Nakuru County’s Molo and Gilgil towns are set to enjoy immense urban infrastructure development through increased funding to improve businesses and living conditions and attract investors once elevated into Municipalities.

Governor Lee Kinyanjui, while receiving reports of ad-hoc committees on the conferment of municipal status to Molo and Gilgil towns, said the towns are expected to be conferred the Municipality status, with an award of a Charter in May.

The report will be forwarded to the County Assembly of Nakuru for debate, and if approved, Section 9 of the Urban Areas and Cities Act empowers the Governor, on the resolution of the Assembly, to confer the towns the status of a Municipality by the grant of a Charter in the prescribed form.

Nakuru County Attorney, Kaleb Nyamwange, said this comes barely three months after Nakuru Municipality was awarded the City status charter by President Uhuru Kenyatta, a move that has started attracting investors into the region.

Mr Kahiga Waitindi, the chairman of the ad-hoc committee on the conferment of Municipal status to Gilgil town, said his team extensively looked into the heritage and diversity of the region and its growth potential and need for government interventions.

His Molo town counterpart, Mr Simon Matiri said his team collected views from all relevant sectors and did site visits to ascertain elevation suitability before unanimously endorsing the award of the Municipality status.

Under the Urban Areas and Cities Act, a town can be elevated into a municipality if it has a population of at least 50,000 residents. According to the 2019 census conducted by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Gilgil has a population of 185,209 residents while Molo has 156,732 people.

The two towns also met other key requirements, such as the ability to generate enough revenue to adequately fulfil its responsibilities to deliver key services to its residents, enough spaces for expansion, presence overall framework to guide its development among others.

Upon elevation, Gilgil and Molo will become the third and fourth town to be Municipalities after Nakuru, and Naivasha. Nakuru County is the pioneer of the upgrade of towns to Municipalities and a Municipality to a city under the 2010 Constitution.

A widow of the former director of criminal investigations the late George Edward Karanu claims her life is in danger after suspected hired goods invaded her hotel in the outskirts of Nakuru and made away with property of unknown value.

Nancy Wangui Karanu claims the goons were in the company of one of her stepsons when they invaded Dayton Hotel located at the Eastgate area in Gilgil sub-county late last month.

Wangui who spoke to journalists at her farm claimed she was locked up in the kitchen as the goons carried away various items among them electronics and beverages before removing the main door to the hotel.

” I watched in disbelief as the goons numbering about 30 caused damage to my property,” Wangui said.

Until his death in December 2019, the former CID boss during Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s reign jointly ran the hotel together with his wife Wangui.

Wangui took over the management of the hotel immediately after his death, but a management row ensued over the management of his massive wealth spread across the country.

The hotel stands on land measuring over 800 acres and is subject to an ongoing succession case.

The widow said that since the hotel invasion, she has been seeking refuge from neighbours after she was warned against visiting her home.

She expressed fear that some Mzee Karanu’s siblings have hatched a plot to eliminate her and lock her out of the succession course.

” I declined to sign an inheritance proposal drafted by my stepson, this is the move to harass me.” Wangui lamented.

She questioned why his stepson Joseph Kangethe Karanu was ignoring a court order issued by a Nakuru court on 22nd February 2022 restraining him from interfering with the farm.

Kangethe was released on a Kshs 200,000 bond or Kshs 100,000 cash bail after he was arrested and charged in connection with creating a disturbance and malicious damage.

The court further directed that he be reporting to Elementaita police station every two days, failure to which his bond terms would be cancelled.

The order in suit number E076 of 2022 was issued by Nakuru Principal magistrate Yvonne Inyama, where Kang’ethe was further ordered to cooperate with police throughout the investigations.

Yesterday the widow was escorted to her farm by armed police officers but was denied entry by her son before police intervened.

She accused the son of threatening and insulting her, adding that she will not relent in pursuing justice.

Three of her husband’s top of range vehicles were reportedly taken away by her stepson three weeks ago.

While calling on the government to offer her security, Wangui pointed out that she was willing to abide by the decision of the court when the ongoing succession case comes to an end.

She has over 30 dairy cattle, sheep and goats in the over 800 acres extensive Karanu farm.

Wangui explained that she foots all bills incurred on the farm and has employed several farmhands to manage her livestock.

A disturbed Wangui pointed out that it was against the Agikuyu tradition and customs for a child to insult her parents, as it had happened in her case.

The late Karanu was survived by three widows namely Mary Wanini, Rahab Wambui, Beatrice Mbaire and Nancy Wangui.