On May 14, 2025, the administration of Governor Johnson Sakaja launched a major crackdown to recover rent arrears from tenants living in county-owned housing, some of whom have reportedly gone years without making any payments.
At New Ngara Estate, tensions ran high as county askaris and officers carried out evictions of tenants with outstanding rent.
In videos shared online, residents are seen clashing with officers who forcefully removed their personal belongings, including household items.
While some tenants watched helplessly as their belongings were loaded onto trucks, others who had managed to make payments were seen scrambling to get clearance from county officials.
One resident was captured pleading with officers for more time to settle her arrears.
“I need some hours, please, to complete a payment,” the woman said as officers entered her apartment.
Recently, Nairobi Housing Chief Officer Lydia Mathia raised alarm over the scale of rent default, revealing that tenants in key estates such as Woodley, Kariokor, Uhuru, Ngara, and Harambee collectively owe the county an estimated Sh200 million.
Mathia confirmed that the county has deployed officers across the affected estates to enforce rent collection.
“We have already dispatched our officers and will ensure that every shilling owed is recovered. We urge residents to understand that the government runs on taxes and service payments.
When people default, it directly affects the county’s ability to deliver services,” she said on May 10, 2025.
She emphasised that the county would not relent.
“We shall not allow this to continue,” she warned.
“To those who are not paying — we are coming to collect without fail.”
Governor Sakaja has also reaffirmed his commitment to the county’s Urban Renewal Programme, which targets 13 estates for redevelopment.
He noted that many of the existing estates were built decades ago, when Nairobi’s population was around two million.
Today, that number has surged to over seven million, placing immense pressure on the city’s infrastructure.
Sakaja cited ongoing redevelopment efforts in Woodley Estate, where residents from 43 units have been compensated Sh900,000 each and issued allotment letters to facilitate the construction of 1,975 modern housing units.
He assured residents that each would receive a new unit once the project is completed.
