This archive report was first published on 20 November 2019.
On November 20, 2019, Taita Taveta County government embarked on a significant initiative to harness the potential of its mineral resources.
The county executive in charge of infrastructure, Gertrude Shuwe, revealed that the Department of Lands, Mining and Housing has employed GIS technology to map minerals and provide essential information to investors and stakeholders.
"This technology can be used to attract potential investors by showcasing mineral distribution and variety of minerals found in our county," Shuwe said.
Taita Taveta County boasts vast deposits of gemstones, including green garnets, red garnets, tourmaline, Tsavorite, and rubi, as well as iron ore deposits and other industrial minerals.
The GIS technology has also been instrumental in determining boundaries, reducing conflicts between land owners and investors involved in exploration or mining in the county.
Furthermore, the technology is being used to monitor environmental changes in mining zones and support sustainable exploitation of resources and environmental conservation.
Ms. Shuwe added that planners are able to tap technology to institute effective measures for sustainable exploitation of resources and environmental conservation.
Prof. Christine Onyango, Vice-Chancellor of Taita Taveta University, emphasized the importance of GIS in improving the capacity, quality, and access of geoinformatics teaching and research in the county.
"As an institution, we also want to produce a critical mass of postgraduates to fill the human resource deficit in applied geoinformatics, not only in Kenya but across the broader Eastern African region," said Prof. Onyango.
