Prof. Mugendi K. M’Rithaa is a transdisciplinary industrial designer, educator, researcher and
consultant presently working at Machakos University, Kenya. He studied in Kenya, the USA, India,
and South Africa and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Design; a Masters degree in Industrial Design;
a Higher/Postgraduate Diploma Higher Education and Training; as well as a Doctorate in Universal
Design. He is widely traveled and has taught in Kenya, Botswana, Canada, India, Norway, South
Africa, Sweden and Uganda and is passionate about various expressions of socially conscious
design, including Advanced Ergonomics/Human Factors Engineering; Design Thinking/Human-Centered Design (HCD); Designerly Strategies for Mitigating Climate Change; Design for Social
Innovation and Sustainability; Distributed Renewable Energy; Indigenous Knowledge Systems
(IKS); Participatory/Co-Design; Sustainable Development; Sustainable Transportation; and
Universal/Inclusive Design (UD).

Mugendi has a special interest in the pivotal role of design thinking in advancing the developmental agenda on the African continent. He is a founding member and Simba Fellow of the Pan-Afrikan Design Institute (PADI)/Design Council of Afrika, and is associated with a number of other international networks focusing on design within industrially developing (or majority world contexts) including the Association of Designers of India (ADI). He is also the Founding Patron of the Interior Designers’ Association of Kenya (IDAK); a Board Member of Open Design Afrika (ODA); the Special Advisor to the Hasso Plattner [School of Design Thinking] d-school AFRIKA at the University of Cape Town; the Special Advisor to the Nairobi Design Week (NDW); a Founding Professional Member of the Design Kenya Society (DKS); an Advisory Board member of the Global Equality Alliance (GEA); a Member of the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE); as well as an Advisory Committee Member of the International Center for Creativity and Sustainable Development (ICCSD) under the auspices of UNESCO.

Additionally, Mugendi is the President Emeritus and Senator of the World Design Organization (WDO) – having been the first African President in the history of the WDO during the 2015-2017 term. Much of his work with the WDO focuses on the importance of supporting the aspirations of designers worldwide in the [industrial] design profession’s collective quest to resolve wicked problems in diverse contexts.