By OUR CORRESPONDENT
Three settlements in Kisii County are set to benefit from the second phase of the Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project (KISIP2).
The project funded by the International Development Association (IDA) seeks
to improve access to basic services and land tenure security for residents in
participating urban informal settlements. This will be done through survey,
planning and issuance of title.
A team from KISIP is already working with the County Project Coordination
Team to form settlement executive and grievance redress committees at
Marani, Keumbu and Daraja Mbili areas.
The Settlement Executive Committee will be responsible for community
mobilization, awareness creation and ensuring community participation on
project activities. The Grievance Redress Committee, on the other hand, will
receive and register grievances, investigate and give solutions.
“We are glad that Kisii County has been on-boarded onto the KISIP2 project.
Once we form the committees in the participating settlements, our experts will
lead the planning and survey exercise to allow for land registration and
regularization of tenure. Infrastructure development will follow,” said Gladys
Juma, Head of Gender and Community Engagement.
Juma who spoke at Keumbu and Daraja Mbili noted that the programme was designed to promote socio-economic
planning and inclusion by encouraging the community to have economic
activities within their settlements for growth.
CEC for Lands and Urban Development Grace Nyarang’o welcomed the
KISIP team to Kisii County and pledged full support to help realize the set
objectives.
“Our technical team from the County is ready to work with you to ensure we
deliver on what we have promised our people in the participating settlements.
We look forward to well planned settlements with better services including
drainage, paved roads and street lighting,” said Nyarang’o.
Under the project, the experts will carry out physical planning, cadastral
survey and detailed topographical survey of the informal settlements.
The County Project Coordination Team is headed by the Director in charge of
Housing, Joel Ombati, with membership drawn from various County
Government departments.
Keumbu, Marani and Daraja Mbili are among 29 participating informal
settlements across six counties, which are Laikipia, Embu, Kisii, Nakuru and
Nandi.
