Professor Chris Macoloo is an earth scientist and international development advisor. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Urban Geography and Planning from the University of Cambridge, UK (1990), and is a Fellow of Cambridge Commonwealth Society (FCCS). He was conferred with a Bachelor of Education (Arts) degree – First Class Honors – from the University of Nairobi. Chris has a Master’s degree in urban development from the University of Nairobi and was a visiting graduate student at McGill University in Montreal, Canada (1982-1983). He has an extensive illustrious academic career spanning over 20 years at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, where in 2000 he rose to the position of an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Science.
He has published extensively in international referred journals such as Housing Studies, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Development and Change, Geoforum, Regional Development Dialogue, Eastern and Southern Africa Geographical Journal, Third World Planning Review, Southern Africa Geographical Journal, and African Urban Quarterly, among others. He has attended and presented research and development papers at many international conferences, workshops and symposiums. He has supervised numerous undergraduate and post graduate dissertations focusing on various academic and development issues. Chris has been an external examiner for a number of universities, including Moi University and the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA).
In addition to an illustrious career in academia, Prof. Macoloo has extensive experience in international development practice, consultancy and advisory work, having worked for a number of international development organizations. These organizations include Intermediate Technology Development Group – ITDG (currently, Practical Action) where he was responsible for shelter policy and advocacy programs; SNV/Netherlands Development Organization as a Program Officer in charge of urban development and later incorporated pastoralist development; and World Neighbors where he is currently the Regional Director for East Africa based in Nairobi, Kenya. It is Chris’ responsibility to lead the organization’s regional team in four countries to define, implement and manage a regional strategy consistent with the organization’s vision and mission. As an international development organization with headquarters in the USA, World Neighbors has programs in Africa, Asia, and Latin America & the Caribbean whose primary goal is to build the capacities of local communities and their organizations in sustainable agriculture, livelihoods, natural resource management and health, with gender equity, HIV/AIDS and climate change adaptation and mitigation as transversal themes.
Chris has been undertaking responsibilities and duties at the international, regional, national and local levels. He is a founder member of a pan-African advocacy network, the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) in which he served both as a Board member and Chair of the Board until December 2022. The network advocates for agroecology, seed sovereignty, and the protection of African agriculture and food systems from the negative influences and effects of commercial industrial agriculture as well as from the threats of global corporate take-over of African agriculture. Prof. Macoloo was also instrumental in the formation of Prolinnova Kenya Country Platform where he is currently a member of the National Steering Committee. Prolinnova is an international network of a community of practice that promotes innovation in ecologically oriented agriculture and natural resource management. At the Prolinnova international level, Chris has been a member and Co-Chair of the Prolinnova Oversight Group (POG), the policy making organ of the Prolinnova international network until 2022. Nationally, Prof. Macoloo recently completed a three-year term (2019-2022) as a member of the Council of Murang’a University of Technology where he chaired the Human Resource; Physical Infrastructure, Planning and Development; and Audit, Governance and Risk Management Committees. At the local level, Chris has been patron and the Chair of Board of Management of various secondary schools and an advisor to community based organizations. He is a member of the Geographical Society of Kenya, the Kenya Economic Association, and the Kenya Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Prof. Macoloo has a solid professional background that blends academia and research with international development.
