Laisamis Climate & Land Initiative
The Opportunity
Laisamis Constituency in Marsabit County, northern Kenya, is one of the most significant untapped climate technology deployment environments in Africa. We are offering international climate technology companies something that is genuinely difficult to find: 1.85 million hectares of accessible, community-governed ASAL land for real-world piloting of climate technology at scale — with local workforce, diverse ecological conditions, and a constitutional governance framework.
This is a structured climate technology testbed. A region where solar, water harvesting, soil sensing, rangeland restoration, and related technologies can be deployed, tested, and proven under genuine African dryland conditions. ASAL regions cover 80% of Kenya and approximately 40% of sub-Saharan Africa. Technology proven here is technology proven for one of the world's largest underserved markets.
What We Provide
- Land access — 1.85M hectares across 4 ecological zones, formally structured
- Community consent — NLC-witnessed formal resolutions, not informal agreements
- Legal structure — Community Land Act 2016 compliant, NLC oversight
- Local workforce — Youth population trained as field monitors and technicians
- Ecological diversity — Highland forest to extreme desert in one constituency
- Scale — Multi-site, multi-variable pilots simultaneously possible
- Political backing — MP and Governor as community conveners
- Institutional anchor — NLC, Kenya's constitutional land body
Four Ecological Zones
- Zone II — Highland Forest · Mt. Kulal, up to 1,000mm rainfall, altitude to 2,066m. High biodiversity and conservation value.
- Zone IV — Semi-Arid Mid-Slopes · Transitional zone. Soil carbon measurement, agri-climate data, and solar irrigation potential.
- Zone V/VI — Arid Bushed Grassland · 300–900m. Primary testbed zone. Solar, water harvesting, remote sensing at scale.
- Chalbi/Kaisut Desert · Extreme aridity. Highest solar irradiance in East Africa. Atmospheric water and DAC conditions.
Communities: Rendille, Samburu, Gabbra, El Molo, Turkana · UNESCO Mt. Kulal Biosphere Reserve within constituency · Lake Turkana Wind Power (690MW) adjacent
"The same geography that hosts Africa's largest wind power project — 690MW at Lake Turkana — is available for your climate technology pilots. Large-scale infrastructure in this region is not theoretical. It has been proven."
Technology Domains Sought
- Solar irrigation and off-grid energy systems
- Atmospheric water harvesting and rainwater capture
- Soil sensing, soil carbon measurement and restoration
- Rangeland monitoring and restoration technology
- Satellite and remote sensing validation
- Agri-climate data and weather forecasting systems
Governance Structure
The governance failures that have damaged high-profile African land and carbon projects follow a consistent pattern: weak community consent, no legal anchor, and benefits captured by intermediaries. The Laisamis initiative has been designed specifically to prevent this.
- National Land Commission (NLC) — Constitutional body under Article 67, mandated to oversee community land registration. Already conducted 9 sensitisation forums across all 6 wards in 2024/2025. Institutional anchor that no individual or NGO can override.
- Community Land Trust — Being established with elected ward trustees. Benefit-sharing agreements embedded from the start. Community-owned, not NGO-managed.
- Marsabit County Government — Formal institutional cover through County Land CECM. Documented county support ensures continuity beyond election cycles.
- Politicians as conveners only — The Laisamis MP and Marsabit County Governor open community assemblies and endorse the process. Governance authority rests with the NLC and Community Land Trust.
Legal note: Approximately 173,700 hectares within the constituency are subject to an active High Court case and are explicitly excluded from any commitment until legal status is resolved. All partner agreements are scoped only to undisputed community land with clear NLC registration.
What We Are Asking From Partners
We are not asking for charity or grant funding as a primary ask. We are offering a commercially structured partnership. Partners bring technology and capital. We provide land, consent, governance, and workforce.
- Climate technology accelerators — connect us with portfolio companies seeking African ASAL pilot environments
- Technology companies — enter a formal pilot deployment agreement with defined land zones, timelines, and benefit-sharing terms
- Development finance institutions — fund the community engagement, land registration, and early infrastructure that makes the testbed viable
- Research institutions — access four ecological zones for climate data collection under a formal research partnership
Carbon Credits — The Long-Term Layer
Community land registration — which underpins the testbed partnership — also creates the foundation for future carbon credit verification. As land governance matures, communities will have the option to layer carbon revenues on top of the technology partnerships already in place. Carbon is not the primary purpose of this initiative. It is an intelligent long-term complement to the climate technology testbed.
About the Initiative Lead
Hamed Nalle is a community development practitioner and social innovator based in Laisamis Constituency. Son of the late Ntepesi Nalle — a respected Laisamis community leader — Hamed brings deep community relationships, grassroots mobilisation experience through the Feyiyah Action Network and Marsabit Youth Reform Program, and a growing focus on technology and digital innovation as tools for scaled community impact.
Ready to explore a partnership?
We can share full land classification data, ecological zone maps, NLC engagement documentation, and a proposed partnership framework. A 30-minute call is the best starting point.
laisamisclimate.co.ke · hamednalle@laisamisclimate.co.ke