Lodwar, 5th July 2024 (Public Communication and Media Relations)

The National Government has sensitised county officials and members of the County Assembly on the status of the Kenya Informal Settlement Improvement Project (KISIP) in Turkana.

KISIP, a national project aimed at improving living conditions in informal settlements across county focuses on enhancing infrastructure such as roads, water supply, sanitation, and drainage, as well as providing secure land tenure to residents.

In Turkana, KISIP works in collaboration with the Lodwar Municipality and local communities to identify priority areas for improvement and implement sustainable solutions that address the unique challenges faced by informal settlements in the region.

The sensitisation session, led by Faith Birir from the KISIP team, focused on creating awareness about the project’s progress, the challenges encountered, and the strategic plans for the upcoming phase.

She emphasised that six locations in Turkana had been earmarked for the program, highlighting the significant strides made in surveys, aerial mapping, the formation of grievance redress mechanisms.

“It is important to note target project beneficiaries have been sensitised on processes leading to acquisition of land title deeds,” Birir stated.

Birir further urged the media to play an active role in public sensitisation by educating the community about the key players in the KISIP process, their respective roles and obligations.

Speaking at the forum, County Secretary Peter Eripete emphasised county’s role in facilitating acquisition of land tenure documents.

According to Eripete, the sensitisation was a welcome move in creating awareness at the leadership and grassroots levels.

In addition, County Commissioner Julius Kavita informed that sharing of the implementation experiences would facilitate the identification of gaps and allow for interventions especially of land ownership documentation.

Members of the County Assembly present included the leader of majority, Stephen Edukon, Leader of minority Samuel Lomodo, Gilbert Topos (Lopur), Ruth Kuya (Township) and Ekuwom Philip (Nanam).

The County Executive for Lands, Peter Akono, was joined by County Chief Officers Derick Epae (Urban Areas Management) and Peter Lomorukai (Physical Planning), along with County Solicitor Ruth Emanikor.

Others were Director of Survey, Joseph Egiron and county focal person for the KISIP project Stephen Njoroge.