Turkana County has marked a milestone by opening a GIS Laboratory.
A partnership between the Turkana County Government and USAID-Nawiri has delivered the first-ever County Geospatial Information System (GIS) Laboratory at the Department of Economic Planning.
Jeremiah Namuya, the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Public Service while presiding over the unveiling of the laboratory, explained that the facility will facilitate evidence-informed decision-making in all sectors of concern to the County Government.
Namuya said having the laboratory has placed Turkana on the country’s map as one of the foremost counties in Kenya with such installations alongside County Government of Vihiga, Wajir, and less than five others across the nation.
USAID-Nawiri Chief of Party, Hussein Noor Abdille, said the opening had been preceded by an assessment of the existing County Monitoring and Evaluation system. Thereafter, a data systems advisor was seconded to train and provide continuous mentorship to focal persons on use of the facility.
“We have supported capacity building of the critical staff from different departments of the County Government some of whom benefitted from learning visits to Wajir,” Noor said.
A GIS map plotter, printing services, and programmed computer systems are some of the inputs within the laboratory to allow for the generation of diverse outputs.
The event was attended by the Turkana office staff and project team of the USAID Bureau of Human Assistance (BHA).
By Peter Gitonga
