NLCs plan to implement County Spatial Planning in pastoral areas

National Land Commission (NLC) Friday launched the County Spatial Planning Annex and tool kits guidelines aimed at ensuring proper land use planning to enable counties realise improved food security and livelihoods.
National Land Commission (NLC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ms. Kabale Tache said the preparation and launch of these tool kits was an important milestone in the NLCs strategy in land management.
Tache said that this was a function stipulated in the Constitution on National Land Commission Act that land should be held, used and managed in a manner that is equitable, efficient, productive and sustainable.
“NLC is committed towards ensuring the realisation of the goal of Kenya and Vision 2030 which is to transform Kenya into a newly industrialising, middle income country providing a high quality of life to Kenyans. Through proper land use planning, enhancing food security, economic growth and social development,” said Tache.
Speaking during the launch of the Annex to CSP Guidelines and Tool-kits, Devolution Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Hussein Dado said that Arid and Semi-arid Lands (ASAL) occupies about 73 percent of the country’s land mass and was home to 36 percent of the country’s population, close to 70 percent livestock and about 90 percent wildlife hence the need to involve locals from these areas.
“For that reason, during land-use planning the ministry needs to involve locals from ASAL areas such as pastoralists. Such people are knowledgeable about these areas. They tend to know vector borne diseases and where to drill wells,” said Dado.
He revealed that the ministry’s main challenge was how to protect and support pastoralists in CSP and urged development partners to support CSP.
“My ministry will ensure robust monitoring and evaluation of this initiative and support counties in preparing and implementing County Spatial Plans. This can be achieved through consulted land-use planning efforts. I urge the counties to use these tools effectively,” said Dado.
Dado reiterated his ministry’s commitment to support the county Governments to propose and implement this noble act for it to be translated into reality.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative Gabriel Rugalema said that the population is increasing and so is the demand for land and therefore it is imperative to be careful on how we manage land-use methodically where the rights of pastorals are taken care of.
“FAO runs a land governance programme which is funded by the European Union (EU). And in this regard FAO will support the application of this tools and guidelines by capacity building of key partners like the County Government which is responsible for preparing, approving and implementing CSP,” said Rugalema adding that FAO will monitor the use of this guidelines, support counties to produce credible Spatial Plans.
European Union (EU) Programme Manager Alain Castermans said that land governance is an important aspect to the EU especially in the ASAL.
“We hope to have CSPs in all the counties and not just in Lamu. We are interested in achieving CSPs in pastoral lands,” said Castermans who added that they do a lot of investments in Kenya such as in the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA).
This initiative will be a collaborative effort between key partners namely FAO, NLC, International Livestock Research Institute(ILRI), Frontier County Development Council(FCDC) and Range Lands Support Project(RECONCILE).
By Charles Kirundi/Charity Kanyoro