Three Witeithie Estate families in Juja are staying in doorless houses after their landlord removed the security items over delayed rent payment.
Francis Kamau, the owner of Limpopo Apartments, also disconnected water and electricity supplies on Monday and threatened to come back for roofing sheets.
The single storey building has 17 one-room units for which he charges each tenant Sh3,000 a month.
The shocked tenants told journalists that Kamau arrived at the property armed with a crowbar and a sledge hammer and removed the doors of those who had not paid their March rent.
Ambrose Ondero, a carpenter, said he was alarrmed to find his house broken into when he returned from work on Monday evening. Neighbours told him that that was the landlord’s doing.
“My heart skipped a beat because I thought that thugs had broken into my house and stolen all my possessions. After learning that it was the landlord who removed the door, I tried calling him in vain. It’s so inhumane especially now that the country is grappling with the coronavirus outbreak,” Ondero said.
He said the hard economic times occasioned by Covid-19 has adversely affected his business and that he is struggling to pay rent.
“I hardly raise money to put food on my table leave alone paying rent. But I am struggling by all means to get the money,” he said.
He was optimistic he will clear rent arrears by April 10 (today), the date the rent is due as per the tenancy agreement.
The affected tenants have been having sleepless nights fearing attacks, he said.
“We are suffering because of the severe cold especially at night. It’s only pieces of cloth serving as doors. The situation is worse for those who have children," the carpenter said.
He lamented, “We cannot go to work because we can’t leave our properties in unlocked rooms."
Lucy Njeri, a mother of three, said she has unsuccessfully tried to reach out to the landlord promising to clear her rent arrears when she resumes her business at Witeithie market which was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’ve been living here for more than six months and I’ve been making timely rent payments except now when the market is closed. I’m pleading with the landlord to be more humane and understand what we are going through,” Njeri said.
The Star established that the tenants have not only to live in doorless houses, disconnected water and electricity, but also exposed to diseases due to the unhygienic state of the apartment.
Kamau acknowledged that he had removed the doors. “I cannot wait any longer because they haven’t paid their March rent. They should leave if they are unable to raise their house rent or I come for the roofing sheets,” he said.
Edited by R.Wamochie
