An estimated 21,000 land owners in Mombasa County risk having their property auctioned due to debts accrued from failure to submit their land rates.
The land owners have been given seven days to pay the land rates amounting to 10 billion shillings, failure to which their property will be auctioned.
Mombasa County Lands CeC Mr Francis Thoya has raised concerns over the land owners' laxity to pay their land rates.
Speaking to journalists at his Mombasa office on Friday, Thoya said they had to publish the names of the defaulters in the dailies to coerce them to submit their dues.
“Those who had small debts are the ones who heeded the call. Due to their laxity, the county has instructed its lawyers to take up the matter within the stipulated seven-day notice and ensure the land owners clear their dues,” said Thoya.
The CeC said those with land rates debts include churches, private land owners, private companies, as well as government parastatals and ministries.
Thoya said as soon as the notice elapses, the county officers will have no option other than to auction the property belonging to the land owners.
"It must be understood that we have already come up with a guideline and a competent group of officers to implement the process of recovering 10 billion shillings worth of land rates,” said Thoya.