The Nairobi County Government is set to launch a crackdown on land rate defaulters beginning on Monday, May 11, after the waiver period lapsed.
In a statement on Sunday, May 11, the Nairobi Governor, Johnson Sakaja, confirmed that the county has finalised its preparation to deploy enforcement personnel across all Nairobi sub-counties for the crackdown.
According to the county receiver of revenue, Tiras Njoroge, the enforcement teams will kickstart the crackdown in areas such as Westlands, Upper Hill, Kilimani, and Industrial Area before proceeding to other residential estates.
According to Njoroge, the officers will clamp down on properties, issue notices, and initiate legal proceedings for chronic defaulters, on all landowners who failed to meet their obligations before April 30, 2025.
Njoroge noted that the county will, if necessary, publish the names of chronic defaulters in a bid to promote transparency.
"This follows a recent announcement by Governor Johnson Sakaja that revealed only 20 per cent of the city’s landowners, about 50,000 out of 256,000 registered parcels, have been paying land rates, a situation he described as 'unsustainable'," The statement from the governor stated.
"The county had given a generous window through the waiver period that ended on April 30th, but many landowners ignored the opportunity to regularise their accounts," the statement read.
Nairobi residents have further been urged to use the Nairobi revenue portal to check their land rate status and clear any arrears before the crackdown begins.
According to the county government, a new data system has been rolled out to map out all 256,000 parcels across the country's capital, a system that Njoroge asserted will prevent land rate evasion.
Nairobi aims to collect over Ksh10 billion in outstanding rates, funds that will be fundamental in ensuring 'essential transformation' of the city, according to Njoroge
“We want everyone to pay their fair share. Those who have been doing so should not carry the load for the rest,” it added.
“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,” he added.
