The Nairobi County Government, under the leadership of Governor Johnson Sakaja, has issued a warning of auctioning thousands of parcels of land within the city due to unpaid land rates. In a 72-page notice published on Friday, the administration emphasized that failure to settle the land rates would lead to the auctioning of the affected parcels of land.
“The owners of the following listed properties are advised to ensure that they pay outstanding land rates arrears owed to Nairobi City County Government otherwise the properties shall be subject to penalty interest and enforcement actions including auctions by the Nairobi City County Government,” reads part of the notice.
The listed lands are situated in various Nairobi constituencies including; Westlands, Starehe, Ruaraka, Roysambu, Mathare, Makadara, Langata, Kasarani, Kibra, Embakasi West, Embakasi South, Embakasi North, Embakasi East, Embakasi Central, Dagoretti South, Dagoretti North.
The arrears being claimed by the county government range from Ksh.50,000 to Ksh. 31 billion. Some of the defaulters include government entities such as NSSF, Embassies as well as private entities such as Safari Park and Air Tanzania.
According to County Chief Officer for Revenue and Administration Wilson Gakuya, if land owners were to comply, the county would generate over Ksh.30 billion annually.
Gakuya further noted that one of the major reasons land and property owners don’t pay their land rates is because those properties have disputes in court.
