Nakuru County rolls out second phase of mapping targeting urban centers

The County Government of Nakuru has rolled out the second phase of planning, mapping and surveying of 25 urban centres as it seeks to unlock the county’s business and investment potential.

Senior Planner in the Department of Survey and Planning Justin Mayaka said issuance of title deeds after the process was part of a wider plan by the county government to empower area residents to be able to develop their land parcels without fear of losing them.

In a statement, Mayaka noted that the first phase of the exercise which was rolled out in July has resulted in 28 trading centres in the rural areas being successfully planned and land ownership documents issued.

“The exercise is aimed at ensuring sustainable development in the areas. It is also geared towards ensuring urban areas attract investments from both public and private sectors,” observed the senior planner.

Mayaka further says proper planning would help address land disputes occasioned by lack of title deeds and leases so as to regularize security of tenure.

“The importance of title deeds cannot be gainsaid. They help minimize land conflicts. The title deeds also help to minimize cases of people being dispossessed of their property by land grabbers.

Cadastral survey will ensure that our centres have fixed boundaries and individuals with title deeds can secure searches with land registry, “he added.

In the past, the titling program has been marred with wrangles, disputes and court cases in some of the informal settlements, which often thwart county government regularization efforts in the affected schemes.

Inordinate delays and bureaucracy at the Ministry of Lands and physical planning regarding the processing of documents and registration of leases have also been blamed for slowing down the title delivery process.