TRANS NZOIA COUNTY. The government is set to issue a total of 120,000 title deeds to residents of Trans Nzoia County within the next six months, President Uhuru Kenyatta has said.
Speaking at a Jubilee rally held at the Kitale show grounds, President Kenyatta who issued the first batch of 6000 deeds to residents from different farms across the County, the head of state said that the program is within the Jubilee government’s commitment to deliver 3 million title deeds to Kenyans within the five years of its government.
“Today we have released a total of 6000 to the residents of Trans Nzoia County and we are assuring you that in the next six weeks we shall have released a total of 120,000 title deeds that are being processed at the titling centre,” said the president.
Kenyatta who was accompanied by his deputy William Ruto and other leaders further revealed that the government has waived stamp duty that had accumulated to a huge amount of Kshs 1.2 billion to ensure that the land owners do not carry the burden of paying the levy that has always been a challenge to many Kenyans.
“We have also said that because residents have waited for a very long time for the title deeds, we have decided to put a waiver on the stamp duty that had accumulated for a long time to about Kshs 1.2 billion to ensure that every resident acquires the deeds to own their land,” he said.
However, he cautioned the beneficiaries of the title deeds to make good use of them as they now rightfully and lawfully own their land.
The 6000 beneficiaries of the title deeds released yesterday came from different farms across Trans Nzoia county that has the largest number of titles land owners.
To compensate integrated IDPs
At the same time, the president assured residents of Trans Nzoia that the government will soon compensate integrated internally displaced persons within the County just as other IDPs in Kisii and Nyamira counties had been compensated.
“Yesterday we started the program of paying the integrated IDPs in Kisii and Nyamira and soon we shall be paying the IDPs of Trans Nzoia whereby I will be coming back myself to do the same or sent my deputy William Ruto to come and pay them to have them resettled,” Kenyatta added.
He said that the government is set to pay such IDPs in 33 counties that were affected by the clashes and skirmishes that erupted after the 2007 general elections.
In the same breath, he urged them to maintain peace in their respective areas of residence especially during the ongoing campaigns before and after the general elections slated for 8th August this year.
He urged other politicians especially from the opposition to embrace peaceful campaigns and desist from utterances that may incite Kenyans so that the country does not go back to the 2007/2008 scenario.
“Kenyans do not want to shed blood again, they do not want to fight again and that is why I am calling upon politicians especially those we are competing with to embrace peaceful campaigns and avoid inciting Kenyans but continue telling Kenya and their policies and manifesto to allow them to make the right choice of leaders which am very sure they are clever enough and will make the right decision during the elections in August,” the president said.
Together with his deputy and other leaders urged the residents of Trans Nzoia to support the Jubilee government and Jubilee party during the next general elections for them to get an opportunity to form the government for the next five years and continue implementing development projects.
Among the projects that the Jubilee government has enlisted for Trans Nzoia county included tarmacking of different roads including the Endebes-Suam road, Moi’r bridge-Kaplamai-Sibanga-Maili Saba road among other roads that deputy president William Ruto said are among the 350 kilometer roads that are set to be tarmacked in the county.
Elsewhere in Endebes, President Kenyatta gave out a cheque of Kshs 200 million to the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) to pay its workers their unpaid salary arrears that have accrued for many years.
The president who was accompanied with among others Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa, Lands principal secretary Dr Nicholas Muraguri, Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka, a host of MPs including Janet Nangabo, Wafula Lazaro, Dr Robert Pukose and Senator Kipchumba Murkomen of Elgeyo Marakwet also addressed rallies at Kobos secondary school grounds, Endebes, Kitale town among many other stop-overs.
