Mombasa Lands CeC Anthony Njaramba has said the county will auction the property of 40,000 residents beginning November, for failing to pay their land rates.
Njaramba said the defaulters were not keen to take advantage of the six-month grace period they were accorded to clear the rates.
“We gave the 40,000 land rates defaulters a grace period of six months to clear their debts but they didn’t take advantage of the opportunity,” he said, as quoted by the Nation.
Njaramba also said that the affected individuals have no reason to blame the county government, adding that the move is undertaken to recover the money.
“The county has now resolved to start the process of auctioning their land to recover the bills which have been accumulating since the devolution system of government began in 2013,” he added.
He noted that the county has been experiencing financial constraints because of the huge debts owed by property owners in the region.
“The County is facing financial constraints due to non-payment of rates by landowners. Land rates are our major source of revenue,” said Njaramba.
According to the Nation, various corporations owe the county government money, including the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) that has not paid Sh900 million, Kenya Railways Corporation Sh300 million and National Water Conservation and Pipeline Corporation Sh249 million.