The Lands Registry in Ol Kalou, Nyandarua County, has not been occupied for nearly eight years after the office was completed.
The government built the offices in 2018 at a cost of Sh25 million, but the Ministry of Lands officials are yet to move in despite pressure from leaders and protests by residents.
Residents are now forced to travel to Nyahururu town in Laikipia County — about 40 kilometres away— to access services.
Nyandarua County Governor Moses Kiarie Badilisha before the Public Accounts Committee at KICC, Nairobi on October 19, 2023.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
“This is the only national government ministry that has refused to shift from Nyahururu town. This is raising concern,” the governor said.
Mr Badilisha said that other ministries have already relocated to Ol Kalou, including the county police headquarters, as a result, their services have improved.
Nyandarua County Governor Moses Kiarie Badilisha.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
The governor said that land ownership is an emotive issue in Nyandarua, yet many residents are struggling to get title deeds. He said the cost of travelling to Nyahururu to access land services is prohibitive for many locals.
“There are many residents and schools that do not have land ownership documents. Easy access to land offices will help the county government pursue the title deeds,” the governor said.
He said that people who lived in colonial villages and victims of post-election violence that were settled in Ndaragua are among those who have not received land ownership documents.
The governor said that many residents have been unable to develop their property due to lack of ownership documents. He said that this has stalled the growth of urban centres in the county.
“We have many undeveloped parcels of land in Ol Kalou, Engineer, Njabini, Kipipiri, and other urban centres due to the lack of title deeds. The process of seeking title deeds in Nyahururu is cumbersome,” he said.
John Githinji, a land broker in Ol Kalou, estimates that more than 70 per cent of land transactions handled in Nyahururu involve clients from Nyandarua County.
“It’s very costly for Nyandarua residents to seek land services in Nyahururu. Those who stay in Kinangop travel more than 120km to Nyahururu. The lands office in Nyahururu is extremely busy. People are forced to make several trips for a single transaction,” said Mr Githinji.
He said that much of the prime land in Ol Kalou remains undeveloped because the owners do not have title deeds.
“The land between Ol Kalou town and the governor’s office has no single building. The physical planner cannot grant approvals without title deeds,” he said.
Mr Githinji lamented that since 2018, the Lands ministry has repeatedly promised to begin operating the office in Ol Kalou “within a few months”.
Some residents of Nyandarua aired their frustrations. Ms Ruth Wakonyu, a trader in Ol Kalou, said she bought land in 2011 but has been unable to develop it.
“I wanted to build a commercial building, but I can’t get approvals. The Nyahururu Land Registry is overcrowded because it serves Nyandarua, Laikipia, parts of Baringo and Samburu. I stopped pursuing my title deed after the Ol Kalou offices were built, believing they would help. But years later, nothing has changed,” she said.
Mr Joseph Waweru, who inherited land five years ago, has faced similar challenges.
“I cannot develop my land in the Engineer Municipality without approvals. Getting documents in Nyahururu is too costly and slow. We gave up,” he said.
The Ol Kalou lands office was part of a Sh106 million project completed in 2018. Part of the building, Ardhi House, was meant to host the Nyandarua lands registry, while the county government’s lands department already occupies its section.
At the commissioning, State Department of Public Works official James Kamau, accompanied by Lands Ministry officers, promised an immediate relocation from Nyahururu. “We want to move the offices from Nyahururu to bring services closer to the people. This site was donated by the county government, which is also building its own land offices next to ours,” Mr Kamau said at the time.
Lands and Housing Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome has since admitted that the relocation is long overdue.
“I agree with Governor Badilisha that the office needs to be operationalised urgently. I am told it lacks some security features. I have directed that they be installed and the offices opened within three months. Land services must be accessible to residents,” said Ms Wahome.
