A number of United Nations officials have blasted Kenyan landlords for refusing to refund tenant's rent deposits as high as Ksh 800,000.
A report by the Daily Nation quoted the officials who complain that they are asked to pay 2-months refundable deposits but when the time to exit comes, the landlord plainly refuses to give back the money.
The staff reportedly rent houses in high-end places such as Runda and Lavington where mansions go for as high as Ksh 400,000 monthly.
In a letter addressed to ambassador Rose Makena Muchiri, the Permanent Representative to the Kenya Mission for United Nations Office in Nairobi, the workers complained that the landlords multiplied unjustified expenses just to keep the deposits.
“It is now widely-acknowledged that one of the key negative reasons expats and UN staff are apprehensive of serving in Kenya is this threat. I believe this is causing serious reputational damage that could be unwarranted if addressed properly and transparently," lamented UN Staff Union president Martin Njugihu.
He further divulged that the issue had reached injurious levels and that if not checked, it was likely to cost Kenya.
“UN Nairobi Staff Union will form a committee that will explore various options available to tackle this issue. We believe the matter has reached such a level that requires immediate action,” read the letter in part.
The contribution of UN to the country's economy is estimated at Ksh35 Billion every year quadrupling one of the nation's biggest exports, coffee.
Broken down, less than half of the contribution is made through direct assistance by the international body.
The rest is brought by the workers, through rental payments and purchase of goods and services such as wages, to their workers including guards and gardeners.
