PROPOSAL FOR GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM

ESTABLISHMENT, ISIOLO COUNTY

APRIL 2021

COUNTY GOVERNMENT OF ISIOLO

Table of Contents
Background..................................................................................................................................................3
Status of Isiolo County.................................................................................................................................3
Status and Lessons from other key counties on GIS establishment.............................................................4
Wajir County............................................................................................................................................4
Financing.............................................................................................................................................4
Data collection.....................................................................................................................................4
Technical capacity................................................................................................................................4
Physical infrastructure.........................................................................................................................4
The Legal Framework for GIS as Decision making tool................................................................................5
Requirements for establishment of a fully fledged GIS Lab.........................................................................5
Way forward for Isiolo County and Key steps to be taken...........................................................................6
1.0. Background
A geographic information system (GIS) is a framework for gathering, managing,
and analyzing spatial data. It analyzes spatial location and organizes layers of
information into visualizations using maps and spatial reference. With this
unique capability, GIS reveals deeper insights into data, such as patterns,
relationships, and situations—helping users make smarter decisions.

Isiolo County through partnership with Mercorps did a benchmarking tour to

Wajir County whereby they have a functional GIS framework to learn on
mechanisms. The county government of wajir through partnerships with
development partners established the lab in year 2017. From the
benchmarking exercise done by 8 ASAL counties, it was established that It is
important to have a functional GIS structure to support Decision making by
the departments of the county government

2.0. Status of Isiolo County

County government of Isiolo does not have a functional GIS framework;
however there have been small strides that the county has taken towards
achieving a GIS compliant systems and framework

Below are key strides that the county has taken that contribute towards
establishment of GIS

1. Procurement of Land Information management systems anchored in the

Land department. The system is 80 % complete awaiting data
importation.
2. Digitization of more than 5000 parcels of land in various townships in
the county

It is however important to note that there is still a long way that the county
needs to undertake to provide a GIS friendly environment. Among others, listed
below are the few hindrances that the county faces in establishment of GIS and
a GIS laboratory

1. Absence of a standard GIS laboratory

2. Lack of technical capacity in terms of staffing towards implantation of
GIS based planning
The key purpose of the benchmarking exercise was to determine the various
means and approaches that the county can adopt to achieve an establishment
of GIS as a decision making tool

3.0. Status and Lessons from other key counties on GIS establishment
Wajir County
Financing
Wajir County partnered with European Union and Mercorps international to
develop the GIS laboratory and conduct data collection exercise.

Data collection
The county government of Wajir coordinated data collection by use of local
persons with key information of their respective areas. The collected data in the
following sectors

1. Land
2. Education
3. Livestock.
4. Security

Technical capacity
Wajir County anchored their GIS framework in the department of Land and
Physical Planning. No additional staffs were hired; however planners and key
departmental staff were jointly trained on use and application of GIS

Physical infrastructure
With assistance from the development partners, they were able to procure

1. Open source software – Q Gis

2. ESRI ArcGIS software
3. Desktop computers
4. 256 GB Server
5. Laptop computers
6. Hand held GPS devices among others

4.0. The Legal Framework for GIS as Decision making tool

1. The County Government Act 2012, Clauses 104 - 115 obligates every
county to develop: A County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) – a 5-
year plan that informs each county’s annual budget; A County sectorial
Plan (10-year plan); a County Spatial Plan (a 10-year plan reviewed every
5 years); and city and municipal plans. County Government Act 2012
 Clauses 105 (f) Obligates counties to establish a GIS based database
system to be used as a tool for decision making for the development of
those plans.

2. The Presidential Order No. 26 Of 2018 Establishes the Kenya Space

Agency whose mandate is to develop and nature a vibrant and viable
domestic space industry by enhancing coordination of space related
activities among government agencies private sectors, industry and
researchers

The above legal framework gives counties authority to develop a GIS system
which is premised on the principle that; rational decision making is based on
information and data, 80% of these information and data is spatial or position
based

6.0. Requirements for establishment of a fully fledged GIS Lab.

1. Have a vision of the lab in line with the CIDP of the County
2. Each department to define their datasets as per the needs of the
department
3. Have the specialist technical people in the lab (The Right Human
Resource) The right hardware, software and work flows of GIS as a
physical lab
4. Define the fundamental datasets as per your county
5. Collate all the departmental datasets for integration, analysis and
decision making. Set the frequency of the update of the datasets
according to the needs of the department
6. Undertake a workshop for top management (Governor, Deputy Governor,
CECMs and Cos) to understand the need for integration and
relationships of the department’s datasets
7. Interpretation of the datasets and application by the departments.
8. Capacity building for the Technical people in the GIS lab and need basis
in the departments

6.0. Way forward for Isiolo County and Key steps to be taken

Activity Actors Timelines

1 Sensitization of Executive County Secretary
C.O Public
 management
CO Land and
Physical Planning
2 Formation of Implementation County Secretary
taskforce
3 Engagement with development GIS taskforce,
partners County Secretary
4 Training of departmental staff Development
partners, County
departments
5 Establishment of GIS laboratory All actors
6 GIS data collection Departments
7 Launch of GIS and Lab County Governor

8 Implementation and monitoring Host department