Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has sounded the alarm over the low land rate compliance in the city, warning that the county is operating under severe financial constraints due to widespread default by property owners.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV on Wednesday, Sakaja revealed that out of 250,000 registered parcels of land in the capital, only 50,000 landowners are currently paying land rates.
He described the situation as unsustainable, noting that it places an unfair burden on a small group of compliant property owners.
“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,” said the Governor.
He emphasized that the county’s ability to deliver essential services — including waste management, healthcare, and infrastructure maintenance — is being severely hampered by the lack of adequate revenue. With the city’s population and demands growing, Sakaja pointed to resource mobilisation as one of the biggest challenges facing his administration.
In a bid to encourage compliance, the Governor announced an extension of the land rate waiver until April 30th, giving defaulters a final chance to clear their arrears without attracting penalties.
“We have extended the waiver to 30th April this month,” Sakaja said, noting that the county now has comprehensive data on all registered land parcels and is ready to begin full enforcement of collections.
“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,” he warned.
The Governor hinted at strict enforcement measures, including the legal clamping of buildings, to ensure compliance among landowners who continue to ignore county notices.
