Six services from Nanyuki
GIS and remote sensing, water records in the upper Ewaso Ng’iro North basin since 1976, environmental assessment, restoration, training and capacity development, and data, research and knowledge services.
GIS and remote sensing
Geospatial science for environmental research, landscape management, and decisions that rest on evidence.
Water and environmental monitoring
River, rainfall, and climate records from the upper Ewaso Ng'iro North basin, and the planning built on them.
Environmental assessment
Assessments, audits, and risk analysis grounded in field records.
Restoration and natural resource management
Restoring wetlands, river banks, and rangelands with the people who depend on them.
Training and capacity development
Field-based courses, tailored programmes, and graduate supervision.
Data, research and knowledge services
Datasets, studies, and platforms built on CETRAD's field records.
Geospatial science for environmental research, landscape management, and decisions that rest on evidence
CETRAD applies geographic information systems (GIS), satellite remote sensing, and spatial analysis to understand environmental change and to support natural resource management across Kenya's arid and semi-arid lands. The work brings together geospatial data, field research, and environmental knowledge so that research institutions, county governments, conservation organisations, and development programmes can investigate landscape dynamics, assess natural resources, and plan interventions.
A GIS and remote sensing unit in Nanyuki holds a spatial database covering land use, vegetation, soils, hydrology, infrastructure, and administrative boundaries.
17 GIS units, eight counties, 221 officers
Under IFAD's KCEP-CRAL programme, CETRAD established 17 GIS and remote sensing units, completed GIS and remote sensing needs assessments in eight counties, and trained 221 officers in smartphone data collection.
The CETRAD Geoportal provides access to selected spatial products.
River, rainfall, and climate records from the upper Ewaso Ng'iro North basin, and the planning built on them
CETRAD monitors rivers, rainfall, and climate in the upper Ewaso Ng'iro North basin, and uses the records for water-use planning, basin management, drought monitoring, and early warning. Water resource users, county governments, national water agencies, and research institutions use this evidence on how water moves through the landscape and how it is shared.
Records in the basin begin in 1976. They inform the Early Warning System and the WLRC/SHIP platform.
Hydrology and climate
Rainfall, river flow, temperature, and evapotranspiration records from 1976, shared on the SHIP platform.
SHIP platformBasin planning
Sub-catchment and basin management plans, including plans prepared with Water Resource Users Associations, and hydro-ecological assessments of rivers, springs, and wetlands. End-user water metering was piloted with the Isiolo WRUA.
Early warning
The Early Warning System for the basin provides flood alerts, drought monitoring, and weather forecasts. Open it from the tools page.
Tools and productsCETRAD ran Water-Energy-Food Nexus training for stakeholders from Meru, Isiolo, Samburu, Laikipia, and Nyeri on development in the Ewaso Ng'iro North catchment.
Assessments, audits, and risk analysis grounded in field records
CETRAD carries out environmental assessments for projects in Laikipia and neighbouring counties, drawing on field records and a team based in Nanyuki. County governments, development programmes, and conservation organisations use the work to understand the environmental effects of a project and to meet the requirements of the permit or decision it faces. Assessment reports are signed by NEMA-registered experts.
The assessments draw on CETRAD's spatial database and on basin records that begin in 1976. CETRAD taught EIA and audit practice to six cohorts of practitioners between 2008 and 2013.
Restoring wetlands, river banks, and rangelands with the people who depend on them
CETRAD works with communities and county governments to restore degraded land and water and to agree how shared natural resources are used. Ecological restoration is combined with planning with the people who use a landscape, so that they take part in deciding how it is managed.
Work is with county governments, conservation organisations, development partners, and communities, usually through a funded programme or partnership.
Gambella wetland, Ngare Mara
In May 2024, CETRAD planted more than 4,000 native trees with Wyss Academy for Nature, the Water Resources Authority, NEMA, the Kenya Forest Service, and county officials from Meru and Isiolo. CETRAD and Wyss Academy handed the restored wetland to the community in August 2025.
Isiolo River
In Isiolo, CETRAD and the county wrote the County Prosopis Management Plan and cleared five kilometres of the Isiolo River of Prosopis, with a 50-metre buffer.
Field-based courses, tailored programmes, and graduate supervision
CETRAD trains government officers, development practitioners, and researchers in applied environmental, water, and geospatial skills. Training takes place at the Nanyuki campus and in the field, through short courses, programmes designed for institutions and county governments, and graduate supervision.
The five short courses lead to a CETRAD certificate. Next intake dates will be announced. Between 2008 and 2017, CETRAD ran 34 cohorts in these five subjects.
Tailored programmes are designed for institutions and county governments. For IFAD's KCEP-CRAL programme, CETRAD trained 221 officers across eight counties in smartphone-based data collection. CETRAD supervises Master's and PhD students with the Centre for Development and Environment at the University of Bern, and hosts field seminars for groups from the University of Bonn, the University of Nairobi, and Kenyatta University.
Datasets, studies, and platforms built on CETRAD's field records
CETRAD supplies datasets, research support, and knowledge products to researchers, planners, and consultants. The data come from field research in the upper Ewaso Ng'iro North basin and from CETRAD's spatial database.
The data include hydrological and climate records, and GIS datasets covering land use, vegetation, soils, topography, infrastructure, and administrative boundaries. CETRAD takes custom data requests, carries out baseline studies and impact evaluations, and hosts visiting researchers for field logistics, local data collection, and internships. CETRAD researchers publish policy briefs and research articles.
Early Warning System
Flood alerts, drought monitoring, and weather forecasts for the basin.
Tools and productsCETRAD Geoportal
Selected spatial products from CETRAD's GIS and remote sensing work.
Tools and products