Residents of Turkana are to benefit from an advocacy program by Impact Kenya designed to create awareness about community land rights.

County Director for Survey, Joseph Egiron, revealed that following a meeting with the Program Manager of Impact Kenya, a renowned player in the land justice system in Kenya.

The meeting, which was held at the county headquarters, identified community land sensitization as a viable area of partnership that the county and the organization could partner on for the furtherance of awareness on community land rights.

Director Egiron confirmed that the County had already invested in the community land sensitization but was unable to cover all the villages, hence the need for partnership in the exercise.

He pointed to parts of Loima and Turkana north and West as unreached areas.

According to the Survey Director, the partnership would also promote awareness of laws concerning land rights, such as the Community Land Act, and create awareness of the role of the county government in the process of land registration.

On his part, Elijah Lempaira said that Impact Kenya would leverage the expertise of conducting such public engagement meetings in counties with similar land ownership structures, such as Samburu, Baringo, and Marsabit, where they have been working.

Lempaira noted that the legal language usually used when discussing land rights matters required a competent advocate, and he lauded the county for investing in the same through the creation of a county legal office.

The meeting was also attended by Ekai Nabenyo, the Director of Legal Services, and key stakeholders in the land sector, including Vincent Agevi (Land Surveyor, State Department of Lands) and representatives from the Turkana County Assembly, the Turkana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Office of the County Attorney.