Nyandarua County set for first-ever lands registry as gov't expands services

Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development Alice Wahome, alongside Lands and Physical Planning Principal Secretary Generali Nixon Korir, will preside over the opening of the Nyandarua Lands Office in Ol Kalou next week. During the event, title deeds will be issued to residents of Ol Kalou Blocks 1, 2, 4 and 6, as well as the colonial villages of Rurii, Nyairoko, Melangine, Ngorika and Sabugo.

For decades, Nyandarua residents have accessed land services through registries in neighbouring areas, often travelling long distances for transactions such as title searches, transfers and registration. The new office is expected to bring services closer to residents and reduce the time and cost associated with accessing land administration services.

The issuance of title deeds is particularly significant for families living in colonial-era settlement villages. Many of these communities trace their origins to the period when large portions of Nyandarua's fertile land were occupied by European settlers. Following independence, numerous families were resettled in the area under government settlement schemes but remained without formal ownership documents for generations.

Officials say the title deeds will provide legal recognition of ownership, enabling beneficiaries to secure their land rights, facilitate investment, and support succession planning for future generations.

Ol Kalou has a long history linked to the colonial settlement of the region. The town emerged as a railway post in 1905 following the extension of the Gilgil–Nyahururu railway line, which opened the area to large-scale agricultural settlement. European farmers established extensive wheat, barley, pyrethrum and livestock farms, while African communities were later settled in surrounding villages through post-independence land redistribution programmes.

The opening of the Nyandarua Lands Office forms part of a broader government initiative aimed at expanding access to land services through the establishment of additional registries across the country. According to the Ministry of Lands, more than 1.46 million title deeds have been issued since 2022.

In recent weeks, the ministry has opened lands registries in Kamwangi, Gatundu North Constituency, and Mogotio in Baringo County. Other recently established registries include those in Malindi and Nkubu, while additional facilities in Kithimani, Gilgil and Kajiado South are at various stages of completion and preparation for opening.

The government says the expansion of registries is intended to reduce congestion in existing offices, improve service delivery and bring land administration services closer to local communities.