Sonko and Badi in disagreement over rent waiver

Mike Sonko, the Nairobi Governor, and Mohamed Badi, The Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) have left tenants in confusion as they disagree on rent waivers.

Sonko had recently waived the rent for tenants living in the houses that belong to the County government. The rents have been waived for another six months but Badi recently said that such declaration is beyond the Nairobi Governor.

The Nairobi Governor said the resolution was made to help out residents who were negatively affected by the Covid-19. The Covid-19 has affected many Nairobi residents in terms of losing their jobs and income. Nairobi being the worst hit by this pandemic, Sonko saw this as the best possible plan for residents residing in the County government offices.

The disagreement

He had accused the KRA and NMS of pestering unfortunate city residents over unpaid rent without regard of the economic status. He had later added that he wants the residents to recover economically from the impact of the Covid-19.

However, Badi rejects the waiver proclaiming that housing is a transferred function thus Mike Sonko has no authority over the council houses. He also added that the KRA is the one responsible for collecting revenue and not the governor.

The new development could now throw into a spin the latest waiver directive issued by City Hall, which followed concerns raised by Kenyatta Golf Course/Woodley MCA Mwangi Njihia over constant harassment and threats of eviction of tenants due to rent arrears.

County houses

The County government has 17, 000 houses in Ziwani, Uhuru, Kariobangi South, Jerusalem, Kaloleni, Maringo, Jericho and Buruburu. The tenants of these residents pay monthly rent that ranges between Sh2, 000 and Sh20, 000 depending on the location.

Some of the tenants rent arrears date back to the days that the Nairobi City Council did not yet function. It had been disclosed in March 2019 that the City Hall was owed Sh224 million as rent by tenants. In the same year, April, the Nairobi Governor waived Sh172 million of rent arrears to end the cases.

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