Nairobi landlords have been handed some temporary reprieve after Governor Johnson Sakaja rolled out a fresh land rate waiver amid concern over a deepening compliance crisis.
In a statement on Sunday, December 14, Nairobi County revealed the waiver will run from December 15 to December 31, with the county set to wipe out 100 per cent of accumulated interest and penalties for landowners who clear the outstanding arrears within the window.
According to Receiver of Revenue Tiras Njoroge, the incentive is a last-ditch effort by the county government to ease the strain on taxpayers during the festive season while also boosting the country's own-source revenue.
"This is an opportunity to correct any outstanding land rates you may have accumulated. Take advantage of the waiver, which wipes out 100 per cent of interest and penalties," Tiras said.
Despite the incentive, Njoroge also warned that landowners will be treated as defaulters from January 1 if they fail to update their land rate records. The current waiver period will act as the final soft landing.
He added, "Come January 1, 2025, it will not be business as usual; any unpaid amount will be treated as default."
Earlier in the year, Governor Sakaja revealed that while there are 250,000 registered land parcels in Nairobi, barely a quarter are complying with land rate payments.
Sakaja insisted that essential county government services, from roads and waste management to health and public lighting, were directly tied to widespread non-payment.
The notice came weeks after the governor announced that landlords would start paying more for land rates from January 1, 2026.
In a notice shared on Friday, October 24, 2025, County Executive Committee Member for Built Environment and Urban Planning, Patrick Mbogo, informed land and property owners that new rates were set under the power of the National Rating Act, 2024.
Under revised directives, flat rate zones will be charged as follows: Land not exceeding 0.1 hectares will be charged Ksh2,560. This is the lowest tier under the new structure, targeting the smallest land parcels.
For properties falling between 0.1 and 0.2 hectares, the annual flat rate charge will be Ksh3,200. Land parcels larger than 0.2 hectares but not exceeding 0.4 hectares will be charged Ksh4,000 per year.
Failure to comply with these rates will lead to tougher enforcement measures, including clamping of buildings, for persistent non-compliance.
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