During the past decade, both Kenya and Ethiopia have rolled out infrastructure projects linked to the Lamu Port–South Sudan–Ethiopia Transport Corridor (LAPSSET), which extends to their peripheral regions—specifically, Kenyan-Ethiopian border. At the same time, the introduction of Kenya’s devolution process has seen the Kenyan state undergo significant structural changes.
Infrastructure development and shifting political conditions at the Kenya–Ethiopia border have effects on trade, conflict, and gender dynamics. This report examines how small-town cross-border traders—the majority of whom are women—in the town of Moyale, which straddles both countries, are navigating the area’s shifting economic and political landscape.