ABOUT 5,000 tenants living in City Hall estates in
Nairobi have defaulted on their rent payments and are part of a group that is
facing the ongoing evictions, housing chief officer Lydia Mathia has said.
More than 20000 tenants live in county houses across the city. So far, about 100 of the rent defaulters have been evicted as part of a multi-sectoral revenue collection drive.
City Hall says it is keen on recovering the total rent arrears amounting to over Sh300 million, with some cases dating back nearly 20 years.
Mathia says the evictions are meant to uphold fairness and service delivery across the city.
“We are talking about over Sh300 million in arrears, some dating back to close to 20 years. It is unfair to everyone else in Nairobi who expect services from the county in terms of water supply, garbage collection, and more yet some tenants don’t pay even a cent,” she said.
Investigations into county housing estates revealed shocking levels of default.
In Woodley for instance, a prime area where private two-bedroom houses go for Sh250,000 a month, tenants were paying as little as Sh17,000 for county houses, yet some were still defaulting on their rent payment.
“We found people who have not paid rent for over 10 years. We engaged them through public participation, urged them politely to pay, but many simply refused,” she said.
In another case, a tenant reportedly racked up Sh425,000 in arrears for over 16 years for a house meant to cost Sh2,200 a month.
Another, occupying a Sh900 monthly unit, hadn’t paid rent in 15 years, owing Sh151,000.
“When there are others ready to pay more, how is it fair to let someone live rent-free for decades?” Mathia posed.
President William Ruto, speaking during a church service in Buruburu on June 8 backed Governor Johnson Sakaja’s administration on the evictions, and asked those with arrears to pay or negotiate with the county on a payment plan.
“Governor Sakaja is a listening leader. He gave over two years for tenants to clear their arrears. Those who paid were not evicted,” Mathia said.
However, the policy stance has triggered a political backlash with furious MCAs tabling a censure motion against the chief officer.
She has since challenged the move in court where a judge has issued injunctive orders offering her reprieve.
Justice Bahati Mwamuye ruled that the process was flawed and stopped the MCAs from enforcing the resolution, pending a full hearing set for August 11.
In her affidavits, Mathia argues the MCAs’ motion was unconstitutional and amounted to an impeachment disguised as a probe.
“This is not about punishing the poor it’s about fairness. Sh300 million could build stadiums and fund essential services. Let’s not politicize what is simply a matter of accountability. This is a government-wide revenue drive for a better Nairobi that delivers on service,” she said.
This comes as the county government continues with its urban renewal housing project, aimed at upgrading several estates.
For instance, in Woodley, where there were originally 43 housing units, the county is now constructing 1,975 modern units after compensating the 43 tenants with Sh600,000 each and issuing them allotment letters
