Brigadier Hillary Kipkosgey, the Acting Director-General of the Kenya Space Agency (KSA), visited the Western region to interact with stakeholders in Vihiga and Kakamega Counties on a two-day strategic visit. The visit aimed to discuss shared interests in applying geospatial technologies to advance the socio-economic outlooks of the counties.
On Thursday, February 1, 2024, the initial meeting occurred, during which the Kenya Space Agency (KSA) and the County Government of Kakamega signed a Memorandum of Understanding. This agreement focuses on collaborative efforts in crafting the county spatial plan, facilitating access to earth observation data, and enhancing capacity in earth observation applications.
On Friday, February 2, 2024, the Director-General (DG) signed an MOU with Governor H.E. Wilber Ottichillo, the County Government of Vihiga, on collaboration in geospatial technologies. The DG expressed admiration for the Governor’s outstanding initiatives in advocating and integrating the utilisation of Geospatial technologies for decision support and development planning within the County. KSA is keen to work with counties to understand better their needs and how the agency can support them. During the meetings, KSA indicated its willingness to support Kakamega and Vihiga County in accessing high-resolution satellite imagery to assist in their efforts to develop the counties’ spatial plans.
Furthermore, KSA reached individual agreements with both countries to cooperate in creating tools and applications for decision support in Agriculture, Spatial planning, and disaster management, among various other areas. KSA committed to a close partnership with Vihiga County in formulating the county’s GIS policy, which has the potential for broader applications in other counties nationwide. KSA agreed to work closely with Vihiga County in developing the county’s GIS policy, which has the potential for more general applications in other counties nationwide.
Senior officials from the Kakamega and Vihiga County governments attended the meetings. Also present during the courtesy calls were KSA’s Acting Director for Space Sector & Technology Development, Mr Charles Mwangi and the KSA Geospatial team. The signatories from Kakamega County included Dr Mariam Baraza, CECM Lands, Housing & Physical Planning, Ms Vivianne Mmbaka, County Attorney, and Mr Joseph Lunani, CECM Department of Public Service, Management, and ICT. Similarly, the signatories from Vihiga County were Mr Ezekiel Ayiego, County Secretary and Head of Public Service, serving as a witness.
Source: https://africanews.space/ksa-sign-mou-with-kakamega-and-vihiga-counties-on-harnessing-geospatial-technologies/