National Land Commissions from Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region Monday commenced a three-day workshop in Mombasa to deliberate on how to move away from regional land conflicts to economically viable resources for their citizens.
Speaking at the start of the inaugural IGAD Land Commissions Conference, Kenya’s NLC Vice chairperson Gertrude Nguku explained that having been mandated by the constitution to steer land reforms, the Commissions can no longer ignore the extent to which land-related issues are fanning conflicts.
Nguku, who represented NLC chairman Gershom Otachi said a higher percentage of these conflicts can be mitigated by effective land management, capacity building of regions, and funding of Commissions to facilitate their activities.
She explained that the workshop is timely in forging meaningful partnerships to leverage on resources and ideas for growth in the region.
She also made an appeal to donor organizations including IGAD to facilitate specialized training on Blue Economy to inform the Commission’s policy.
Commissioner Esther Murugi reiterated the need for partnerships stating that the Commission’s strategic plan 2021-2026 emphasizes on the importance of strategic partnerships and synergies to support the NLC mandate.
She said the workshop will set a platform for cross-learning from achievements, successes, challenges and opportunities.
Murugi implored that the workshop also presents an opportunity to reflect and identify gaps in the land sector while also identifying areas of synergy to promote land governance in the region.
