Brigadier (Rtd) Dr. Robert. G Kabage, PhD, EBS is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) OF Mashariki Research and Policy Centre (MRPC).He is a distinguished peace, conflict and security management expert, an accomplished practitioner and academic with national, continental and international expertise. Until his retirement in 2016, he diligently served the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) for over 35 years. Between 1999 and 2001, Brigadier (Rtd) Dr. Kabage was deployed as a Peacekeeper in Sierra Leone in charge of the Demobilization, Disarmament and Reintegration (DDR) program. From 2008 to 2011, he was posted as a Defense Attaché, at the Kenya Mission to the United Nations (KMUN) in New York. He later served as the Director of the International Peace Support Training Center (IPSTC) between 2012 and 2015. Upon his retirement, the KDF seconded him to the African Union Commission (AUC) as the Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer (M&E) at the Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 2016 to 2020.

For his exemplary service in KDF, he was awarded the Elder of the Order of the Burning Spear (EBS) of Kenya in 2013, in recognition for his efforts in developing and maintaining internal institutional cohesion, creating partnerships with external agencies such as the United Nations, the African Union and other potential peace support partners; delivering peace support operations training to East Africa Standby Force, and meticulous management of the International Peace Support Training Centre (IPSTC) budget.

He was also awarded a United Nations Medal for his exemplary performance as a peacekeeper in the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), where he was recognized for his leadership as a Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) officer, for conducting successful intensive sensitization programmes, establishing and operationalizing DDR centres in the remote rebel-held areas of the country. On the academic front, Brigadier (Rtd) Dr. Kabage holds a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST), Kenya. He also has a Master of Science degree in Governance, Peace and Security (Security Management option), and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from Africa Nazarene University, Kenya. He holds two Diplomas in Strategic Studies and International Relations, both from the University of Nairobi. He also holds a Diploma in Stores Management and Stock Control from London College. He has been a Peace and Security Management lecturer at Laikipia and Egerton Universities in Kenya.

Until his current appointment as Chief Executive Officer of Mashariki Research and Policy Centre (MRPC), Dr. Kabage was the Executive Director of The Global Centre for Policy and Strategy (GLOCEPS), from February 2022 to February 2024, where he contributed to its growth, to be one of the leading think tanks in Kenya with regional and international influence.

Dr. Kabage is well-published with his research interests focused on the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) Framework, peacekeeping, transnational crimes, national and regional security, border defence and community policing strategies. His recent article is titled “Upsurge in violent extremism across Africa: Capacity building deficit to addressing radicalization”.

Dr. Kabage has consulted for various institutions such as the African Union Peace Support Operations Division (AU PSOD), the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF), the International Peace Support Training Centre (IPSTC), the African Peace Support Trainers Association (APSTA) and the National Defence University, Kenya (NDU- K).