NMS to Revise Nairobi Land Rates

Nairobi Metropolitan Director-General Mohammed Badi
Nairobi Metropolitan Director-General Mohammed Badi
File

NMS in conjunction with Nairobi County government has unveiled a new system that will determine land rates in a bid to raise county revenue.

During a sensitization forum the acting Nairobi City Council Secretary Jairus Musumba, urged the Members of the County Assembly to drum up support for the process.

''I call upon our members of the County Assembly to support the document, considering the gains embedded in the Valuation Roll document, key among them increased revenue to the county. Our engagement is an assurance that we are on the right path since the key drivers of the agenda are on board, '' said Musumba.

a
File: President Uhuru Kenyatta and Lands CS Faridah Karoney
File

It is reported that property owners have been paying rates at between 25 and 34 percent depending on the location of the property. The currently used Valuation Roll was prepared in 1980 and was implemented in 1982.

The law states that the main Valuation Roll to be prepared after every 10 years and should be updated annually.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Lands announced that they are in the process of transitioning the land's records to a new registration system.

The new registration system will see a number of titles canceled and replaced with new ones issued in compliance with the law. 

The exercise is ongoing with land reference numbers for plots in Nairobi having been converted to new parcel numbers, with the corresponding acreage respectively specified in the notice.

In a Gazette notice dated January 26, landowners in Nairobi were advised to check their plots with the new parcel numbers in the continuing process.

According to Land CS Farida Karoney, the migration is necessitated by the need to have a centralized land registration process eliminating fraud, delays in service delivery and threats to the right to property in the process.

“Title documents held by third parties including banks, hospitals, and courts as security at the time of commencement shall be replaced upon application by the proprietor. The general public is advised to take note of the converted parcel numbers,” said Karoney.

Lands CS Farida Karoney
Lands CS Farida Karoney
File