- Kiarie said no one should pay rates for their ancestral lands, adding that they will only continue paying for commercial plots only.
- The law that was enacted in 2016 during Governor Ferdinand Waititu's reign added freehold land as ratable.
Image: JOHN KAMAU
Gikuyu elders in Kiambu have called on the county assembly to scrap a controversial law that imposes tax on freehold land.
The elders said the Kiambu County Valuation Roll and Rating Act is punitive and will hurt residents if implemented.
The law that was enacted in 2016 during Governor Ferdinand Waititu's reign added freehold land as ratable despite not being subject to tax since Kenya's independence.
Speaking during prayers at Ithuri cultural centre in Juja on Monday, Kiama Kia Ma elders urged MCAs to repeal the law upon resumption of sittings on Wednesday.
Kiambu county Kiama Kia Ma chairman Shamte Munyua said the law should be scrapped because residents cannot pay for the land that they fought and died for in the struggle for independence.
“We are calling on the MCAs to make this discussion their first business once they resume their sittings. Those suffering are like their elderly parents,” Munyua said.
Munyua noted with concern that most locals and especially the elderly have sunk into depression after word reached them that they'll be required to pay rates for their land and payments have been backdated to 2016.
The chairman urged the ward reps to prioritise the matter and address it with urgency so as to relieve Kiambu residents of the anguish they have been subjected to by the rates.
His sentiments were echoed by Thika subcounty chairman Ng’ang’a wa Kiarie, who said the law should be amended to remove freehold land among those that should be rated.
Kiarie said no one should pay rates for their ancestral lands, adding that they will only continue paying for commercial plots only.
“We cannot pay for land that our forefathers fought and bled for. We will only pay for commercial plots as we have been doing. Let this matter be treated with the urgency it deserves,” he said.
Elder Wambugu Nderitu from Thika called on the county leadership to join hands and ensure that Kiambu residents are not exploited by such punitive laws, noting that it's the mandate of the leaders to protect the interests of their electorates and shield them from exploitation.
Section 45 of the Act gives Finance executive powers to sell land through auction or a private treaty if one fails to pay land rates.
The Act says all lands in Kiambu are ratable except for public schools, toilets, markets, hospitals and roads.
A landowner is required to pay all land rates from 2016 if they want to sell, subdivide, develop or lease their land.
Meanwhile, the elders called on all elected leaders in Kiambu to bury their hatchet and work together as a team saying the standoffs witnessed in the recent months hurt development.
Governor Kimani Wamatangi has been at loggerheads with a section of MCAs and MPs over his leadership and county government affairs with the latter accusing him of running a one-man show and failing to include them.
“We are tired of these fights that have been derailing development in Kiambu. We want our leaders to work harmoniously for the sake of growth and development of our region,” Munyua said.