PETER C. LANGAT

Worked closely with management to provide effective assistance for specific aspects of slum upgrading and prevention including;

• Engaging analytical subject matter experts outside project teams to review the Slum Upgrading and Prevention Strategy Paper for the years 2020 -2035, formulate the National Slum Upgrading Policy (2016) and the Draft Slum Bill (2020)
• Supported capital project planning and contributed to feasibility studies for Affordable & Social Housing in various parts of the country through identification of new sites and land banking, budgeting, infrastructure provision such as access roads to allow for site and service, provision of amenities such as additional classrooms in schools, and new markets
• Created and updated physical records and digital files to maintain current, accurate, and compliant documentation for ease of reference and monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
• Lead teams in socioeconomic analysis of informal areas including the identification, assessment and enumeration of beneficiaries in the target communities of Kibera, Mariguini and Mukuru slums in Nairobi
• Management of programmatic activities including projects being implemented, development of annual Work Plans, Procurement Plans for over ten (10) years to support infrastructure provision and administrative purposes
• Reviewed proposed policy or regulatory changes in related sectors such as Lands and Physical Planning, Urban Development and evaluated potential impacts on slum upgrading activities. Notable among these include Draft Developers Regulations, Draft Housing Bill (2020), Draft Market Development Guidelines (2020) etc.
• Tracked key achievement indicators and made recommendations for proactive adjustments to policies and procedures in slum upgrading. As a result, we identified climate change and inadequate funding as major bottlenecks to slum upgrading. I spearheaded the engagement of the National Treasury through budgets and developed fundraising concept notes for climate financing
• Trained and mentored new employees on industry practices and business operations. Specifically led a team of 4 technical professionals in special projects and daily operations in order to capacity build and equip them for work related challenges.
• Assisted senior leadership in managing all aspects of operations by through M&E of various social and physical infrastructure projects that are ongoing in various parts of the country including holding site visits and contributing to contract management for over 10 years. The output included periodic monthly reports, payment vouchers, correspondence etc
• Successfully defended the department’s achievements of agreed targets during the Annual Ministerial Performance Contracts evaluations by responding to questions and submitting evidence on the various progress of the work
• Building resilience to climate change for slum residents through Climate Financing - Developed project proposals for the Green Climate Fund, which involved research into newer building technologies such as green buildings, carbon sequestration in human settlements, climate change mitigation and adaptation for 3 urban settlement (Kibera, Mathare and Tudor Muoroto) housing hundreds of thousands of urban residents. Also developed strategies to rope in the private sector in climate financing of human settlements projects
• Social Protection – Participated in the Kazi Mtaani Programme, a cash-for-labour social protection programme meant to safeguard lives and livelihoods during Covid 19 pandemic, by participating in the drafting of the concept and monitoring implementation. Oversaw the roll out of the programme which had 283,010 beneficiaries nationwide. Processed payment for the youth and monitored their work achievement
• Stakeholder Engagements – Participated and sometimes spearheaded workshop planning meant to validate policies, Bills and strategies, capacity build or bring development intervention in slum communities on a periodic basis by mapping stakeholders, preparing workshop budgets, presentations on specific topics and invitation letters

My role involved research into social risk factors in low-income housing market segment in Kenya by undertaking assessments and research on housing needs, carrying out research on housing and human settlements issues, analysing survey data and trends to inform policy formulation and decision making. I have the following demonstrable experience;

• Policy Formulation - Served as part of a secretariat of two committees formulating the National Slum Upgrading and Prevention Policy (2016)
• Comparative Analysis gained by benchmarking visits and documentation of policy measures in Brazil, India, Ethiopia and Tanzania to enrich the Kenya’s slum policy formulation. Parliament subsequently approved this policy
• Needs assessments in vulnerable communities in Nairobi and other major cities in Kenya. We were able to identify projects with development impact by providing critical housing infrastructure in marginalised areas.
• Helped to undertake various public consultations with marginalised urban communities living and working in slums and informal settlements to build consensus
• Skills acquired: Ability to conduct research and report on findings, formulation of housing policy, public participation, working in a multidisciplinary team environment comprised of architects, planners, social scientists and surveyors; procurement for works and periodic monitoring and reporting on projects to senior management.

Primary Duties included carrying out surveys on housing and human settlements issues, undertaking community training on appropriate building technologies, reviewing of environmental impact assessment reports on housing and human settlements. I gained the following demonstrable experience;

• Documentation of over 100 social and physical infrastructures projects across the country producing output such as monthly progress reports highlighting the status and financial absorptions
• Projects management and also grievance resolution mechanisms gained by managing estate management issues for over 500 housing units of government housing involving allocation and maintenance
• Conducted various Appropriate Building Technology training for prospective homeowners in over 10 locations across the coastal region
• Continually reviewed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Reports for over three years and advised the National Environment Management Authority
• Skills acquired: Project monitoring and reporting, use of GIS applications to survey human settlements, research using both primary and secondary data collection and resolving complaints from tenants.