A SPATIAL PLAN for Laikipia County is underway. Driven by the County’s Roads, Public Works, Lands and Energy Department, and led by Dr. Jeniffer Kinoti, the County Spatial Plan is a county requirement under the devolved County rules and requirements.
What is a SPATIAL Plan – The Spatial Plan is a ten-year GIS-based depiction of a county’s socio-economic development vision and program, including the distribution of people and activities, within the context of efficient, productive and sustainable use of land and other county spaces.
Conservation Priorities in Laikipia – Laikipia conservation constituents have been given a critical role in helping the Spatial Planning Team to assemble data in support of the Plan. At recent meetings, the County engaged a host of conservation landscape actors to ensure that the 35% commitment of lands in Laikipia to wildlife conservation as a primary land use are heard in the Spatial Planning effort. These members include Grevy Zebra Trust , Laikipia Conservancies Association, Northern Rangeland Trust , Mpala Research Centre, Kenya Wildlife Service, Ewaso Lions.
Other Laikipia Resource Conservation Actors – Additional Natural Resource membership organizations help to address forests, water, and agriculture in the planning effort. Additional actors include Laikipia Forum, CETRAD, Water Resources Authority , ICRAF, CABI, and MKEWP. Noticeably absent is the Laikipia Farmers Association.
What to Expect – The County Spatial Plan drives a set of planning scenarios for the County. It’s a way to reconcile the desire for agricultural expansion, industrialization, mining, large scale infrastructure, and conservation.
Given the impacts of climate change, our emphasis on fossil-fueled development, our need for a green economy, our national emphasis on wildlife corridors and dispersal areas, our need for water security, and the growth of livelihoods, WHAT DOES OUR FUTURE LOOK LIKE??
The Laikipia County Spatial Plan needs to be finished by the end of September 2021 – with plenty of public engagement. This is OUR Plan.
Stay tuned for updates. And remember, Stay Engaged and Keep Informed.
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