Land rate defaulters in Nairobi County are on the verge of losing their prime buildings and land as the county government moves to auction seized properties in the city.
Finance and Planning Executive Charles Kerich said that they have been left with no other option but to auction the listed properties, a move that is expected to cause tension among over 1,000 defaulters.
The county has filed a case with the Environment and Land Court (ELC) seeking permission to pursue defaulters using alternative means in order to recover billions of shillings in outstanding rates.
“This is the third week of the operation, and we are continuing with the crackdown. We have compiled a list of properties that have been clamped, and the owners are still unwilling to pay. We are now seeking court intervention to auction these properties to the highest bidders,” Mr Kerich said.
The official said that it is impossible for only 20 per cent of landowners in Nairobi to pay their land rates while the rest do not, yet they still expect the county to provide them with services
The county has also engaged the Ministry of Lands to place caveats on the clamped properties, warning that landowners will face development and financial restrictions if they fail to comply.
“Once the Ministry of Lands confirms, the caveats will prevent property owners from developing, taking loans against, or selling the said land until their outstanding land rates are paid,” Mr Kerich said.
While speaking in one of the local radio stations, he emphasised that land rate collection is vital to the county, and that defaulting means that the county cannot offer essential services to residents.
“If everyone paid what they owe, we’d have enough money to fix roads, stock hospitals with medicine, and provide water to all estates. We need fairness from residents—and accountability from the county as well.”
Almost a month has lapsed since the county launched a two-month operation to collect over Sh10 billion from defaulters.
Recently, Mr Tiras Wainaina Njoroge, the chief officer for Revenue Administration, said that Nairobi had exhausted all the avenues trying to reach out to defaulters, with little effort of commitment from them.
“We have people running businesses across the city, who have big residences around the city and have not been making their payments despite us giving waivers, increasing the grace period for them to comply,” he said.
However, some leaders have criticised Governor Johnson Sakaja over the manner in which his administration is dealing with land rate defaulters.
This comes after several landlords and residents in some estates complained about being forcibly evicted by county officers for outstanding land rates.
The latest leader to address the matter is Makadara MP George Aladwa, who has asked the governor to be considerate and resolve the issue without causing further distress to residents.
“I’m urging the governor to ensure that the rights of people who are being removed from their houses are respected. Those people have lived there for many years. Don’t evict them because of debts; talk with them on how they will be paying their rates in instalments. Give them a waiver,” he said.
The MP said the cost of living in the country has affected everyone, and that landlords’ grievances should be addressed.
