John Gitonga brings over 17 years of expertise in urban development and child rights advocacy to his role as Country Director and Project Lead of the Cities4Children Kenya Alliance. He has successfully forged strong partnerships between government bodies, civil society, and development partners to promote inclusive urban governance that prioritizes the rights and participation of children and youth.

John’s passion grew while coordinating UN-Habitat and SIDA-supported programs that built capacity for inclusive city development strategies, promoting participatory urban governance—critical for rapidly growing towns facing challenges in East Africa. He has led initiatives across Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania that emphasize inclusive planning, good governance, and sustainable development with a strong focus on youth and community engagement.

Under his leadership, the Alliance has grown its footprint across multiple counties, empowering young people to actively engage in urban planning and decision-making processes. John is dedicated to creating vibrant, inclusive cities where children and youth can thrive and contribute to shaping their communities.

Kyalo Augustine Mutiso leads stakeholder engagement at Cities4Children Kenya, focusing on ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion across all our programs. He drives capacity-building efforts for stakeholders to better understand and implement inclusive practices that amplify the voices of marginalized children and youth.

With extensive experience in public service and citizen engagement, Kyalo is a dedicated social justice advocate committed to uplifting vulnerable and marginalized groups. He oversees organizational capacity assessments, provides tailored technical support, and measures the impact of these efforts to strengthen stakeholder effectiveness in advancing child- and youth-centered urban development.

Martin Kimotho is an urban planner focused on creating safe, inclusive spaces for children. He supports county governments and schools in developing child-friendly master plans, turning schools into open community spaces. Martin also works with public and private stakeholders to promote accessible urban mobility and green infrastructure that benefits children and youth.

Sophia Nyambura is an advocate for vulnerable urban communities, promoting access to basic services and gender equality. As the lead of the Children’s Voices Network, she empowers school children to understand sustainable development and engage in decision-making.

She works closely with schools, county governments, and partners to build children’s capacity to advocate for their rights and contribute to shaping inclusive, child-friendly urban environments. Through education, mentorship, and policy engagement, Sophia ensures that young voices are heard and valued in Kenya’s urban development agenda.

Joel Munga is a seasoned finance and programme management professional with extensive experience in fiduciary oversight, donor-funded projects, and public sector operations. His key areas of focus include finance and accounting, project and programme management, fund and asset management, administration, audit and investigations, compliance, taxation, and donor funding management.

Previously serving as a Municipal Manager within the County Government, Joel oversaw the implementation of the World Bank–funded Kenya Urban Support Program (KUSP), providing financial oversight for projects with annual budgets of approximately KES 230 million. He led program audits, ensured procurement and tax compliance, managed operational budgets, developed revenue targets, and strengthened monitoring and reporting systems. He also played a central role in stakeholder engagement, risk assessments, and coordination between municipal boards, county leadership, and development partners.

He brings a wealth of experience in fiduciary management, financial governance, and results-driven programme operations across public and donor-funded initiatives.