Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has slammed Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja over his 'militarised' technique of collecting land rate arrears.
In a statement on his official X account on Tuesday, May 20, Owino warned that the collection of the land rate arrears is doing more harm than good in the county's economy.
The lawmaker claimed the 'militarised' procedure has become a form of frustration to businesspeople in the capital.
Furthermore, Owino has claimed that the collected rates will have no meaningful impact on the county's development and will instead end up in corruption.
"The Nairobi County Government has lately militarised its rate collection. Churches, businesses, and private residences have witnessed the wrath of a corrupt county government harassing Nairobi residents to pay exorbitant rates that end up in county heads' pockets," he stated.
Since its launch last week, on Monday, May 12, the crackdown, which has been spearheaded by Nairobi City County enforcement officials, has seen the closure of several buildings and businesses over defaulted land rate payments.
In addition to clamping down on businesses, the county receiver of revenue, Tiras Njoroge, said that the devolved unit will issue notices and initiate legal proceedings for perennial defaulters, on all landowners who failed to meet their obligations before April 30, 2025.
Njoroge noted that, if necessary, the county will also publish the names of perennial 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'," Njoroge said on Friday, May 9.
On Monday, May 20, the county officials seized the Taifa Road parking, located behind the Kencom building, which reportedly owed the county Ksh41.1 million in unpaid land rates, in addition to Ksh200,000 for an expired Unified Business Permit.
Njoroge, who spoke to the media on Monday, May 19, said that the county government had taken control of the parking and will directly collect parking fees from motorists until the owners of the premises pay the outstanding arrears.
“This Kencom private parking lot owes the county Ksh41 million. Starting today, we are taking over its operations to recover the money until the debt is fully paid,” Njoroge said.
He added: “We are committed to ensuring that every property owner pays their duties. Revenue from land rates and business permits is essential for delivering services to Nairobi residents,”
