Nairobi County has launched an aggressive campaign to recover billions of shillings in unpaid land rates, appointing six debt recovery firms to pursue property owners who have defaulted on payments for more than three years.
The Nairobi Revenue Authority (NRA) said the enforcement exercise, which took effect immediately, targets long-standing land rates arrears together with accumulated penalties and interest as the county seeks to boost its own-source revenue.
Under the crackdown, persistent defaulters risk having their properties attached and auctioned, being listed with Credit Reference Bureaus (CRBs), and facing other statutory recovery measures provided under the National Rating Act, 2024.
Governor Johnson Sakaja defended the move, saying the county could no longer depend on compliant taxpayers while thousands of landowners continued to evade their obligations.
"Mama Mboga and small business owners have never failed to pay what is due to the county. However, many landowners have failed to pay what they owe the county," Sakaja said.
He noted that of Nairobi's approximately 250,000 registered land parcels, only about 50,000 property owners have opened accounts and consistently pay land rates.
"We have even introduced instalment payments to make compliance easier. The system is fully automated, so unless payments reflect in the accounts, no one can make adjustments for you," he said.
The county has divided the city into six enforcement zones, with Siuma Auctioneers assigned to the Western Borough, Prysis Solutions Limited to the Northern Borough, Jephys Auctioneers to the Central Borough, Boresha Credit Services Limited to the South Eastern Borough, Quest Holdings Limited to the Eastern Borough and AFS Holdings Limited to the Southern Borough.
Sakaja said the exercise was aimed at ensuring all property owners contributed fairly towards financing county services.
"Mama Mboga, motorists and other law-abiding taxpayers have never failed to pay their dues. We cannot continue running this city on the shoulders of Mama Mboga alone. Everyone must pay what they owe the county so that we can continue providing quality services," he said.
Nairobi Receiver of Revenue Tiras Njoroge warned that the county would move swiftly against chronic defaulters without issuing further notices.
"Property owners in default are warned that failure to settle arrears immediately will trigger enforcement actions without further notice. Under the National Rating Act, 2024, enforcement measures may include property attachment and auction, Credit Reference Bureau listing and other statutory recovery actions," Njoroge said.
He urged landowners to clear their outstanding balances and cautioned that all payments should be made only through authorised Nairobi City County revenue accounts.
The latest enforcement drive forms part of the county government's broader strategy to strengthen locally generated revenue amid persistent concerns over low compliance in land rates payments.
County officials estimate that only one in five registered property owners regularly pays land rates, depriving Nairobi of billions of shillings needed to finance public services, infrastructure projects and urban maintenance.
The administration has in recent months rolled out reforms, including automated billing systems and flexible payment plans, in an effort to improve compliance before resorting to enforcement.
Officials said the crackdown is intended to improve fairness in tax administration by ensuring that all property owners meet their legal obligations while providing the county with additional resources to support service delivery.
