17,000 risk eviction as Nairobi County demands Sh100m rent

Nairobi County government houses in Nairobi's Kaloleni Estate. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Thousands of tenants risk being evicted from Nairobi County government rental houses for failing to clear two years outstanding rent arrears worth over Sh100 million.

The Acting County Secretary Leboo Ole Morintat on Tuesday gave the tenants, whom a county official puts at least 17,000,  up to February 5 to clear the arrears or risk being kicked out of the houses, which he said will be re-allocated to other deserving people.

NOTICE

“Notice is hereby given that all tenants living in Nairobi County rental houses with accumulated rent arrears should clear the same with immediate effect,” said  a notice signed in a newspaper by Morintat.

He added: “Rent is payable either in advance on or before the beginning of every month. Be advised that failure to clear the rent arrears by 5th February, 2018 will lead to distress for rent, repossession and reallocation of the houses without any further reference,”

Mr Morintat also indicated that the county government will revoke rental agreement with any tenants found to have either illegally transferred or involved in subletting the county rental houses.

“Such transfers will be revoked houses, repossessed and re-allocated to other deserving residents of Nairobi without further notice,” warned Mr Morintat.

SUBLETTING

He stated that the county will not tolerate illegal cases of tenants subletting houses in exchange of prerequisite fees of unknown amount of money.

“Members of the public are also hereby advised that Nairobi city county government has a laid down procedure of transferring county rental houses,” he said.

Mr Morintat added: “It is illegal to irregularly transfer, trade in, assign and sublet any county rental house. Any transfers done without following due process including payment of prerequisite fees are un-procedural, null and void,”

Two years ago, the county launched Sh60 billion projects to demolition and construct new housing units at five estates of Jeevanjee, Bachelor Quarters, Pangani, Old and New Ngara.