Nairobi County to clamp properties, evict rent defaulters from Monday
The move comes after the expiration of a waiver period that ended on April 30, during which landowners were allowed to regularise their accounts without facing penalties.
Nairobi property owners who have failed to pay their land rates will face a full-scale crackdown starting Monday, May 12, as the county government intensifies its efforts to collect overdue payments.
This comes after the expiration of a waiver period that ended on April 30, during which landowners were allowed to regularise their accounts without facing penalties.
More To Read
- Urban Kenyans push for rent regulation as households spend heavily on housing
- Growing land demand for commercial development ups land prices by 2 per cent
- Landlords move to cushion consumers with modest increase in rental prices in Q2
- Sakaja announces 100 per cent waiver for land rate penalties, interests
- Nairobi rent prices up 2.5 per cent in three months
Receiver of Revenue Tiras Njoroge confirmed the imminent enforcement operations, stating that all preparations have been completed and enforcement teams will be deployed across all sub-counties starting next week.
“From Monday, we will begin full enforcement. That means clamping of properties, issuing of notices, and legal proceedings for chronic defaulters,” Njoroge said during a briefing at City Hall.
Governor Johnson Sakaja had previously revealed that only 20 per cent of Nairobi’s landowners, around 50,000 out of 256,000 registered parcels, are up to date with their land rates, a situation he described as “unsustainable.”
“We understand the economic hardship, which is why the Governor extended the waiver. But it seems for some, no window is ever enough. Now we have no choice but to act. We need these funds to provide services like garbage collection, health care, and road maintenance,” Njoroge added.
The enforcement operation will begin in high-value areas such as Westlands, Upper Hill, Kilimani, and Industrial Area, with plans to expand to residential estates afterwards. Njoroge also warned that the county may publicly name chronic defaulters as part of its efforts to increase transparency and public pressure.
“We want everyone to pay their fair share. Those who have been doing so should not carry the load for the rest,” Njoroge said.
The county’s new data system, which has mapped all 256,000 land parcels, will provide enforcement teams with real-time access to rate compliance information, enabling swift action and preventing evasion.
Njoroge highlighted that the county is projecting to collect over Sh10 billion in outstanding land rates if compliance improves. The funds will be crucial for enhancing Nairobi’s service delivery and infrastructure.
Residents have been urged to check their land rate status through the Nairobi Revenue Portal and clear any arrears promptly to avoid penalties.
Rent defaulters
Meanwhile, the county has also launched a parallel crackdown targeting rent defaulters in county-owned housing. Nairobi Housing Chief Officer Lydia Mathia said the operation aims to recover over Sh200 million in unpaid rent from tenants in estates such as Woodley, Kariokor, Uhuru, Ngara, and Harambee — some of whom have gone years without paying.
“It is disturbing that some tenants are paying as little as Sh11,000 to Sh17,000 for two-bedroom houses with compounds in areas where similar properties fetch over Sh50,000 — yet they still refuse to pay even that reduced amount,” Mathia said during the launch.
“Meanwhile, they expect the county to continue providing services like garbage collection and water.”
Mathia confirmed that county officers have already been deployed to affected estates to enforce rent collection.
“We have already dispatched our officers and will ensure that every shilling owed is recovered. We urge residents to understand that the government runs on taxes and service payments. When people default, it directly affects the county’s ability to deliver services,” she said.
She stressed that the county would not tolerate continued default.
“We shall not allow this to continue. To those who are not paying — we are coming to collect without fail,” she said.
At the same time, Governor Sakaja reiterated his administration’s commitment to the ongoing urban renewal programme, which targets 13 old estates for redevelopment. He said many of these estates were built decades ago when Nairobi’s population stood at just 2 million, compared to over 7 million today.
Citing Woodley Estate as an example, Sakaja said 43 tenants had already received compensation of Sh900,000 each, along with allotment letters to pave the way for the construction of 1,975 modern housing units.
He assured the affected residents that they would be allocated new units once the project was complete.
Top Stories Today
