About
The Author
Ms. Diana Kanyuithia
Investment Governance Reform Specialist | PhD Researcher in International Economic Law | Sustainability and Investment in Africa.
Professional identity
Researcher and advisor in international investment law, specialising in investment governance, investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS), and sustainable development.
Scope and Focus
Examining how legal and institutional frameworks structure foreign investment, shape state regulatory space, and influence environmental protection and community interests, with a focus on developing economies in the Global South, particularly Africa.
Professional Experience
Over eight years of public-sector legal experience, working on regulatory, investment, and policy-related matters. This experience grounds my research and advisory work in the institutional and political realities of how investment frameworks are designed, implemented, and contested in practice.
What Distinguishes My Work
Currently pursuing a PhD in Law at the University of Portsmouth, UK. My doctoral research focuses on aligning investment governance frameworks with human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Research here adopts a critical, locally grounded perspective on international economic law, examining how global legal frameworks operate in specific contexts. It focuses on the distributional impacts of investment regimes, particularly how benefits and burdens are allocated among investors, States, and local communities.
This work engages with ongoing reform debates, highlights structural limitations and identifies pathways for more inclusive and rights-respecting approaches.
Expertise
International investment law and ISDS
Investment governance and regulatory design
Sustainable development and SDG alignment
East African legal and institutional frameworks
Engagement
Engages in research collaborations, policy-oriented analysis, and advisory work. Available for speaking engagements, expert contributions, and interdisciplinary partnerships.
Open to collaboration, research partnerships, and advisory work in international investment law, governance, and sustainable development.
The Platform
Editorial Approach
Rules That Move the World is an independent platform for analysis of international investment law and governance in the African context. It focuses particularly on how legal frameworks structure power, risk and development outcomes in practice, and connects academic research with contemporary policy debates.
The platform provides clear, evidence-based commentary on public-interest questions in international economic law and aims to contribute to informed discussion among scholars, policymakers, and other stakeholders.
All content is based on publicly available sources and peer-reviewed research and is provided for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice.
Rules That Move The World
Target Audience
This platform is intended for researchers, students, policymakers, and practitioners working at the intersection of international investment law, governance and sustainable development.
It provides analytically grounded perspectives on how investment frameworks operate in practice.
Work With Me
Strategic legal architecture begins with informed dialogue.
For advisory services, research collaboration, policy review, or expert commentary in international investment law and sustainable development, please use the contact form below.