Dr. Keziah Mwang’a is the focal point for the East African Region. She is an urban development specialist with over five years global work experience in development and applied research. She holds a PhD in Urban Studies jointly awarded by the Gran Sasso Science Institute and Sant’Anna Scuola Universitaria Superiore in Italy, a Masters in City and Regional Planning from the University of California Berkeley, USA and a BA in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Nairobi, Kenya.
Keziah’s research and career interests are centred on the role of political governance, power relations and planning education in shaping urban development policy and practice. Specifically, she is interested in the harnessing of political power, local communities knowledge, global experiences, the expertise of urban professionals and city managers to collectively generate policy solutions that advance social and economic equity in cities – particularly by addressing the needs of the most vulnerable groups in society such as children, women, the disabled and poor urban communities.
Keziah’s has worked both in Kenya and USA with governments, non-profit organizations, universities and research institutions working to promote equitable development. She has worked as an Urban Development Consultant at the World Bank to support the implementation of the Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project (KISIP) while also carrying out research on the implications of devolution to urban services delivery in Kenya’s cities. She has taught courses in Spatial Planning and Urban Management at Kenyatta University with a focus on social and community planning. Prior to her Masters, she worked at the University of Nairobi both as a researcher and project manager, and in collaboration with Civil Society Organizations to advance access to housing and services within Kenya’s Informal settlements.
During her Masters, Keziah worked with the City of Richmond in California, to develop an Urban Agriculture Policy. After her Masters, she briefly worked at PolicyLink in Oakland, USA to inform inclusive governance approaches towards the Sustainable Communities Initiative program.
