Sheila Aketch is a researcher at the University of Bayreuth, specialising in Africa’s socio-political and cultural impacts of large-scale development projects. As part of the INFRAGLOB project, Sheila Aketch contributed to research on the construction of the Lamu Port, a key component of the LAPSSET Corridor. Her study critically examined the contestation surrounding the port’s development, focusing on how local communities challenge this project through their lived realities. Sheila’s work emphasised how local perceptions of development are shaped by historical and ongoing marginalisation, highlighting how these communities define development based on their own experiences. Central to this analysis were themes of identity, belonging, and resistance, exploring how marginalised groups fight for recognition in the face of structural changes that impact their livelihoods and lifestyles. The study also delved into everyday forms of contestation and subtle forms of resistance highlighting how these acts collectively challenge dominant narratives and assert the agency of marginalised communities in shaping their developmental futures.