The Nairobi City County Government has launched a comprehensive clampdown on property owners who have defaulted on land rate payments, in a bold move aimed at recovering billions in unpaid levies. Key commercial properties in the Central Business District (CBD), including Uganda House and Chester House, are among the first targets in this intensified revenue recovery campaign.
Uganda House—still closed following damage sustained during last year’s Gen Z protests—is one of the buildings earmarked in this citywide operation. Situated in the heart of Nairobi’s CBD, its inclusion in the list of defaulters signals the county’s commitment to pursuing even prominent property owners.
Chester House, located along Koinange Street, was also visited by county officials as enforcement activities got underway.
“We’ve begun our operation in the CBD today, focusing on four specific buildings. Uganda House and Chester House are among those. We will extend the operation to other areas including Westlands beginning tomorrow,” announced Tiras Njoroge, Nairobi’s Chief Officer for Revenue, while leading Tuesday’s enforcement mission.
Mr. Njoroge emphasized that the county is taking a zero-tolerance approach this year. According to him, many property owners ignored repeated waiver windows offered by the county to regularize their dues.
“We are currently enforcing compliance at Plot Number 209, where arrears amount to approximately KSh 4 million. We’ve posted notices declaring the property under the custodianship of the Nairobi City County until the outstanding debts are fully cleared,” he said.
He further revealed that Nairobi County intends to recover at least KSh 10 billion in land rates over the next two months. This is just a portion of the staggering KSh 50 billion in total arrears owed by defaulters citywide.
As part of the operation, county officials are entering buildings to register all tenants into the NairobiPay digital system. Through this platform, tenants will be educated on how to remit rent directly to the Nairobi City County Government.
“We are mandating that all rent from these properties be channeled directly to the county until the debt is fully settled. This is not optional,” Mr. Njoroge warned.
Out of the 256,000 registered landowners in Nairobi, only 50,000—or about 20%—have consistently paid land rates over the years. Mr. Njoroge noted that this dismal compliance rate has severely undermined the county’s capacity to fund critical development projects.
He added that enforcement will prioritize high-value neighborhoods such as the CBD, Kilimani, Kileleshwa, Runda, Dagoretti South, and Dagoretti North.
The land rates crackdown is running concurrently with another county initiative—evictions of tenants in public housing estates who have failed to pay rent. Nairobi Housing Chief Officer Lydia Mathia confirmed that public estates including Woodley, Kariokor, Uhuru, Ngara, and Harambee collectively owe the county approximately KSh 200 million in unpaid rent.
The county recently told the Senate Committee that some of these tenants have not paid rent for over 13 years, despite receiving multiple reminders and eviction notices.
Mr. Njoroge confirmed that the operations are being carried out under the framework of the Land Rates Act 2024. He encouraged defaulters to approach the county with realistic payment plans before it’s too late.
“Our message is clear—either come forward and settle your arrears or risk having your property repossessed by the county,” he stated firmly.
