Govt to speed up issuance of title deeds in Narok to address land issues

The government is set to speed up the process of issuing title deeds to Narok County residents in a bid to address land-related issues in the county.

Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development Zachariah Njeru said on Tuesday that land is a factor of production and thus the move would enable residents to access loans for development with ease.

The CS spoke while presiding over the opening of the Narok Bus Park, which is a project funded by the World Bank under the Kenya Urban Support Program (KUSP).

He said that KUSP disbursed Ksh.169.9 million to the county as Urban Development Grants (UDGs) while the county topped up the rest of the amount to be used for the construction of the park and upgrading of several roads to bitumen standards.

According to the statement, the bus park which comprises 116 parking bays, 180 stalls, five offices and three ablution blocks will enhance efficiency in the transport sector in the region.

Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga who was also at the event said the project would bring sanity to the transport sector even as it creates employment for the youth.

PS Hinga also noted that the State Department for Housing and Urban Development in line with its mandate was undertaking various programmes and projects in counties towards achieving Vision 2030 in line with its mandate.

The ministry says that KUSP has also set up similar Bus parks in other counties including Nyeri County, Mumias in Kakamega County, Rongo in Migori County and Marsabit County.

PS Hinga also commended the county government and the County Commissioner for identifying land for the Affordable Housing Program (AHP) saying that land is a serious factor in the project and the ideal situation is where they get large parcels of Government land for development.

Narok County has so far identified 149 acres of land belonging to the Ministry of Livestock and the PS says the two ministries will engage on the matter and agree on what can be availed for the AHP project from the said land.

Once the AHP project commences, Hinga says, the developer will also improve other local amenities like roads, and sewerage, while at the same time creating employment opportunities for the local youth and women.

He similarly vowed to commence the third phase of the Storm Water Drainage Project to combat flooding which remains the county's biggest challenge.