The World Bank’s new study, *Managing, Financing, and Governing Sub‑Saharan Africa’s Rapid Urbanisation*, notes that the University of Nairobi’s Master’s in Urban Planning has undergone only modest changes since the programme began in 1971.

The report references a 2015 UN‑Habitat assessment that questioned whether Kenyan university curricula have kept pace with evolving urban development needs.

World Bank officials warned that increasing the number of graduates without improving training quality could undermine efforts to manage rapid urban growth, stating that any surge in urban professionals must be matched by a quality surge.

Kenya’s current ratio of 0.47 urban planners per 100,000 people signals a severe shortage of qualified professionals relative to its expanding urban population.

The shortage is linked to challenges faced by Nairobi and its surrounding counties—Kiambu, Machakos and Kajiado—in managing population growth, housing demand, transport networks and sprawling settlements.

Since devolution in 2013, county governments have struggled with capacity gaps in urban planning, revenue collection and financial management, limiting coordinated development.

The World Bank recommends first identifying skill gaps in municipal authorities, planning firms and government agencies before aligning university programmes with those practical demands.

The University of Nairobi had not responded to the World Bank’s queries at the time the report was published.