Mombasa: A stakeholder engagement forum organised by the State Department for Lands to prepare ground for the launch of ArdhiSasa in Mombasa County closed today with a commitment for closer cooperation between all relevant institutions. The week-long forum, held at the Sarova Whitesands Hotel in Mombasa, brought together a broad spectrum of key stakeholders, including representatives from the Mombasa County Government, National Land Commission (NLC), the Institution of Surveyors of Kenya (ISK), Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), National Museums of Kenya (NMK), and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
According to Kenya News Agency, the focus of the workshop was to prepare for the official rollout of the Ardhisasa system in Mombasa. Ardhisasa is Kenya's digital land management platform, designed to enhance transparency, efficiency, and service delivery within the land administration sector. Stakeholder representatives agreed to work together in improving transparency, accountability, and effective public land management in the region.
In her closing remarks, Monica Obongo, Director of the National Land Information Management System (NLIMS), thanked stakeholders for their continued support of the digitisation process. 'This collaboration is key in advancing the digitisation of public land records through the Ardhisasa platform. By working together, we are enhancing transparency, accountability, and efficient management of public land,' said Obongo.
The engagement, held with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO Kenya) of the United Nations through the FAO - EU Digital Land Governance Programme, provided a valuable platform for participants to exchange ideas, raise concerns, and align on both the technical and policy dimensions of the initiative. The Natural Resources Management Specialist at FAO, Mr. Michael Gitonga, reaffirmed the organisation's commitment to the initiative. 'FAO is proud to support Kenya's journey toward transparent and efficient land governance. We remain committed to working alongside the government and stakeholders to make this transformation a success,' said Gitonga.
The strong participation of stakeholders underscored a shared commitment to modernising Kenya's land governance systems through inclusive, collaborative, and technology-driven solutions. Senior officials from the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning who attended the meeting included Gordon Ochieng (Director of Land Administration), Weldon Maritim (Director of Surveys), Herbert Were (Director of Valuation), David Nyandoro (Chief Land Registrar), Jesse Waithaka (Director, Kenya Institute of Surveying and Mapping), Jibril Adan (the Head of Public Communications), and National Land Commission's Dr. Mary Wandia (Deputy Director Research) among others.