Urban Governance and Urban Management in Kenya
Episode 2 of the Series focussing on urban governance and how to get it right in managing urban growth in towns and cities in Kenya. Show guest: David Gatimu, Corporate Member of the Architectural Association of Kenya Town Planners Chapter. He has over 25 years' experience in Public Service and holds a MSc in Urban Planning from Oxford Brookes University.
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Listen or watch to understand:
- Key trends in urbanization in Kenya.
- Key factors to consider in the social, economic and spatial development in Kenyan communities (given the explosive growth in population).
- The developments in policy, governance, and inter-governmental relations, and how these are reshaping how we finance, coordinate, and drive urban development.
- How we can get beyond policy, to seeing meaningful change and investment on the ground.
- An essential kit/ model for urban management in emerging towns that can be replicated throughout the country.
- Challenges standing in the way of progress in Urban Governance/ Urban Management and how it can be addressed?
About David Gatimu
Planner David Gatimu is a registered urban planner with an MSc in Urban Planning from Oxford Brookes University. He is a Corporate Member of the of the Architectural Association of Kenya Town Planners Chapter (AAK-TP), and the Town and County Planners Association of Kenya (TCPAK). Mr Gatimu is also a member of the International Society for City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP).
Planner David Gatimu has over 25 years' experience in Public Service. He served as Chief Officer in the department of Land, Housing and Physical Planning, Kiambu County Government, from May 2014 to November 2017. Prior to this, Planner Gatimu worked with the then City Council of Nairobi (now Nairobi City County Government) rising through the ranks to the post of Assistant Director in the City Planning Department. During his public service Mr. Gatimu was at the forefront in the implementation of urban design schemes in Nairobi City such as the pedestrianization of parts of Nairobi CBD, erection of monuments and street furniture and decent informal trading (modern kiosks. Planner Gatimu oversaw the successful development and operationalization of the web-based platforms for the issuance of Planning and Construction Permits in Nairobi City County in 2012 and Kiambu County in 2016.
In 2018 and 2020 Mr Gatimu was appointed by the Cabinet Secretary for Lands and Physical Planning to serve in the Taskforce tasked with formulating Regulations for the Electronic Land Transactions, Registration and Conveyancing.
Mr Gatimu is the founder and CEO Salute Spatial Solutions Ltd that specialises in Town Planning, Urban Design, Land Development and Planning Advocacy. He has been carrying out assignments with UN Habitat supporting selected counties on urban development management.
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