Five-day planning workshop focuses on budgeting, resilience and integrating refugee-host community priorities into Garissa’s next Annual Development Plan.
By ASAL POST Correspondent
DADAAB, Garissa County, Kenya | August 13, 2026 – Garissa County has concluded a five-day planning workshop in Dadaab aimed at preparing the Annual Development Plan (ADP) for the 2027/2028 Financial Year, bringing together county officials, development partners and technical experts to identify priority development programmes for the coming year.
The write shop, held from August 10 to 13, was coordinated by the Directorate of Economic Planning, Budget and Statistics under the Department of Finance and Economic Planning. It attracted participation from County Directors, Chief Officers, Members of the County Assembly, sector representatives and officials from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
According to county officials, the workshop focused on preparing the county’s annual development blueprint, which will inform the formulation of the FY 2027/2028 County Budget and guide implementation of development programmes across all sectors.
The technical sessions were led by Director of Economic Planning Mohamud Aden Bare, Director of Statistics Mohamed A. Guliye, and Chief Officer for Economic Planning, Budget and Statistics Hafsa Mohamud, who guided sector teams through the planning, budgeting and performance review process.
Refugee Inclusion and Resilience at the Centre
A major focus of the workshop was integrating refugee and host community priorities into Garissa County’s mainstream development agenda.
Participants reviewed the Garissa Integrated Socio-Economic Development Plan (GISEDP) and the Government of Kenya’s Shirika Plan, with discussions centred on strengthening resilience, expanding economic opportunities and improving access to public services for both refugees and host communities.
The proposed Annual Development Plan is aligned with the Third County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP III 2023–2027), Kenya Vision 2030, the Fourth Medium-Term Plan, and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
Departments Review Performance and Set Priorities
Throughout the five-day workshop, county departments presented sector performance reports, reviewed revenue and expenditure trends, assessed ongoing development projects and identified priority interventions for implementation during the 2027/28 financial year.
Technical Working Groups later consolidated departmental submissions into the first draft of the Annual Development Plan FY 2027/2028, which will undergo stakeholder validation and statutory approval before informing the county’s budget.
Development Partners Reaffirm Support
Representatives from UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP participated throughout the workshop, reaffirming continued collaboration with the County Government in strengthening evidence-based planning and promoting sustainable development in Garissa.
The planning process also reflects the county’s commitment to addressing the opportunities and challenges associated with hosting one of the world’s largest refugee populations while accelerating inclusive socio-economic development.
Once approved, the Annual Development Plan FY 2027/2028 will serve as the County Government’s official annual policy and investment framework, guiding development priorities, public expenditure and service delivery across Garissa County.
