A new World Bank report has put the University of Nairobi (UoN) on the spot over its flagship urban planning programme, saying the master's course saw only minor curriculum changes after it was launched in 1971.

The finding appears in Managing, Financing, and Governing Sub-Saharan Africa's Rapid Urbanisation, a report released this week that looks at the skills and institutions African countries need to manage their rapidly growing cities. It draws on a 2015 UN-Habitat review of urban planning courses at Kenyan universities.

The report does not say whether UoN has updated the programme since that review, and the university had not publicly responded to the findings by Sunday.

Too few planners

Kenya has about 0.47 urban planners for every 100,000 people, a shortage that the report says weakens the ability of towns and counties to manage growth.

Across sub-Saharan Africa, the gap is even more stark. Citing 2019 figures, the World Bank says the region had roughly 0.01 urban planners per 1,000 people, compared with 0.33 in the United Kingdom. Architects and engineers were similarly scarce.

But the bank warns that simply producing more graduates is not enough. "Any surge in the quantity of urban professionals needs to be matched by a quality surge," the report states, adding that more poorly trained professionals could bring limited benefits or even make urban problems worse.

Nairobi's growing pains

The concerns come as Nairobi spills over into Kiambu, Machakos and Kajiado, forming a metropolitan region that needs joint planning across county lines. A separate OECD study projects Nairobi's metropolitan population could grow from an estimated 15.95 million in 2025 to 57.2 million by 2050, which would make it Africa's largest urban area.

The World Bank also notes that since devolution in 2013, county governments have struggled with technical capacity in urban planning, revenue collection and financial management, as well as coordination with the national government. It questions how the Urban Areas and Cities Act of 2011 has affected local representation through appointed municipal boards.

What the bank recommends

  • Map skills gaps among municipalities, planning firms and government agencies before expanding training.
  • Align university courses with the practical needs of the profession, including GIS and digital mapping, land administration, transport modelling, infrastructure financing, housing policy and disaster preparedness.
  • Review curricula regularly with employers, professional bodies and government, and strengthen links between universities and industry.

The report adds to the pressure on public universities, which are only now resuming classes after lecturers called off their strike following a Sh20 billion pay deal with the government.

Photos: Kenyans.co.ke (University of Nairobi); Stuart Njagi/Wikimedia Commons (CC0) (Nairobi aerial view). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.