Governor William Kabogo has urged Kiambu residents to pay levies so as they can get good services.
He said taxes help the county to serve them better by providing public amenities.
"You ought to pay levies so that the youth can get money, needy students can get bursaries and development works be completed. This can only be achieved by residents paying their taxes," Kabogo said on Saturday in Kiambu town headquarters.
He was issuing certificates to 281 students from the county, who graduated from ICT courses sponsored by the county government and the Rockefeller Foundation.
Traders, with
support from some Kiambu MPs,
have been protesting for two weeks over high county levies.
But Kabogo said the county government is not able to lower the business permits and licence fees as they had been reduced before.
He said no government can run without resources.
"Eery fee required to be paid was put in one licence that is why it looks like we have increased the fees, but residents need to come out and give their views during public participation and give their memorandums during Finance Bill making," Kabogo said.
He said some people want Kiambu to lag behind by holding demonstrations over high taxes and the memorandum they presented to remove hawkers from town centres.
The governor said the people who were protesting in Thika town last week were hired from Dandora in Nairobi.
Kabogo said national leaders need to be serious on the war on terror.
"We will not watch again our children being killed in the hands of terrorism and i am joining the church in saying there is more than meets the eye," he said.
"[National Assembly majority leader Aden] Duale cannot say he will release the name of al Shabaab sympathisers and until now he hasn't. He must release names now or shut up forever."
Kabogo said Kenya should not negotiate with terrorists.
He called for investigations into allegations that many terrorists are harboured in the Dadaab refugee camp.
