Gilgil and Molo towns in Nakuru county will soon be upgraded to municipalities, an official has announced.
Lands, Housing and Physical Planning chief officer Judy Leah Gathoni said the charters will be ready in a week.
“This will go a long way in improving infrastructure and service delivery to the residents of these two towns,” she told the press in Naivasha.
Municipal status will also attract more funding and investments, Gathoni said.
With the elevation of the two towns, the county will have three municipalities.
Naivasha is currently the only municipality after Nakuru town was elevated to a city last year.
According to the Urban Areas and Cities Act of 2011, for a township to qualify to be awarded charter for municipal status, it must have a population of between 70,000 and 249,000 residents.
The township must have an integrated urban area or city development plan and a demonstrable capacity to generate sufficient revenue to sustain its operations and effectively and efficiently deliver essential services.
The township must also have sufficient space for expansion and infrastructural facilities such as street lighting, markets and fire stations, among others.
After fulfilling the requirements and carrying out public participation, a request is then sent to the Senate to be discussed and passed before the President grants the town the new status through a charter.
Gathoni said most public schools in the county now have title deeds, which will protect them from land-grabbers.
She said with the help of consultants, the county government had identified and documented all public land and this will go a long way in helping to attract investors.
Gathoni said the county and national government title deed issuance programme, which was started in 2018, targeted to issue 100,000 title deeds to residents.
However, she said, they have surpassed the target as 250,000 title deeds have been issued and 50,000 more will be given out in a month.
Edited by Josephine M. Mayuya
“WATCH: The latest videos from the Star”