Africa Surveyors September- October Digital issue 2021

NEWS BRIEFS
Vihiga opts for GIS to Monitor spread of Corona Virus
As the COVID-19 continues to spread in the
country, Vihiga County Corona Emergency
Response Committee is relying on services
of the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) as it
continues with the process of collecting crucial data
aimed at zoning the county.
Briefing the press at the County headquarters in
Mbale, Governor Dr. Wilber Ottichilo disclosed his
administration in conjunction with the national
government had already established County
Command Centre in charge of gathering and
assessing important data aimed at combating the
contagious COVID-19.
“The County Police Commander (CPC) Mr. Hassan
Barua is in charge of the Command Centre, which
will be providing daily updates on the pandemic and
is domiciled in the County Commissioner’s building,”
said Ottichilo.
The governor noted besides the data gathered at the
Command Centre assisting in mapping of COVID-19
spread, it would also inform the emergency response
committee on necessary measures to put in place to
mitigate the same. He added plans to decentralise
the Command Centre to the sub counties level were
advanced stages.
According to the governor, the Command Centre,
through the GIS, had already identified Mbale,
Luanda, Chavakali, Majengo and Shamakhokho towns
as some of the possible hotspots for the corona virus.
The County boss further revealed his administration
had procured 2,000 respirators that would be
distributed to health workers as well as security
personnel in order to cushion them against the
contagious virus while on duty.
He assured area residents that the county had
already established holding centres in all the sub
counties where victims of the virus will be taken for
quarantine.
“The Corona Emergency Response Committee has
identified Chango High School as the main isolation
centre for the County,” he said. Speaking at the same
event, Vihiga County commissioner (CC) Ochillo Oyugi
hailed members of public for complying with the
ongoing nationwide curfew.
“Security officers have 29 individuals accused of
breaking the law since President Uhuru Kenyatta
declared the curfew,” revealed Oyugi who warned
public transport operators against taking advantage
of the current situation to hike fares.
He urged members of the County Market
Management Committee members to continue
sensitizing traders and buyers on importance of
social distancing as a way of buttressing efforts
aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.
RCMRD Hosts 55th Governing Council, Shares Resolutions
The 55th Session of the Governing Council of
the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources
for Development (RCMRD) was held between
November 15 and 19, 2021.
RCMRD’s Governing Council Chairperson Elizabeth
Bonolo Khumotaka, who is the Permanent Secretary
in the Ministry of Land Management, Water and
Sanitation Services (MLMWSS) in Botswana presided
over the opening of the 55th Session that was held in
a hybrid format in person and online via zoom.
The Governing Council (GC) meets every year to
examine RCMRD’s work and relationships with its
partners. The Council is composed of officers of the
rank of Permanent Secretary or Principal Secretary in
the ministries of Lands, of the 20 member States.
It is a forum of governments at the Principal or
Permanent Secretary level during which policy
guidelines and the organisation’s budget are
established for the next one-year period.
Seventeen member States attended the meeting: The
member States were: Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini,
Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia,
Rwanda, South Sudan, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda,
Zambia and Zimbabwe. United Nations Economic
Commission for Africa (UNECA) and Eritrea were also
in attendance.
The GC reports to the Conference of Ministers
which meets every two years. The GC reviewed and
approved the implementation of the 2021 Annual
Work plan, considered and approved the 2022 Work
Plan and received the 2020 financial audit report.
In its meeting, the GC adopted the following reports:
The Report of the Director-General for the year 2021;
The 2022 Work Programme and Budget; The Finance
Committee Report, Tender Committee Report and
the Appointments, Promotions and Remuneration
Committee reports.
The weeklong 55th meeting of the RCMRD Governing
Council ended on November 19, 2021. The meeting
resolved to have the RCMRD Office Complex officially
opened by a high-profile person in the year 2022.
The meeting adopted the feasibility report for
Kisamese Land for review together with the RCMRD
Business Park and RCTI Master Plan to select the
most profitable investment option after the RCTI
Hostels completion.
The Governing Council further resolved that the
Centre should continue with the phased recruitment
for vacant positions in the new organization structure.
This meeting encouraged Member States to develop
National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) The
Integrated Geospatial Information Framework
(IGIF) with the support from the United Nations
Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the United
Nations Initiative on Global Geospatial Information
Management in Africa (UN-GGIM Africa) and RCMRD.
An appeal was also made to member States to use
the Network Control Centre available at RCMRD and
encourage collaboration with the private sector in
attainment of the African Geodetic Reference Frame
(AFREF). Member States were urged to individually
prepare an inventory of surveying equipment
that requires the services of the Centre to enable
appropriate planning.
The GC also attended the ground breaking ceremony
for the Regional Centre Training Institute hostel
construction project within the new RCMRD Complex
that hosts the RCMRD Headquarters.
4 September-October issue l 2021 www.africasurveyorsonline.com