President Uhuru Kenyatta issued 707 title deeds to Nyandardua colonial village dwellers on Friday and directed state and county officials to ensure the balance of 4,392 are issued in two weeks.
The first lot went to Njabini, Ndunyu Njeru and Ruii villages.
The total will be more than 40,000 to people living in colonial villages..
The President was making good on his recent promise to help Mt Kenya residents who had criticised him for ignoring them.
He waived all statutory fees owed by the squatters living in these villages across the county, saving them more than Sh150 million.
Lands CS Karony said the first phase affects five villages and the remaining villages will be issued with their titles later this month. She said 124 urban centres in Nyandarua will also be titled.
Speaking at Rurii Dispensary, Ol Kalou, grounds, the head of state said one of the greatest challenges facing Nyandarua residents is lack of title deeds. Thousands of people have been living as squatters in 30 colonial villages in the county.
President Kenyatta said that during the 2017 elections campaigns he promised to fix this problem as no Kenyan should live as a squatter in their own country.
The President also led the groundbreaking for construction of potato cold storage in Ol Kalou. The facility will give residents a place to store their produce when there is a glut; they will wait for better prices.
He said Nyandarua farmers do not benefit from their sweat, as during harvest, people from Nairobi flock there "to dictate prices because they know if you decline their offer you have nowhere to turn to”.
Uhuru said the facility will allow storage for more than six months. It will be commissioned before the end of this year. He also promised that a potato processing plant under construction will be commissioned at the end of the year.
His tour ended with the launch Sh4billion Stawisha Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Mashinani to provide business loans for traders in Nyandarua.
He advised small traders in Nyandarua to ensure they invest to “better your lives and those of your families. You should not use it to get a second wife.”
Earlier in the day, he launched the construction of Sh1.8 billion Githioro-Naivasha road. The upgrading of the 32-kilometre earth road to bitumen standard is expected to be completed by August 2022.
Uhuru also said 10 boreholes will be drilled soon and electricity would continue to be connected.
“I believe the greatest legacy I can bequeath this country is peace. Without peace, all the development we implement will be meaningless," the President said.
He spoke at Ol Kalou during a development tour of Nyandarua county. He said even if the government builds roads, connects citizens with electricity, provides water and infrastructure, no investor who will come to build factories and create jobs if there is no peace.
He said lasting peace cannot be achieved unless all leaders come together and speak with each other. This is the spirit of the handshake between him and Opposition chief Raila Odinga, and the resulting BBI, President Kenyatta said.
We must explore why Kenyans fight, kill, burn houses and destroy property after every five years, he said.
No Kenyan is greater than another and that is why I am asking your leaders why they want to put obstacles in front of t the BBI," he said
On education, he urged the Nyandarua people to ensure all the children get an education which is the goal of 100 per cent transition. He said the government has enough funds for bursaries sp financial inability is no excuse for not sending children to school.
“It is not right for a 12 or 13-years-old to stay at home or work on farms. We want all children in school," the President said.
He said leaders should abuse others every day and incite the people, as these dirty politics help no one but only cause divisions.
In what appeared to be an indict reference to Deputy President William Ruto and the Tangatanga brigade, President Kenyatta said,“All of us know that Kenya is a democracy with an election every five years. Why can’t we stop this endless campaigning and work for the people first? .When the time comes, only ‘Mwene Nyaga’ (God) who knows who will be elected. And he will speak through the people who shall vote.”
(Edited by V. Graham)