First African Urban Forum: “The Just City in Africa: Democracy, Social Justice, and Sustainability”

Geraldine is a Senior Programme Manager at Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Uganda. She coordinates the Urban Informality Working Group which isa platform that brings together civil society actors to collectively deliberate, and engage on urban informality. She also manages the Paratransit Consultative Forum, a dialogue platform in which multiple stakeholders meet to discuss urban transport planning in Greater Kampala. She has worked for over 13 years with development researchers and practitioners on social justice issues including securing land tenure, affordable housing and mobility for the urban poor advocating for inclusivity and women’s rights. Her first degree is in Law, with a Masters’ Degree in Development Management from The Open University UK.

Ms Amanda Ngabirano is the Chairperson of the National Physical Planning Board, the highest body responsible for physical planning in Uganda. She is the former Vice President of World Cycling Alliance and an urban and regional planner. She is also a lecturer at Makerere University, with a special interest in linking research and practice. Amanda Ngabirano has conducted research on informality and transport complexities, road safety and quality of public space in Kampala, in partnership with several international researchers. Amanda initiated the non-motorised transport pilot plan which is Kampala's new Namirembe road-Luwum Street, anexample of inclusiveness whereby walking, cycling and the quality of public space have been prioritized. Amanda is the Independent Chairperson of the Greater Kampala Paratransit Consultative Forum, a platform meant to facilitate dialogue amongst the key stakeholders in public transport planning processes in Kampala, supported by FES.

Florence Nyole is a registered architect with over 12 years’ experience and runs EcoSpace Architects Ltd. She previously worked at Waweru and Associates Architects and Classroom Africa program under the African Wildlife Foundation. She won an AAK Awards of Excellence in 2017 for the design of Mara Girls Leadership School in 2017 and was nominated for Leader in Social Impact in 2024 by Women in Real Estate Kenya. Florence also worked in academia as a Tutorial Fellow at the University of Nairobi and won an award as leader in Academia in 2021 by Women in Real Estate Kenya.  Florence has served as the President of the East Africa Institute of Architects and is now the President of the Architectural Association of Kenya. She was recently nominated by the Daily Nation's Business Daily to the prestigious Top 40 under 40 Women in 2024.  She serves in several committees, taskforces and working groups including the Just City Working Group supported by FES Kenya.

John Mark Mwanika is a program officer at the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers’ Union (ATGWU-Uganda). John, as a programs officer, has been designing innovative programs for his union ATGWU. One of the key focuses has been the use of HIV/AIDS, digital tools, and climate change in organizing transport workers in Uganda. As a result, informal transport workers in the boda boda, taxis, and long-distance heavy drivers have been organized. John Mark is an key member of the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) and is involved in the Our Public Transport (OPT) program. This program aims to strengthen union influence and advocacy in public transport, including Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems in cities such as Nairobi, Dakar, Accra, Kampala, Maputo, and Abidjan. John Mark is particularly engaged in conducting Labour Impact Assessments as part of this initiative

Grace M. Chikumo-Mtonga has provided strategic leadership in aligning her organization's goals with national and global development plans, including the SDGs. She has facilitated capacity-building initiatives promoting women's land rights and economic empowerment, particularly in rural areas, and established community GBV response desks. As Treasurer of the East and Southern Africa Regional Housing Network, she has contributed to regional land and housing rights advocacy. Grace has also led research and advocacy on these issues, engaged with policymakers, and supported community development projects, including the creation of a community school and clinic in Mahopo.

Jeremmy Okonjo is an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Warwick, and an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, with over 18 years  of consulting, research, teaching and legal practice interests and experience in international trade, finance, and foreign investments law and policy, climate change law, innovation law and policy, and the digital economy. He holds a PhD Law degree from the University of Kent (UK), Master of Laws degrees from University College London (UK) and the University of Nairobi, and a Law degree from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. He also is an Associate Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.”

Astrid is an independent Ugandan-Austrian urban economist, based in Hong Kong, working across research and practice, supporting cities in Africa, the Middle East and Asia with questions of strategy related to financing and funding. She also has appointments as an Adjunct Professor at the School of Cities, University of Toronto; Research Associate at the African Centre for Cities at the University of Cape Town and ODI; as well as an Extraordinary Lecturer at the African Tax Institute, University of Pretoria. She holds an MSc in Public Financial Management from SOAS, University of London and an MA in International Economics and International Development from Johns Hopkins University. In 2016, she was nominated by the University of Cape Town as one of Africa’s Young Leaders and in 2020 she received the Johns Hopkins Outstanding Recent Graduate award for her leadership and work on urbanisation.

Titus Kaloki is a Programme Coordinator at the Just Cities and Politics department at the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) in Kenya. He has been coordinating the political education and policy advisory programmes that enhance public participation and sustainable growth towards better service delivery, as well as work around securing human and land rights for the last 8 years.  The ‘Just City’ project aims at shaping urbanisation processes to be citizen-centred and thus have ‘just’ outcomes through provision and inclusive access to public goods and services. He is currently coordinating a 3-year (2024-2027) EU-co-funded Just City project on sustainable water and waste management targeting urban informal settlements in Nakuru, Makueni and Kisumu counties. He is passionate about the promotion of democratic governance in Kenya.

Tatu is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Human Settlements Studies, Ardhi University, Dar es Salaam. Dr. Limbumba has a PhD in Built Environment Analysis and specializes in Housing, Informality, Climate Change and Urban poverty. Dr. Limbumba has carried out various consultancy services for government and non-government institutions including the preparation of the National Housing Policy 2021; and the Tenant Study for the National Housing Corporation. She has also participated in research activities both locally and regionally in subject related to gender and housing; urban service delivery and climate change and has published papers on the same. She teaches the subjects of Housing development and practice; gender, climate change and housing as well as leadership, governance and public policy at postgraduate level.

Githau Thabanja is the City Manager of Nakuru City in Nakuru County Government-Kenya, where he has been charged with the city's administrative responsibilities since 2019. In Africa, Gitau serves as the UNESCO Creative Cities Network Coordinator under the Craft and Folk Arts category. He serves as the National Chair of all City and Municipal Managers in Kenya. He brings a fresh perspective to Nakuru Urban’s administration and Planning by demonstrating a strong commitment to transformation. He earned a Master of Urban Administration and Planning from the University of Seoul in South Korea in 2019 and holds another Master’s Degree in Governance and Ethics from Mount Kenya University. He also completed a Bachelor of Education in Economics and Business Studies from Kenyatta University. Prior to that, he served as a County Executive Committee Member overseeing Land, Housing, and Physical Planning in Nyandarua County, honing his expertise in local governance and development.

Francis Kibirige is the Managing Director and the co-national Investigator of the Afrobarometer surveys in Uganda. For over 20 years he has coordinated and overseen the implementation of high-portfolio assignments from government, local and international development actors. Francis is the Afrobarometer network sampling specialist, supporting all 40+ national partner institutions to draw nationally representative samples of the adult national population per agreed protocols.  He holds a first degree in agricultural engineering, majoring in agricultural systems designs and processing from Makerere University, Kampala, and has taken four (4) substantive Afrobarometer fellowship programs at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and the University of Cape Town in research methodology and advanced statistical modeling.

Kuria David Kamau is the Chief Officer - Housing & Urban Development in Nakuru County.He is an expert and practitioner on water and waste management. He is the founder of the award-winning social enterprise AFRICAQUA that aims at providing affordable access to safe drinking water for rural and urban African Communities. and also founder of IKOTOILET which pioneered the public private partnerships investments in public toilets in Nairobi city.  He is undertaking a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Project Management at Jommo Kenyatta University of Technology where he also did his Bachelors of Architecture, and holds a Masters Business Administration, Corporate Governance from KCA University.

Shelton is a highly skilled Corporate Town Planner with the Zimbabwe Institute of Regional and Urban Planners. He currently works as the Principal MSMEs Planning and Development Officer at the City of Bulawayo. His expertise is reflected in his involvement in master and local development plans for the city. Shelton is pursuing a doctoral degree in Urban Planning at the University of Johannesburg and holds advanced degrees in Spatial Planning Systems and Development Studies. He is also an accomplished author focusing on urban planning and the informal sector.

Jalal Abdel-Latif is currently the Senior Social Policy Advisor at the Gender, Poverty, and Social Policy Division of UNECA. His professional focus is on economic and social development, particularly regarding peace and security issues in Africa, as well as good governance. With over 30 years of experience, Jalal has expertise in corporate social responsibility, humanitarian responses, civic engagement, grant-making, project design, and enhancing the capacities of non-profit organizations. Before joining UNECA, Jalal worked with the World Bank in Ethiopia, Sudan, and South Sudan, supporting post-conflict reconstruction operations. He holds a Master's degree from the UCLA African Studies Center with focus on urban development and began his career as a researcher and capacity analyst there.

A graduate of Land Economics and Masters degree in Urban & Regional Planning both from University of Nairobi.  Has Over 25 years’ experience of in the Built environment; specifically areas on Human Settlements and urban development in the public and private sector before joining the  UN: Handled several assignments in Urban and Regional Planning and Management,  Housing Development (including slum upgrading), project management and Administration, Real Estate and Property Appraisal/Valuation as well as facilities management. He is also a licensed Lead Expert in Environmental Impact and Audit Assessment.  He is very passionate about inclusivity and believes each and every individual possess unique gift to share with others.