Paris dreams, Nairobi realities: Sakaja blames revenue gaps on land rate defaulters
He states that while Paris only hosts only two million people, it has a huge budget of Ksh 137 billion because everyone plays their part
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has blamed the default of land rates payment for the slow growth of the city.
Issuing a stern warning to defaulters, the City administrator stated that property owners in Nairobi need to pay rates to avoid being clamped.
Speaking during the unveiling of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) Police Housing Scheme in the Industrial area, Nairobi, which was officiated by President William Ruto, Sakaja reiterated that for Nairobi to achieve levels of global city status, like Paris of France, everyone should play their part, including paying land rates.
The governor, who recently hosted the mayor of Paris, stated that while the French capital only hosts only two million people, it has a huge budget of Ksh 137 billion because everyone plays their part, adding that in Nairobi, only a quarter of property owners pay rates.
“If we want to get to the level of Paris, everyone needs to play their part. Mr President, allow me to say it is very unfair for Mama Mboga to pay her dues every single day in the market. Yet there are people living in posh estates, owning buildings in the city in Karen, among others, who won’t pay a single shilling in land rates. We all want better services, but that cannot happen if we’re not contributing,” Sakaja explained.
“We shall not let a few people avoid their obligations while others carry the burden. The crackdown continues,” he added.
He reiterated that Nairobians living in Council houses and had not paid rates for over ten years had to be chased away because the time frame is huge, and the county has lost huge revenue.
“Some people staying in council houses had not paid for 15 years, and we had to remove them, even though people took it negatively. Only a quarter of land owners in the city are paying rates, and the burden of the city is being carried by a few individuals,” he said.
He appreciated that the National government has started to honor them by paying the pending rates, as he urged them to continue with the spirit.
His remarks come after several clampdowns by the county government in a move to boost the revenue collected for land rates.
The county administration last month went further by moving into the estates to issue notices to various defaulters to clear their debts.
However, the county is facing several court cases after some property owners, including the Freemason Society, among others, have sued the Sakaja-led administration claiming compensation for being wrongly clamped and destruction of property during the process.
