Peter Tirop Simatei

Professor Peter Tirop Simatei serves as Director of the Moi University African Cluster Centre of Excellence in African Studies (Moi-ACC) at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya. He is a Professor of Comparative Literature within the School of Arts and Social Sciences, specifically in the Department of Literature, Theatre & Film.

His educational background includes a BA (Hons) from the University of Nairobi, M.Phil from Moi University, and PhD from the University of Bayreuth, Germany. Professor Simatei has held prestigious fellowships including the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung, German Research Council (DFG) Post-doctoral Fellowship at University of Munich, and Five College African Scholars program at University of Massachusetts.

His research spans Postcolonial studies, Anglophone literatures, and Diaspora studies with particular focus on negotiations of diaspora, migration, gender and popular culture. He specializes in East African, African and Indian diaspora literature and popular culture, examining how diasporic identities interact with national identities. His work makes significant contributions to postcolonial literary and cultural studies, challenging theories that discount the centrality of nation-states to diasporic consciousness. His future research will explore visions of the future generated in Africa and its diasporas.

• Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung
• German Research Council (DFG) Post-doctoral Fellow (Postcolonial Studies Program)
• Fellow of the Five College African Scholars program

As Director of Moi-ACC, Professor Simatei leads a multidisciplinary research cluster with sections including Arts and Aesthetics, Knowledges, Learning, Mobilities, Moralities, and Gender & Diversity. The Centre has gained international recognition for its global impact in African studies, hosting international conferences, colloquium seminars, and research workshops that bring together scholars from across Africa and the world. The Centre recently organized significant events including the East African Humanities Deans Symposium and the Workshop on Traditional Music/Musical Traditions.

Professor Simatei actively participates in the Centre's research activities, including supervising research fellows and artists in residence, and has been instrumental in establishing Moi-ACC as a prominent hub for African studies with multiple international partnerships.