Freemasons’ Hall shut, over 100 Ngara tenants thrown out in Nairobi land rate crackdown
The building, located in the city centre, reportedly owes over Sh19 million in land rates.
The Nairobi Freemasons’ Hall is among the prominent properties which have been clamped down on by the county’s land rate enforcement operation, which aims to recover millions in unpaid dues from defiant property owners.
The building, located in the city centre, reportedly owes over Sh19 million in land rates.
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The enforcement operation was spearheaded by Health County Executive Committee Member (CEC) Suzanne Silantoi, Chief Officer in the Office of the Governor, Priscilla Mahinda, and Chief Officer for Housing, Lydia Mathia.
The building has now been placed under the custody of the Nairobi County Treasury until the full amount is settled.
“This particular premises owes Nairobi County over Sh19 million in land rate arrears,” CEC Silantoi said during the clampdown.
“We will not only be clamping properties belonging to defaulters, but we are also moving to disconnect services such as water and sewer lines where necessary.”
According to officials, the enforcement followed due process, including the issuance of demand notices and public alerts.
“Before any clamping is done, we issue demand notices and publish the same in local dailies, instructing landowners to settle outstanding rates. Failure to comply gives us the legal mandate to clamp,” Silantoi said.
Chief Officer Lydia Mathia stressed that while such operations may disrupt tenants’ lives, the law supports the disconnection of services for non-compliant property owners.
“Disconnection of such services is within the law. If you can’t pay land rates, how do you expect to benefit from county services? It is unfortunate that tenants may suffer due to their landlords’ negligence,” Mathia noted.
According to official data, Nairobi has about 256,000 registered land parcels, but only 50,000 are currently compliant, translating to a land rate payment compliance of just 20 per cent. The county estimates that it can recover up to Sh10 billion in unpaid land rates through ongoing enforcement measures.
As part of the operation, defaulters’ buildings will be marked and clamped, and tenants will be issued with notices directing them to remit rent directly into the Nairobi County Revenue account until debts are cleared.
“This is just the beginning,” Silantoi said. “We are determined to recover what is owed to the county.”
In a separate operation within the city, over 100 families residing in Ngara estate were evicted from properties owned by Rentarias Limited over multi-million-shilling arrears.
The crackdown is part of a broader initiative by Governor Johnson Sakaja’s administration to recover over Sh50 billion in unpaid revenue owed to the county.
County officials say enhanced compliance is vital for the city to tackle long-standing fiscal challenges, including a ballooning wage bill and stalled development projects.
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