National Land Commission chairman Gershom Otachi says land governance continues to dominate the global discourse, driven by the urgent need to combat climate change and guarantee food security for the growing population.
He explained that the recently concluded CoP-27 underscored the need for sustainable land management to support food security in the region.
Otachi while addressing delegates at the ongoing IGAD Member States Land Commissions’ workshop in Mombasa on Thursday called for deliberate discussions among member states on how best Commissions can harmonize policies and support the land sector to ultimately improve land governance in the region.
He observed that in the process of delivering their mandates, Commissions across the region are confronted by unique challenges, key among them being resource constraints owing to limited budgetary allocation.
He said the workshop is timely and significant because the Commissions shall not only propose solutions to various challenges but also develop an agenda that will elevate the voice of land commissions in the existing national, regional and global dialogues.
At the same time, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) urged member states to reinforce their land management frameworks to address land conflicts in the region.
Esther Obaikol while representing Agriculture and Environment Division Director, Daher Elmi, reiterated the need to view land governance as a key tool to foster peace and security in the region.
Obaikol who is the Lead Land Governance at IGAD, noted that 70 percent of the IGAD region is made up of Arid and Semi-Arid Lands(ASALs) thus scarce economic resources.
Obaikol urged member states to rethink their roles as land Commissions to foster peace by viewing land planning and land use not only from a technical perspective but from a lens that changes lives in the communities.
Participants are drawn from Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Sudan, which are four out of eight IGAD nations with land commissions.
