Annabel Mwangi: Because Oxford had such a high profile, especially coming from Kenya. It seemed like another world. I was nervous about how well I would fit in at the university, whether I would meet people I would be able to relate to and whether I would be able to adjust to such a competitive environment. It was indeed extremely competitive, but in a good way!
Rhodes Project: What motivated you to work with UNHCR?
Annabel Mwangi: I started off going into international relations when I was studying in Kenya. At the time that I was doing my first degree, the conflict in the former Yugoslavia broke out as well as the conflict in Rwanda. With both countries being so close to home and to my own sense of identity, I followed developments there, including the subsequent large-scale displacements which took years to resolve, very closely. So that was what piqued my interest in conflict and displacement to start with. I also had a couple of really good mentors at university, David Keen, who was one of my lecturers at the London School of Economics, and David Turton, who was my DPhil supervisor at Oxford. Both were very supportive and had done interesting work on complex emergencies and refugees in Africa. I must confess that we were quite critical of UNHCR as students at the Refugee Study Centre. One of the reasons I joined was because I thought that I would be in a better position to understand and critique the organisation from the inside. In the end, while I hope I remain self-reflective and can engage in constructive criticism of the work we do, I have also come to understand the complexities of the environments we operate in, which can sometimes necessitate quite difficult compromises. I really enjoy my work, and I’m still at UNHCR!
Rhodes Project: What is the best part of your job now?
Annabel Mwangi: Over the years, my work has evolved into more of a focus on policy development, guidance and oversight. However, the most interesting thing for me remains the hands-on work we do with refugees. It’s very hard some days and you hear pretty horrific stories from people who have gone through a lot. Women who have experienced gender-based violence, children have lost their parents, families that have been torn apart. It’s very difficult to disengage yourself entirely from your work, but it’s also really inspiring to see the extent to which human beings can overcome difficulties in their lives, and how they stay strong and keep smiling. I am constantly reminded of the strength of the human spirit.
Rhodes Project: What is the most challenging part of your job?
Annabel Mwangi: To remain neutral to the extent possible and avoid being too emotionally overwhelmed. Also, trying to remember that you can’t help everyone. Unfortunately, we can’t always do that. I always mention this to new colleagues just coming into UNHCR because it is so easy to get completely emotionally overwhelmed by the things that you see and hear.
Rhodes Project: What proportion of your time is spent in conflict areas versus the UN office in Geneva?
Annabel Mwangi: I spend a large part of my career in the field and I miss it intensely, I really enjoy working directly with refugees. Sitting in an office, I worry that I risk being cut off from the realities of field work. However, I do think it’s important to have people whose job it is to develop the policy, guidance and direction because when you are in the field you really don’t often have time to think about the bigger picture. I hope that my extensive field experience means that I am able to produce pragmatic and action-oriented policies that are pragmatic and provide some tangible support my colleagues on the ground.
Rhodes Project: What advice would you give to a young woman entering your line of work?
Annabel Mwangi: To keep an open mind. There’s always something new to learn I find that every single place that I’ve been to, I’ve always had to overcome new challenges. Don’t assume that you know it all. Be open to learning from your superiors and from your peers. As international staff, there are a lot of local staff in the areas that we’re in that have been here a lot longer than we have and know a lot more than we do. Coming in and having an outsider’s point of view is great, but you must take into consideration the local perspective as well. Work in hardship locations if the opportunity arises and early on, because later in life this may be harder to do. These duty stations are formative, you get an inordinate amount of responsibility, and the experience you gain will stand you in good stead for the rest of your career!
Rhodes Project: Do you have any mentors or role models?
Annabel Mwangi: I would say one of my role models was my first supervisor in UNHCR Ethiopia, Louise Aubin. She was extremely supportive and gave me a lot of responsibility – much more than I realised at the time. Over the years, she kept in touch with me and provided me with a lot of useful guidance. I also look up to her because she managed to find a good balance between her personal and professional life. There are many women who have a great deal of difficulty doing that in UNHCR, because you work long hours, in difficult conditions, which can have both an emotional and physical impact, and you often spend a lot of time away from your family.
Rhodes Project: What do you like to do outside of work?
Annabel Mwangi: I enjoy reading and yoga and I love scuba diving. When I moved to Nairobi, I invested in a good 4WD car and have slowly started to get into camping. Kenya is an absolutely stunning country and, over the past couple of years, I have slowly been exploring it by road, camping in some quite remote and exceptionally beautiful locations.
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