Sakaja extends land rates payment deadline, maintains no waiver
He had earlier called on the various national government entities in Nairobi to ensure they pay their rates
The Nairobi City County Government has announced the extension of the deadline for payment of land rates for property owners in the city.
While announcing the extension, the Governor Johnson Sakaja administration stated that there would be no penalties incurred during the extension period.
“Land rates payment deadline has been extended to the 15th of this month. Pay today, no penalties,” the county government announced.
It advised the residents to make the payment online or visit the customer care service centres at City Hall Annex or the sub-county offices.
The extension comes weeks after Governor Sakaja announced that there will be no land rates waiver for land owners in Nairobi this year.
Sakaja stated that the city county government will be firm on the enforcement of the rates on defaulters, adding that they will have to follow the set regulations.
“We are very firm on the enforcement of rates this year. Some people have been waiting for a waiver to pay. There is no waiver this year, there is no waiver. The deadline is March, and we are going to do enforcement and follow the provisions of the law,” Sakaja said.
Sakaja called on the various national government entities in Nairobi to ensure they pay their rates to the county government.
It was recently revealed by Senator Edwin Sifuna that various institutions of the National government owe Nairobi county up to Ksh100 billion in pending bills.
Last year May, the Sakaja-led administration issued a one hundred per cent waiver for payments made between May 20 and June 20.
“In the exercise of powers conferred by Section 5(2)(b) of the Nairobi City County Tax Waivers Administration Act, 2013, and with the concurrence of the Governor, the County Executive Committee Member for Finance and Economic Planning shall grant 100 per cent waiver on penalties and interest on land rates for those who will pay such land rates in full from May 20 to June 20, 2024,” the Nairobi City County Executive Committee Member for Economic and Finance Planning Charles Kerich announced last year in a gazette notice.
The initiative was part of Sakaja’s strategy to enhance revenue collection for the county’s activities, even though they never met the target.
In the first quarter of the current financial year, Land rates revenue was higher, with the county collecting Sh196,074,592, while it dropped to Sh142, 363,884 in the second quarter.
According to the Chief Officer of Revenue Tirus Njoroge, the big drop in land rates is the result of a change in internal policies on issuing waivers.
Njoroge says the City administration is enforcing the accrued pending bills for land rates with a clampdown of properties being an option as they plan to auction the notorious landlords who have failed to pay for a long period.
“While waivers on land rates have been issued in previous financial years, the result is often reducing compliance within the legally stipulated period of January – March. We are now enforcing those penalties accrued in various ways, including an operation to clamp down on properties that have not paid rates and auction those that have been notorious and failed to pay rates over a long period,” Njoroge stated.
