The Nakuru County government has issued a gazette notice informing tenants of county government houses who have not been paying rent to start paying and to also clear their accumulated arrears.

According to the notice, appropriate action will be taken to recover the said arrears from those who fail to comply.

The notice also states that there is no court order stopping the collection of rent from tenants in Nakuru County estates as claimed by some residents.

Also Read: How Phase two estate has evolved since the 1970s

"The county government will only enter into discussions on arrears with those tenants who immediately and within the notice period resume payment of monthly rent and do so continuously for a period of not less than three months and also reduce their rent arrears by 30 per cent. The new generation tenant cards will be issued to bona fide tenants who have cleared their rent arrears," said Dr Samuel Mwaura, the county secretary.

The units should generate an average of Sh5 million a month for the county, but this has never materialised. Tenants are supposed to pay between Sh400 and Sh2,500 monthly rent depending on the facilities and size of the house.

There have been numerous challenges in collecting rent due to so-called cartels masquerading as tenants, making it difficult to identify legal tenants.

However, some residents of the 4,000 municipal houses in Bondeni, Kivumbini, Flamingo and Biashara settlements do not agree with the county government's decision.

Mohammed Kahero, a resident of Paul Machanga Estate, says they hope Governor Susan Kihika will change her mind. According to Mr Kahero, the governor promised during election campaigns to waive all arrears and allow tenants to start paying again.

Also Read: An estate that does not allow sale of alcohol

"This is a serious issue that should not be politicised by a single cartel. We are waiting to see what the governor will do about it," he said. Residents also argue that the cartels have also been collecting money from tenants without the money reaching the county government.

On November, 12, a meeting was held under the umbrella of the Nakuru County Tenants Association. The association's secretary general, Newton Akanga, and Ben Macharia of the Friends of Devolution lobby called on Governor Kihika to waive all rent arrears and give tenants time to start paying rent from January 2024.

This is not the first time the issue of Nakuru County House rent has arisen, it was also raised during the Kinuthia Mbugua regime. Mr Kinuthia made an exception and even allowed tenants to build extensions after the houses became too small for larger families.

pmambili@gmail.com

Why a Gazette notice is giving municipal tenants sleepless nights

Author Spotlight

Pristone Mambili