Developing a framework for review of planning education curriculum in Kenya

Planning education in Kenya could play a significant role in promoting sustainable urbanisation if technical training and skills development content is framed to suit contemporary demands including mainstreaming the sustainable urban planning principles of the New Urban Agenda. In line with its universal mandate of supporting priorities of member states, UN-Habitat is available to play a meaningful and supportive role in the government-led process of reviewing university planning education curriculum to meet the current market needs

The planning practice holds a cardinal place in directing and achieving a country’s development agenda and goals. However, the profession has not kept abreast with the pace and dynamics of sustainable development and its full potential particularly towards sufficiently addressing the myriad societal challenges in the country. Consequently, planning has not been able to assist the country to deal with problems such as: increasing urban poverty and inequality, inadequate infrastructure, growth of slums and squatter settlements, environmental challenges, poor waste management, weak urban rural linkages and cross-cutting issues such as gender, youth and climate change impacts. The apparent failure of planning to exert the necessary influence in the development scene is partially attributed to shortcomings in the training of planning practitioners