Only 20% of Nairobi landowners pay land rates, Sakaja reveals

Speaking on Citizen TV's JKLive show on Wednesday, Governor Sakaja revealed that out of 250,000 registered parcels of land in Nairobi, only 50,000 are currently paying land rates. 

“The biggest revenue earner in a city is property taxes. In Nairobi, we have 250,000 pieces of land but only 50,000 landowners are paying land rates, so the burden falls on this small group. That is not sustainable,” Sakaja said.

To encourage compliance, the Governor announced an extension of the ongoing land rates waiver, giving defaulters until April 30th to settle their dues without incurring penalties.

“We have extended the waiver to 30th April this month,” he said. “Now that we have complete data on the 250,000 pieces of land, it’s time to collect what is due so that we can deliver services as a county. We’ve given enough time—going forward, we shall enforce.”

Governor Sakaja also hinted at potential enforcement measures targeting non-compliant property owners, emphasizing that legal provisions allow the county to take stringent action if necessary.

“Buildings can be clamped. It is in the law. We would not want to get there. Let’s all take charge—we’ve given enough time to pay. Let’s not leave just a small percentage of landowners carrying the heavy luggage of land rates,” he added.

He urged Nairobi residents to take advantage of the remaining waiver period before enforcement begins.