The government has launched an atlas that shows where all the critical natural resources are located in Kenya.
The resources include hills; forests; wildlife and biodiversity; water and wetlands; minerals; oil and gas; and agro-based resources, which support life.
Deputy Chief of Staff Josphat Nanok, who launched the Atlas, said many Kenyans are unaware of these crucial resources.
The launch took place at the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development, Kasarani, where Nanok represented Head of Public Service Felix Koskei.
An online version of the atlas that is interactive, known as Geoportal, was also unveiled.
Koskei, in a speech read by Nanok, said the launch of the atlas is a milestone for the country as it puts all the country’s natural resources into a single document for ease of management, decision-making, and conservation.
“The atlas therefore paves the way for integrated, harmonised, and holistic policies that are properly aligned to the Constitution and promote efficiency and effectiveness,” Koskei said.
Kenya is endowed with vital natural resources, which are the beacons of sustainable development.
Koskei said Kenyans are yearning for better services and transformative changes that enhance their well-being within a stable environment.
“This can be achieved through data-driven development (DDD) and science-led policies that clearly articulate the glaring challenges they face and their treatments,” he said.
Koskei said the National Land Commission has finalised and handed over the recommended National Land Policy to the National Government as required by the Constitution.
Mining PS Elijah Mwangi, Petroleum PS Mohamed Liban, NLC Chairman Gershom Otachi, NLC CEO Kabale Tache, NLC Commissioner Reginald Okumu, and FAO Kenya Country Representative Carla Mucavi attended the launch.
Tache said the launch of the atlas, which took six years to develop, succeeded due to collaboration.
“No one has a monopoly of ideas, but when we come together, great things happen. The atlas and the geoportal we are launching today have been made possible through collaboration and exploiting and harnessing institutional strengths and capacities rather than competing each other in line with the words of our national anthem. We can build this nation together for the glory of Kenya through partnership and collaboration,” she said.
Experts drawn from different ministries as well as agencies developed the atlas over six years.
The EU and FAO provided technical support as well as resources.
Otachi said natural resources are vital assets that must be jealously guarded and their use optimised while adhering to the principles of sustainable development, especially in the face of a changing climate.
“These natural resources are highly interlinked within the various landscapes and ecosystems. Hence, management and development, as well as policies, must take cognisance of the connectivity angle as impacts on one resource directly and/or indirectly affect the others,” Otachi said.
He said experts will keep updating the atlas.
The atlas seeks to identify, map, and document all natural resources in Kenya and provide access to information to the general public and decision-makers to support integrated and landscape-scale natural resource management in Kenya.
It also provides a basis for the review, updating, and formulation of natural resource’s strategies, policies, plans, and programmes and enhances the capacity of regulatory and enforcement agencies, including ministries, departments, and agencies, and county governments (MDACs), on the management of natural resources.
