Chairman of the Council of Governors Ahmed Abdullahi on Thursday launched Sh300 million worth of Geographic Information System (GIS) equipment and handed it over to the County representatives.
In a partnership with the European Union (EU) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (AFO), the CoG successfully unveiled GIS equipment, GIS implementation guidelines and training manuals.
This milestone was strengthened by a signed agreement with County governments, the EU, and the AFO.
This move is aimed at empowering counties with data-driven tools for effective land-use planning and decision-making through the digitalization of land governance.
This technological system will aid in the collection of maps and data in the whole country whilst also implementing better governance, and informed decisions, and improving the entire well-being of the people.
“As we launch this project today, I urge all of you to embrace the opportunities that GIS presents; let us use this to enhance our capabilities to share knowledge and collaborate on solutions that will benefit our communities for generations to come,” CoG chairman Abdullahi said.
Some 30 more counties will on Thursday, October 31 adopt the GIS technology system after a successful first phase that saw nine counties implement the technological system that aids in land management and urban and spatial planning.
Each of the 47 counties is now fully equipped with a functional GIS laboratory.
“By harnessing the power of GIS, we can better plan our own infrastructure to improve service delivery and expound more and effectively to the needs of our communities. The digital lands and governance programme recollects our commitment to modernizing land governance and enhancing transparency and accountability in land management,” Abdullahi added.
The programme is also set to educate county officers through a comprehensive training that will ensure they are well equipped with the right skillset necessary for data-driven decisions that will allow them to monitor land use changes resolve disputes and enhance urban planning with precision and efficiency.
“We need to train our county officers that are tasked with providing and inputting this data into the system so that the data can be as accurate as it can get,” he said.
The implementation of the GIS system is aimed at improving food and nutrition security and livelihoods and sustainable development in Kenya through equitable and securing access and management of land as per the nation’s Vision 2030.
The presence of data information will lead to Improved conflict and dispute resolution mechanisms on land and natural resources.
