Under the crackdown, persistent defaulters risk having their properties attached and auctioned A building being clamped down on pending land rates. [FILE] Nairobi County has launched an aggressive campaign to recover billions of shillings in unpaid land rates, appointing six debt recovery firms to pursue property owners who have defaulted on payments for more than three years.
The Nairobi Revenue Authority (NRA) said the enforcement exercise, which took effect immediately, targets long-standing land rates arrears together with accumulated penalties and interest as the county seeks to boost its own-source revenue. Under the crackdown, persistent defaulters risk having their properties attached and auctioned, being listed with Credit Reference Bureaus (CRBs), and facing other statutory recovery measures provided under the National Rating Act, 2024.
Governor Johnson Sakaja defended the move, saying the county could no longer depend on compliant taxpayers while thousands of landowners continued to evade their obligations. "Mama Mboga and small business owners have never failed to pay what is due to the county.
However, many landowners have failed to pay what they owe the county," Sakaja said. He noted that of Nairobi's approximately 250,000 registered land parcels, only about 50,000 property owners have opened accounts and consistently pay land rates. "We have even introduced instalment payments to make compliance easier.
The system is fully automated, so unless payments reflect in the accounts, no one can make adjustments for you," he said. The county has divided the city into six enforcement zones, with Siuma Auctioneers assigned to the Western Borough, Prysis Solutions Limited to the Northern Borough, Jephys Auctioneers to the Central Borough, Boresha Credit Services Limited to the South Eastern Borough, Quest Holdings Limited to the Eastern Borough and AFS Holdings Limited to the Southern Borough.
Sakaja said the exercise was aimed at ensuring all property owners contributed fairly towards financing county services. "Mama Mboga, motorists and other law-abiding taxpayers have never failed to pay their dues. We cannot continue running this city on the shoulders of Mama Mboga alone.
Everyone must pay what they owe the county so that we can continue providing quality services," he said.