Lodwar, 22nd April, 2024
An involvement of a joint team of officials from the County Government, Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) and the National Lands Commission into the efforts geared towards strengthening land governance is a major boost to the development of the county’s 10-year Spatial Plan (2023-2033).
Through elaborate public sensitisation program, residents of Lokiriama, Napelilim (Loima), Lokitaung and Lowareng’ak (Turkana North), Lokori and Lopeduru (Turkana East), Letea and Kakuma (Turkana West), Napuu and Naurienkipi (Turkana Central) have so far been involved in making decisions about physical planning of their land.
During the 10-day exercise, the Director of Physical Planning, Davies Munialo, said the campaign aimed at making the public aware of proper land use for sustainable growth and allocation of resources to promote urbanisation.
He further emphasised that proper land planning would address conflicts arising out of competing land use patterns and create a mechanism for aligning development to the dynamics of change in emerging towns and Urban centres across the county.
According to him, the involvement of REREC in the process was significant in enabling preliminary collection of community views and site identification necessary for establishment of renewable energy plants in Turkana.
On NLC, Director Munialo told residents, that its participation was to enhance adherence to the legal requirements of the whole land process.
The public sensitisation meetings involved; differentiating public land from private land, the processes of accessing land title deeds, town and Urban areas zoning and the integration of environmental protection for sustainable growth.
“Of significance in such meetings, the county and its partners are committed to strengthening land governance to ensure there is land for public institutions like schools and hospitals, while at the same time, allocate land for agricultural production, pastoralism, commerce and industry, and land for future urban expansion within the approved County Master Spatial Plan,” Director Munialo said.
Galgalo Boru (National Lands Commission), Stephen Baraza (National Government Surveyor), Martin Muriuki (Team lead, REREC) and Samuel Mongela (County Surveyor) have been present at the sensitisation meetings.
