Sakaja Unleashes Six Auctioneers in Major Crackdown on Nairobi Landlords Over Unpaid Land Rates
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has announced a sweeping enforcement campaign targeting landlords who have failed to pay land rates for at least three years, warning that no political connections or personal appeals will stop the recovery exercise.
Speaking on Thursday, July 23, while appearing before the Senate Committee on National Security, the governor revealed that Nairobi County had hired six auctioneering firms to pursue long-standing property rate defaulters as part of an aggressive drive to increase the county’s own-source revenue.
According to Sakaja, the Nairobi Revenue Authority (NRA) has already compiled and handed over a list of defaulting property owners to the auctioneers, marking the beginning of what could become one of the largest tax enforcement operations undertaken by the county government in recent years.
Issuing a stern warning to affected landlords, the governor insisted that once the recovery process begins, there will be no room for political intervention or special treatment.
“Yesterday I had a meeting with the Nairobi Revenue Authority, and they have engaged auctioneers. Those who have defaulted for three years and above have been given a list. If they come to you, don’t call me because I cannot help you,” Sakaja told senators.
The governor argued that many wealthy property owners have neglected their legal obligation to pay land rates despite benefiting from county services, while small-scale traders continue contributing to county revenue every day.
Questioning the fairness of the situation, Sakaja contrasted landlords with informal traders who consistently pay daily levies.
“You cannot own land in this city and fail to pay rates, yet you are the first to complain when there are no resources. Mama mboga pays Ksh50 per day. Is that really equitable?” he asked.
Six Auctioneers Assigned Across Nairobi
Sakaja disclosed that six licensed auctioneering firms have been contracted, with each firm assigned responsibility for a section of Nairobi to ensure efficient recovery of unpaid land rates.
The exercise forms part of a wider strategy by the county administration to strengthen revenue collection and reduce dependence on allocations from the national government.
The governor said Nairobi County is targeting Ksh60 billion in property rates by December, describing the current enforcement campaign as only the first phase of broader revenue reforms aimed at expanding the county’s financial base.
Record Revenue Collections
During his appearance before the Senate committee, Sakaja also highlighted what he described as a historic achievement in county revenue collection.
He revealed that Nairobi generated Ksh15.4 billion in own-source revenue during the last financial year—the highest amount ever collected by any county government in Kenya.
“In this financial year, we collected Ksh15.4 billion. It is a record. No county has gone above Ksh15 billion,” he said.
According to the governor, Nairobi’s internally generated revenue stood at approximately Ksh8 billion when he assumed office, meaning collections have increased by 92.5 per cent under his administration.
Despite the milestone, Sakaja maintained that the county continues to face significant financial pressure. He noted that even after receiving approximately Ksh20 billion annually from the national government, available resources remain insufficient to meet Nairobi’s growing infrastructure and service delivery demands.
He added that many of the development projects currently being implemented across the capital are being financed using internally generated revenue, making improved compliance by property owners critical to sustaining service delivery and future development.
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