Rent defaulters in Nakuru County will face real estate agents as the county seeks to recover millions in rent arrears.
According to the county records, thousands of tenants living in defunct municipal council houses had not been paying rent since 2013, making it lose millions of shillings in revenue.
The county has already put out a tender notice for the agents who are up to the task to help Nakuru recover the money.
"We invite qualified, interested, and eligible bidders for the request for the proposal for a real estate agent. Bids to be received on or before Tuesday, February 9, at noon," a notice by county secretary Benjamin Njoroge stated.
Previous attempts to conduct evictions by the county for tenants living in Kivumbini, Paul Machanga, Kaloleni, Kimathi, Shauri Yako and Flamingo were unsuccessful.
In some instances, the tenants ganged up against the enforcement officers overpowering them in the process.
In addition to the rental houses, the county also reported losing revenue from traders with stalls in Bondeni, Shabab, Top Market, and Free Area markets who also owe millions to the county government.
The residents have also been swindled by a gang known as "Confirm" who have been collecting the rent money through fake mobile transactions.
The county believes, that with the hiring of agents, they will close the loopholes that have seen their coffers leak millions in revenue.
"It will no longer be business as usual. The county cannot afford to lose revenue from tenants who have refused to pay for rents yet they continue to occupy the houses and market stalls. They will now deal with the Real Agents," a senior Housing Officer stated.
Several eviction exercises have been carried in different parts of Nakuru town with a demolition exercise in October 2020 seeing 300 businesses torn down by Kenya Railways.
The demolitions come ahead of a planned rehabilitation of the Nairobi-Nakuru-Kisumu railway line by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
The exercise was meant to pave way for the construction of Ksh160 billion Limuru-Nakuru road into a four-lane dual-carriageway.
