Four families were yesterday rendered homeless and their belongings taken away as City Hall kicked off an eviction exercise to recover Sh60 million rent arrears.
Household items of the evicted tenants were packed in lorries and taken to Dagoretti holding yard.
Madaraka subcounty revenue officer Joseph Mwaniki said the owners will have to clear the debt, pay Sh7,500 penalty and Sh4,500 house deposit to have their belongings back and re-occupy the houses.
They will also pay a holding charge of Sh2,000 a day, Mwaniki said.
"We cannot keep on like this. We are owed more than Sh60 million in rent arrears alone. And these houses are very cheap. The most expensive is only Sh4,500 per month, " he said.
Mwaniki said most county houses are one and two-bedrooms and the the occupiers of the two-bedroom houses pay Sh4,500 a month.
The county targets 9,307 tenants in 21 estates, most of them in Eastlands.
Tenant Ken Matiba, who lives in a two-bedroom house in Outer Ring estate, is among the four tenants who were evicted. Matiba owed the county Sh100,200 in rent arrears. His rent per month is Sh4,500.
Matiba was not in the house at the time the county officials arrived, but a woman identified as Njeri was found in the house.
She said she is Matiba's relative and she was being hosted.
"Please don't take my belongings, this is not my house. I am just being helped. Please spare my belongings," said Njeri, who had two children.
Some of the houses targeted are in Jericho, Maringo, Oute Ring Road and Jerusalem estates in Eastlands.
Mwaniki said they also evict traders with housing debts for their stall.
"We shall be doing this work twice a week until we recover the debt. After this we will move to market stalls where we are also owed millions of shillings," he said.