One county official told us: ‘Your graduates can design cities, but they struggle to explain how those plans will be financed’. That single observation exposed a gap our curricula had not fully addressed.
As cities across the Commonwealth expand under fiscal, climate, and governance pressures, universities must produce graduates who contribute directly to sustainable urban transformation. In Kenya, this challenge sits at the heart of devolved governance, where 47 counties must plan, finance, and implement complex programmes under limited resources.
Our rapid scoping study – commissioned by the ACU Sustainable Urbanisation Expert Group as part of the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Coalition (CSCC) pilot programme – explored how Kenyan universities are preparing graduates for these realities.
The study began with a scan of the World Higher Education Database (© International Association of Universities (IAU)), to identify institutions active in Built Environment education, then applied purposive selection based on Commission for University Education (CUE) accreditation, Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Services (KUCCPS) admission records, and verified graduation outputs – graduation lists, teaching timetables, and programme websites – for the 2020–2025 window.
What emerged was a consistent gap between technical planning skills and institutional readiness. Our institutions remain strong in spatial planning, studio-based pedagogy, and GIS training, yet applied competencies – urban finance, climate adaptation budgeting, and governance coordination – remain underdeveloped.
Rather than treating universities as isolated institutions, we positioned them as central actors in governance systems. The research focused on how education can better align with devolved County Integrated Development Plans, Fiscal Strategy Papers, and Programme-Based Budgeting frameworks.
Traditional curriculum reviews often focus on course content rather than professional readiness. To bridge this gap, we developed two practical tools. The 3D Integration Framework tests whether students can connect planning ideas with budgeting and public sector practice, examining how these systems interact. The 4D Alignment Framework examines whether programmes align with devolved governance in content, teaching approaches, institutional partnerships, and sector expectations. Together, they distinguish superficial syllabus coverage from genuine preparation for governance and public finance systems.
During fieldwork, one of our research assistants spent an afternoon with a county budget officer reviewing how infrastructure proposals move from planning departments to finance committees. Despite completing several urban planning courses, she had never seen how a capital budget is compiled. That moment crystallised the gap we were investigating. It also reinforced why competency-based education must expose students to the public systems they will eventually navigate.
Lessons for colleagues across the Commonwealth:
Bring practitioners into the classroom early. Our most valuable insights came from county officials describing what they expect when graduates enter professional roles. Their frustrations became our curriculum priorities. In many ways, county officials became co-educators in the curriculum enhancement process, translating on-the-ground challenges into actionable learning outcomes.
Use international benchmarks to strengthen credibility but design reforms around local contexts. Analysing the standards of the Royal Town Planning Institute and the South African Council for Planners gave us rigorous benchmarks, yet the greatest value came from translating them into Kenya's devolved context. This localisation meant mapping competencies against Kenya's County Government Act, ensuring graduates navigate both technical and political dimensions of county budgeting, and aligning assessments with actual county deliverables - Spatial Plans, Sectoral Plans, and Annual Development Plans.
Treat research assistants as future practitioners, not administrative support. Our assistants analysed county budgets and climate governance documents under direct mentorship, giving them a foundation for research and public service that classroom instruction alone rarely provides.
At Kibabii University, the approaches developed by the study are shaping broader curriculum review discussions and delivering immediate institutional value. As a member of the University's Deans Committee, I have found the insights directly applicable to ongoing reforms within Kenyan higher education. At a time when universities are aligning curricula with competency-based and industry-responsive models, the frameworks help institutions evaluate whether programmes equip graduates with practical skills and applied problem-solving abilities rather than relying primarily on theoretical knowledge.
To advance this objective in the context of sustainable urbanisation, we recommend three concrete steps: integrate county-level practicum attachments into urban planning degrees, with structured exposure to budget formulation; establish inter-university curriculum review panels that include county chief officers and finance directors; and develop a national competency framework mapped to CUE accreditation standards.
Ultimately, the study reinforced a simple truth: universities can do more than produce graduates. Through collaborative research, applied learning, and stronger alignment with local government systems, they can help build the capacity societies need to address complex urban challenges. If universities are serious about sustainable development, they must prepare graduates not only to imagine better cities, but also to navigate the systems that make those cities possible.
This work was never a solo undertaking. Dr Alando Walter, from Maseno University, whose background includes direct experience in county administration, anchored our approach in the practical realities of devolved governance. Dr Dennis Gichuki, from Kibabii University, connected governance insights with digital systems. Their partnership reinforced what this study ultimately demonstrated: governance-ready education is built by collaborative teams willing to bridge the gap between classroom theory and county practice.