- Stakeholders are not leaving out any measure that will ensure proper and well-articulated land use.T
- The devolved unit is using a citizen-informed approach to make the public aware of what should be done in adverse weather conditions.
- Due to the erratic nature of el-Niño rains, the county government is encouraging Nyamira residents to practice soil management through rain harvesting and slope stabilization.
The county government of Nyamira has prepared a draft spatial plan with which it hopes to cure perennial land issues.
The plan will also bring sanity to land use, environmental sustainability, socio-economic transformation, and equitable and inclusive development in Nyamira for the next decade.
Amid continuous stakeholders’ engagements over the substance of the spatial plan is the emerging food insecurity that is imminent due to poor land use.
Securing the future
Stakeholders are not leaving out any measure that will ensure proper and well-articulated land use to conserve the environment and guarantee that food availability is not threatened going into the future.
In a stakeholder engagement workshop for technical validation of the draft spatial plan at Guardian Hotel in Nyamira town, involving the county government’s top leadership, various stakeholders gave their technical input, including those from the Ministry of Lands, Public Works and Urban Development (MoLPW&UD), National Lands Commission, the Nyamira Land Control Board members and other county government officers.
The workshop was supported by the Digital Land Governance Program sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the European Union.
Benefitting all
In his address to the participants, the County Spatial Plan delivery Project manager, Mr. Lamech Nyariki, appreciated the strides the county has made so far.
“As we deliberate on the draft spatial plan at the technical level, we are alive to the many challenges being brought about by land use.
We ought to see how we can accommodate the matter of land fragmentation and food insecurity in these spatial plan discussions,” said Nyariki.
Speaking during the event, Nyamira Municipality manager Ernest Morara said that the county government is doing its best to make the spatial plan a reality.
In her opening statements, Nyamira County FAO focal person, Ms. Evelyn Nyambane, said that the spatial plan will significantly incorporate views from stakeholders on the best way to bring out a unified plan for use by the county.
Comparing notes
To develop a well-researched and stakeholder-involving spatial plan, the county government of Nyamira, through the Department of Lands, Housing, Physical Planning and Urban Development, is working closely with partners like FAO- Kenya; the Council of Governors; the National Land Commission; the Ministry of Lands, Public Works and Urban Development(MoLPW&UD) to harmonize and compare notes on best practices that will see Nyamira come up with a blueprint on matters land use for the next decade.
“The views from this discussions will be incorporated by the consultant, identify policy needs with reference to land use and land management and discuss on how to incorporate the findings and recommendations of a report on the Effects of Land Fragmentation on Land Use and Food Security into the spatial plan,” noted Sebastian Menza, a cluster four coordinator with FAO.
“Nyamira County has made some strides in the process of formulating its County Spatial Plan. Situational analysis and data collection have all been successfully done through a consultant.
The consultant has prepared the situational analysis report which was subjected to stakeholders’ analysis and public participation.
Further, the consultant has formulated a Draft Plan Proposal that is at the finalization stage.
The county is also intending to undertake the preferred zoning plans for major and upcoming towns and market centers,” added Menza.
Further discussions about the spatial plan will move to other stages with more stakeholders’ participation forums, with the first bringing together members of the County Assembly, the Cabinet and the Technical Officers.
El-Niño education
Meanwhile, the county government of Nyamira is putting every measure, including sensitizing the public on the anticipated el-Niño rains and general environment conservation.
Through a public participation exercise conducted midweek across the twenty wards of the county, the devolved unit is using a citizen-informed approach to make the public aware of what should be done in adverse weather conditions such as too much rainfall that would run for weeks.
In its public engagement information handout, the county government identified three engagement areas: solid waste management, soil management during heavy rains, and the environmental threat of bluegum trees grown in riparian areas.
The county government is advocating for the residents to adopt a reduce-reuse-recycle concept that can enable them to minimize waste generation and reduce its environmental impact.
There is also the idea that people need constant education on the importance of using designated waste disposal containers and facilities for different types of waste for proper disposal.
In the training, the people were encouraged to compost organic litter because it has nutrient-rich soil compositions.
Due to the erratic nature of el-Niño rains, the county government is encouraging Nyamira residents to practice soil management through rain harvesting and slope stabilization.
“There is need to maintain vegetation cover, such as grass or trees to prevent soil erosion during heavy rainfall. People are also encouraged to practice slope stabilization through terracing and planting cover crops to stabilize the soil,” read part of the public engagement handout.
To manage the bluegum tree growing in riparian areas, the residents have been educated on the effects of the bluegum trees near river banks and swampy places.
“We encourage the people to embrace native tree species to restore natural forests which have all along been suitable to the local ecosystem.
To manage the effects of bluegum trees from riparian areas, the people are encouraged to be environment champions by discouraging the invasive tree species and encouraging environment-friendly tree species for a sustainable future,” read a statement.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: How Nyamira county has embedded public participation in development plans
The county government is apprehensive that community engagement and continuous public education remain key to the success of elimination of the blue gum menace from riparian areas across the county.
