Sub-Saharan African cities are growing faster than ever before yet they are increasingly drowning under the weight of recurrent urban floods. Despite decades of investment in infrastructure, technical modelling and donor-funded resilience programmes, urban flooding continues to escalate undermining economic development, environmental security, and social wellbeing. This book argues that urban flooding in Africa cannot effectively be managed without examining the deeper political, historical, and institutional structures that shape the continent’s urban spaces. Drawing on empirical research conducted in Kampala city, Uganda, the book explores how colonial planning legacies, postcolonial governance systems, and contemporary neoliberal reforms collectively reproduce urban flood vulnerability. It furthermore discusses a new framework of contextual resilience grounded in local realities, inclusive governance, and co-produced knowledge. It appeals to academics, policymakers, and practitioners seeking to align urban planning and climate adaptation with equitable urban development.

Denis Arinabo, PhD, is an Environmental Consultant at WSP UK and Ireland, specialising in environmental management and assessment for major energy and transport infrastructure projects in the United Kingdom. He holds a PhD in Planning and Environmental Management from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, where he also contributed to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in environmental management. His doctoral research examined the evolving dynamics of urban flood risk in rapidly urbanising cities in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a particular focus on Kampala, Uganda. He also holds an MSc with Distinction in Environmental Engineering from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, and a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Science from Kyambogo University, Uganda. His research interests lie at the intersection of environmental management, urban development, climate adaptation and flood risk governance, particularly in rapidly urbanising contexts in Sub-Saharan Africa.