Training Of Trainers Workshop on Urban-Rural Linkages

A team of leading urban experts from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning-Faculty of Built Environment & Design and UN-Habitat are conducting a series of workshops on Urban-Rural Linkages. The training targets 47 planners drawn from various county governments across Kenya. The experts are; Professor Isaac Karanja Mwangi is Associate Professor of Planning, Department of Urban and Regional Planning; Mr John Omwamba from the National Urban Policy Programme (Liberia and Sierra Leone), Ms Grace Githiri - Urban-Rural Linkages Programme, Dr Elizabeth Wamuchiru -lecturer in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Dr Munyua Mwaura -lecturer in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, The team has already conducted 3 such ToT Workshops in Kisumu, Naivasha and Mombasa in March and April 2022.

The training sessions were implemented in a series of three workshops organized as follows:

(i)The first capacity building workshop targeted one participant drawn from each of the 18 counties in the Western region of Kenya. This workshop was held in Kisumu.

(ii)The second workshop targeted one participant drawn from each of the 20 counties in the central region. The workshop was held in Naivasha

(iii) The third workshop targeted participants drawn from each of the 9 counties in the coast region. The workshop was held in Mombasa.

 The differences in the distribution of participants by workshop and region reflect sensibility to organizational logistics and travel considerations to workshop venues. The forty-seven (47) participants will be trained as urban-rural linkages Training of Trainers (TOTs) for their respective counties. The participants are equally expected to actively participate in future capacity building for the URL Centre for Africa outreach programmes.

The Objectives of the Training are to provide an appropriate forum for county planners to exchange information on urban-rural linkages and learn from practical experiences that can create synergies in managing development in the urban-rural continuum; To sensitize county planners, development managers, and policymakers on the importance of strengthening Urban-rural linkages towards sustainable county development; To train county planners and development managers in integrating urban-rural linkages in planning; To share local and international best practices on urban-rural linkages; and  To increase peer to peer learning for transfer of knowledge, skills and experience on urban-rural linkages between and among planners in counties.