The Mukuru Exploratory Scenario Planning (Mukuru XSP) aspires to co-develop a new framework with the community, one that transforms how we understand and manage climate mobility in informal settlements. We believe that resilience is not something a community should have to engineer alone, but it requires collective action, forward-thinking policy and a commitment to honouring the lived experiences of those on the frontlines of climate change.
The project contributes to advancing equitable energy transitions in informal settlements through validating preliminary findings, illustrating in an accessible way the complex interconnections, collecting stakeholder input to refine understanding of causal effects, introducing practical systems concepts to help recognize and find solutions to systemic patterns, and strengthening collaborative relationships between communities, utilities, and policymakers.
This project aims to address this gap by interrogating international energy modelling collaborations in Kenya and their policy influence and providing practical recommendations for making modelling partnerships more responsive.
project details The Opportunities for Digital Technologies to Support Urban Heat Resilience Research Area Urban Development Project Status Ongoing Start Date Nov, 2025 Project Team Dr. Elsie Onsongo Dr. Manish
About one billion people in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) still cook with polluting biomass fuels and technologies such as charcoal and firewood burned in rudimentary stoves.
The Frugal Innovation Histories project is a first step towards developing a series of in-depth case studies of bottom-up frugal innovation in developing contexts.
Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) is an innovative solution that can lead to potential job opportunities and help achieve the net zero goal. The carbon removal approaches can generate carbon removal credits.
African start-ups are rapidly becoming essential players in achieving socio-economic development and addressing sustainable development challenges.
The research takes forward the conceptual approach described as socio-technical innovation systems building, which was developed on the basis of in-depth historical analysis at Sussex on the solar home systems markets in Kenya and Tanzania.
Among the barriers to scaling up mini-grids in Africa are a lack of mini-grid-specific regulatory framework, unproven business models, demand uncertainty, limited access to finance, and lack of capacity.
Campaigns for electric cooking adoption have primarily focused on high- and middle-income households, but targeting low-income households is crucial. eCooking could have a much more significant social impact in informal urban settlements.
The study focused on the integration of centralised and decentralised energy systems, specifically examining the role of governance structures and decision-making processes, power dynamics among various stakeholders and institutions.
KNeCS focuses on how energy-efficient eCooking technologies can be scaled-up in Kenya with the intended impacts of minimising the drudgery and health risks associated with the use of solid fuels for cooking, improving environmental sustainability.
Access to such energy systems remains a significant challenge for informal settlements in the Global South—commonly known as ‘slums’, inhibiting their ability to overcome poverty and develop resilience to unforeseen shocks and vulnerabilities.
This research project explored and compared the evolutionary processes through which two large informal settlements in Nairobi became more resilient to shocks and disturbances. The aim was to understand the pathways followed and coping strategies employed in these settlements.
The aim was to mobilize and empower creativity by establishing Urban Living Labs in partnership with urban authorities and investors that would allow local creatives to collaborate and arrive at frugal solutions that enhanced safety and security in their towns and cities.
This project aimed to co-create an inclusive framework and establish partnerships for engaging communities in community-based participatory research (CBPR) and slum upgrading processes.
This project, conducted in two phases, explores the role of digital platforms and hubs in improving the resilience and livelihoods of residents in Mathare, Nairobi.
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