The World Bank cites a 2015 review of UoN’s urban planning master’s programme and urges Kenya to improve training alongside graduate numbers.
The World Bank has questioned the UoN planning curriculum, citing a review that found limited changes since 1971. The finding concerns the University of Nairobi’s Master’s in Urban Planning programme.
Its report, released this week, draws on a 2015 UN-Habitat review of urban planning curricula in Kenyan universities. That review found only minor changes to the master’s curriculum since the programme began.
The report, Managing, Financing, and Governing Sub-Saharan Africa’s Rapid Urbanisation, examines the skills and institutional capacity Africa’s expanding cities need. It also raises concerns about whether planning education has kept pace with changing urban needs.
UoN planning curriculum highlights training concerns
The World Bank warns that increasing graduate numbers alone will not resolve urban planning challenges. Instead, institutions must improve training quality alongside efforts to expand the pool of urban professionals.
Without better training, the lender says, more graduates could offer little benefit or even undermine urban management. Kenya has just 0.47 urban planners per 100,000 people, reflecting a severe shortage of qualified professionals.
To address those challenges, the bank recommends identifying skills gaps within municipal authorities, planning firms and government agencies. Universities should then align their programmes with the practical demands of the profession. The recommendations address both workforce shortages and the quality of professional preparation.
Nairobi’s growth adds pressure on planning capacity
Meanwhile, Nairobi faces growing demands for housing, transport networks and services as its population and settlements expand. Development also extends into Kiambu, Machakos and Kajiado counties, creating a wider metropolitan area that needs coordinated planning.
A separate OECD report, Africa’s Urbanisation Dynamics 2025, projects substantial growth across this metropolitan area. It estimates a population increase from 15.95 million in 2025 to 57.2 million by 2050. Under that projection, Nairobi would become Africa’s largest urban agglomeration, ahead of Cairo and Lagos.
At county level, capacity challenges have affected urban planning, revenue collection and financial management since devolution in 2013. The World Bank says these gaps limit counties’ ability to plan development and mobilise resources. They also hamper coordination in delivering urban services.
