- The county will next week publish a list of the affected persons, after which those affected have to provide proof of payment.
- The Lands department is taking measures to also deal with those working in cahoots with officers in the department to evade paying the rates.
Image: BRIAN OTIENO
Property owners in Mombasa have up to March 31 to pay their land rates, failure to which a monthly fine will be surcharged.
Lands executive Mohammed “Amadow” Hussein on Friday said a fine of three per cent of the accrued land rates will be surcharged monthly for those who don’t pay by end month.
“We appeal to all land owners in Mombasa to avoid enforcement on further penalties,” Amadow said.
Legally, the annual rates should be paid by January 1. However, the county has given property owners up to March 31.
Speaking in the county offices on Friday, Amadow said the national government has failed to disburse the revenue allocated to Mombasa for the last four months.
This means the county has to survive on own revenue to ensure continued and effective service delivery to the Mombasa people.
Land rates is one of the revenue streams for the county.
“Revenue collection is a critical aspect of development of this county. Devolution has provided us the opportunity to direct our own revenue and our development,” the executive said.
He said that an internal audit has revealed loopholes that have been used to deny the county such revenue.
“It has come to our attention that there has been fraudulent clearance of land rates with or without the knowledge of land owners,” Amadow said.
The county will next week publish a list of the affected persons, after which those affected have to provide proof of payment.
“We would like the land owners to provide official receipts issued by the county government, or bank slips, or Mpesa payment proof within seven days after publishing of the list,” the Lands boss said.
Failure to provide proof will lead to the land rates clearance being revoked and the figures reverted to the original default sum.
The Lands department is taking measures to also deal with those working in cahoots with officers in the department to evade paying the rates.
This is the first address by the executive since he was sworn in on Tuesday.
The Lands department is one of the most crucial dockets in the Mombasa county government where land cartels and brokers collude with rogue officials to pocket millions of shillings in deals.
Amadow has promised to clean it up.
“We have to ensure that there is effective delivery of service to the people. We will not allow deals anymore. We want accountability and transparency.
“Those who think they are tough-headed will know that we are even more tough-headed than them.”
He called on land owners to take advantage of the e-services provided by the county, which is in the process of digitising all its services.
The digital land services will help enhance and streamline land transactions for property owners in the county.
The county is currently updating the land valuation roll.
Amadow warned that there is a growing trend of contractors in Mombasa not adhering to the laid down land laws and regulations.
This, he said, leads to haphazard construction of substandard buildings, which pose a threat to the lives of Mombasa residents.
The executive further said people submit architectural designs for approval and after they are approved, they change the designs when constructing.
“You find a developer submitting a three-storey house plan for approval but after approval, they construct a five-storey house,” Amadow said.
Developers are also connecting sewer lines to storm water drainages illegally, while also not displaying sign boards during construction.
“To keep our city clean and safe all developers should provide a biodigestor or any other approved sewerage management technology,” the executive said.
He warned that such blatant disregard of county regulations and laws will warrant action by the county on contractors and developers found not conforming to the approved building works.