Nairobi County Governor Johnson Sakaja now says he has deployed six auctioneering firms to pursue landlords who have failed to pay their land rates for at least three years.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

On Thursday, July 23, Sakaja said the Nairobi Revenue Authority had already handed over a list of long-standing defaulters to the auctioneers as the county steps up efforts to boost its own-source revenue.

Appearing before the Senate Committee on National Security, the Governor warned affected property owners against seeking his intervention once enforcement begins.

"Yesterday I had a meeting with the Nairobi Revenue Authority, and they have engaged auctioneers. Those who have defaulted for three years and above have been given a list. If they come to you, don't call me because I cannot help you," Sakaja said.

📌 What You Need to Know

The governor argued that many property owners have failed to meet their obligations despite benefiting from county services, while low-income traders continue to pay their daily levies.

"You cannot own land in this city and fail to pay rates, yet you are the first to complain when there are no resources. Mama mboga pays Ksh50 per day. Is that really equitable?" he posed.

According to him, the county has engaged six auctioneers, each assigned to one of Nairobi's sub-counties, to enforce compliance and recover unpaid land rates.

He disclosed that the county aims to collect Ksh60 billion in property rates by December this year, describing the exercise as only the beginning of a broader revenue enhancement strategy.

Sakaja also revealed that Nairobi County collected a record Ksh15.4 billion in own-source revenue during the last financial year, the highest ever recorded by any county government in Kenya.

"In this financial year, we collected Ksh15.4 billion. It is a record. No county has gone above Ksh15 billion," Sakaja told the committee.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke