Prof. Marifa Ali Mwakumanya (B.Ed.; M.Phil., PhD) is a distinguished Kenyan environmental scientist, academic, and consultant based at Pwani University in Kilifi, Kenya. He holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences from Moi University, specializing in coastal geomorphology and beach erosion management. His academic and professional work focuses on advancing sustainable environmental management and contributing to global sustainable development goals.

Prof. Mwakumanya currently serves as a Professor of Environmental Sciences and Director of Quality Assurance at Pwani University. He previously held the position of Dean of the School of Environmental and Earth Sciences for nearly a decade, where he played a key role in curriculum development, research coordination, and academic leadership. In addition, he serves as a consultant with the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa under the Leadership for Education for Sustainable Development (LEAD-ESD) programme.

His research interests span coastal and marine ecosystem management, climate change adaptation and resilience, environmental governance, marine litter, sedimentology, and environmental impact assessment. He has led and participated in numerous research projects and consultancies addressing environmental sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and community-based resource management, particularly within Kenya’s coastal region. Prof. Mwakumanya has an extensive publication record in reputable international journals and has supervised many postgraduate students, while actively engaging in community outreach and policy advisory roles. Beyond academia, he collaborates with regional and international organizations such as UNEP, UNESCO, and the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA), integrating research, policy, and community engagement to promote sustainable environmental practices and resilience in vulnerable ecosystems.

C-PaCTS   is a collaboration project bringing together Technische Universität München (TUM) in Germany, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) in Indonesia, and Pwani University (PU) in Kenya to build “Partnerships and synergies for knowledge transfer, coastal resilience and sustainable community development” to primarily  to address critical issues of climate change and sustainable development Goals (SDGS) among coastal rural communities  The primary goal  of the project is to foster for improved dialogues and partnerships between academics and communities, as well as enhancing exchanges between South-South and North South academic institutions for   sustainable coastal community  development. Multifaceted approaches including joint curriculum design, participatory community action research, and co-creative learning   have been institutionalized in order to effectively support and link to sustainable land management, education and environmental science.

 The project focuses on building a pulsating international network of students, scholars and fisherfolks and women groups and other community actors   to co-generate   knowledge, primarily to inform the design and implementation of strategies   on climate change and Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs). Placing emphasis on enhancing south to south and north -south dialogues, premised on Javanese guyub principle, the project fosters for mutual capacity building and new teaching and research interfaces. The project integrates community knowledge and academic research across continents and aim to develop co-designed curricula on coastal resilience and SDGs (4, 5, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17) grounded in real-world cases and local participation. The project is structured in key work packages including a keen focus on education, equity, institutional reforms, environmental action implemented through real field work, exchanges, and community-based knowledge transfer. Read more