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NCC takes control of KICC parking lot over Sh26 m debt
A City Council askari clamps a government vehicle that had been packed at KICC Comesa parking ground on 4 June 2012. The City Council took control of the parking ground over a Sh 26 million debt on land arrears. PHOTO / JAYNE NGARI
Posted Monday, June 4 2012 at 11:24
Nairobi City Council on Monday took control of the Comesa parking grounds next to the Kenyatta International Conference Center over a Ksh 26 million debt on land rates arrears.
Town Clerk Roba Duba threatened to close down the iconic conference center on Tuesday should it fail to pay the amount .
Parliament and Treasury have also been given similar notices of take-overs should they fail to pay up land rates arrears amounting to Ksh 11 million and Ksh 6 million respectively.
Town clerk Roba Duba, at a press conference on Monday, termed the move as a “serious revenue mobilization exercise”.
He said government institutions are the biggest land rates defaulters making the council unable to provide basic services and pay wages.
Other institutions accused of hiding under the umbrella of government agencies include Kenya Revenue Authority's Times Tower, the Central Bank and Kenya Power Company.
“These agencies are not pleading for lack of money, all they care about is procedures and if the council has to deliver services as expected, then this is the way forward,” Duba said.
The Town Clerk called on the public to put pressure on government agencies to comply to paying land rates.
The council also intends to invest some of the money in installation of CCTV cameras to improve security and mark the roads for effective traffic control.
This exercise is also expected to affect private institutions that owe land rates arrears to the Council.
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