[Source: The Standard, by Kamau Maichuhie]
Land owners in Kiambu are protesting the county government’s decision to drastically raise land rates.
After unsuccessfully pleading with the County administration to lower the fees, the residents yesterday said they had formed a lobby group to push for the scrapping of the new rates.
The co-ordinator of the lobby group Zayuni Mbugua said they wanted the fees suspended until “proper public participation” was done.
Mr. Mbugua said at Thindigua estate along Kiambu Road, for example, plot owners who have been paying Sh350 per year were now required to pay Sh38, 000 per plot.
He also questioned the rationale behind charging different property owners different rates for the same plot sizes. He claimed some land owners in Githurai and Kahawa Sukari were being charged Sh17, 500 and others Sh6, 400 for plots of the same size.
Yesterday, Governor Ferdinand Waititu, said the new rates have been suspended to pave way for negotiations. He, however, defended the rates, saying his government only implemented what had already been planned by the previous regime.
Manufacturers also protested over the new rates, which they termed exorbitant and unsustainable.
Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) Chief Executive officer Phyllis Wakiaga said the rates are exaggerated, unrealistic and unlawful.
The CEO, in a letter dated January 18 to the county executive for Land James Maina, expressed KAM’s dissatisfaction with the new rates and requested that their implementation be suspended pending further consultations with stakeholders.
[Full article on: The Standard, by Kamau Maichuhie]
