Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has has extended a waiver on the rent payable to the Nairobi City County for another six months to cushion the city residents from the negative economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This follows outcries of the county tenants who complained of persistent harassment by officers from Kenya Revenue Authority and the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) over arrears.
In a letter to the County Secretary and Head of County Public Services Justus Kathenge, the Governor noted that Kenya has not been spared from the negative social and economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and Nairobi has been the epicentre of the disease in the country.
Negative social and economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic
“Nairobi City County is not a profit-making organization, but rather established by the Constitution of Kenya to serve the public. Therefore, I do hereby extend the waiver granted for a period of a further six months as our residents continue to recover economically from the effects of Covid-19 pandemic,” directed Sonko.
The waiver will impact more than 16000 residents in the county. However, when the covid-19 pandemic began, the government made it clear that the state would not compel landlords to waive rent but they were free to do it on their own.
Meanwhile, the county government also plans to upgrade houses in the county in modern buildings. Among the areas to be upgraded include Mukuru slums which is scheduled for an upgrade in a Sh 15bn programme through which 13,000 new housing units will be built.
The county government has also launched the construction of a Sh 7bin public residential apartments in Ngara Estate. The project will see the construction of 3,000 units comprising eight blocks of 34 storeys for low and middle-income earners.
