Dr. Emmanuel Midheme

is a Spatial Planning and Urban Development Specialist, with over 19 years of practical experience in the Kenyan and East African urban development scene. He currently lectures at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Maseno University. Emmanuel holds a PhD in Spatial Planning and Urban Development from the University of Leuven, Belgium. His other qualifications include Masters in Human Settlements (KU Leuven), MSc in Geo-information Science and Earth Observation (ITC – Enschede) and BA in Urban and Regional Planning (Maseno University). His research over the years has covered a range of topics, spanning property theory and urban land governance; sustainable urbanism; urban informality as a modality of space (re)production within rapidly transforming cities of sub-Saharan Africa; and more recently, climate change and urban resilience in Kenya.

Emmanuel has undertaken wide-ranging consultancy work for various international organizations, including UNDP, FAO, AFD-CNRS, Mistra Urban Futures-KLIP, and Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD). He has similarly carried out assignments for various entities in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia. In Kenya, Emmanuel has executed various assignments under the Kenya Urban Support Program (KUSP) and the Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project (KISIP). He has also supported the Council of Governors (COG) in rolling out spatial planning across counties. His latest assignment has seen him serve in a Team of Experts tasked with developing Urban Resilience Strategies for the primary cities of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret, under the auspices of the State Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Emmanuel is a Registered and Licensed Physical Planner (PPRB) and Environmental Impact Assessor/Auditor (NEMA). He is a member of the Kenya Institute of Planners (KIP) and the Environment Institute of Kenya (EIK).