FAO to build Ksh. 30 million GIS laboratory in Kajiado

Kajiado

Saturday, July 22, 2023

(KNA) by Sammy Rayiani and Kiiru Mwaniki.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has promised to establish a Shs.30 million GIS laboratory in Kajiado County that will benefit the county in conducting Geographic Information System GIS map referencing and digitalization of lands.

Speaking during the county’s 2020-2030 Spatial Plan launch on Thursday, FAO Deputy Country Representative Hamisi Williams explained that, Digital Land Governance (DLG) will give the county easy access to land registry and ministry records.

“In the first phase of the Land Governance programme, which Kajiado was not even part of and Kajiado being our friend, we were able to support it with land registry plan, out of two counties which were not in the plan, in this digital era land governance we are looking forward to digitize registries,” Williams explained.

Hamisi added that within this financial year, their plan is to support the governor’s plan for the county and its future development especially on land.

“Kajiado is lined up as one of the counties that is going to benefit from the GIS laboratory that will be established at a cost of Ksh. 30 million. You will start receiving furniture, computers for setting up the room,” Williams said.

The county is also expected to get Farmer registration support from FAO. The exercise will see all the farmers in the county digitized, modernized and geo referenced through Kenya Integrated Agriculture Management Information System (KIAMS).

Jackson Kiplagat, head of conservation programmes from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) assured the governor that the organization will follow up the plans the county has put in place and help them solve any problem that may arise from the spatial plan.

“We have worked with the National Land Commissions to strategize plans, guidelines that will monitor plans related to spatial planning. We have also worked with your government to ensure the county’s budget is guided well,” said Kiplagat.

Kajiado is the 13th county to launch its spatial plan that will provide a ten-year roadmap on land use planning and sustainable development.

FAO and WWF are the partners that will collaborate with the coutty government in fulfilling the spatial plan.

Courtesy ; K. N. A