Nairobi County seeks court nod to auction clamped properties over unpaid land rates

Nairobi landowners whose properties have been clamped over unpaid land rates risk losing them at public auction, as the county government seeks court approval to recover billions in outstanding arrears.

The county has filed a case with the Environment and Land Court (ELC) seeking permission to auction seized properties whose owners have failed to comply with repeated payment demands.

“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,” Finance and Planning County Executive Charles Kerich said.

Kerich lamented that only 20 per cent of Nairobi landowners pay their land rates, even as all residents expect uniform service delivery from the county.

“We cannot have just 20 per cent of landowners in Nairobi paying land rates while the rest don’t—and everyone expects the same level of service,” he said.

To tighten enforcement further, the county said it has initiated talks with the Ministry of Lands to place caveats on clamped properties.

Once enforced, the caveats will restrict owners from undertaking any developments, securing loans, or transferring ownership until they clear their land rate arrears.

“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,” Kerich said.

Land rate revenue

He emphasised the importance of land rate revenue in funding essential services, including road repairs, medical supplies in hospitals, and access to clean water across city estates.

“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,” he said.

The crackdown began nearly a month ago and is part of a two-month operation targeting the recovery of more than Sh10 billion in unpaid rates.

Kerich warned that enforcement will not end with the financial year.

“This operation is ongoing. Even after June, court actions will continue. If you receive a court order, don’t panic—just comply. It’s about fairness and civic duty,” he said.

All available channels exhausted

Other Topics To Read

• City Affairs
• Nairobi County
• Governor Johnson Sakaja
• nairobi Landowners
• Environment and Land Court
• auction
• clamped properties
• Charles Kerich
• Nairobi County seeks court nod to auction clamped properties over unpaid land rates
• Headlines

Tiras Wainaina Njoroge, the county’s Chief Officer for Revenue Administration, confirmed that City Hall has exhausted all available channels to get defaulters to settle their dues, including offering waivers and extending grace periods.

“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, the enforcement campaign has drawn criticism from some quarters, with several landlords and residents reporting forcible evictions by county officers.

Makadara MP George Aladwa has urged Governor Johnson Sakaja to reconsider the approach, citing the economic strain on residents and calling for dialogue and waivers instead of eviction.

“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,” Aladwa said.

He added that the high cost of living has affected all Kenyans and that the county government must take the grievances of landlords seriously.