Nairobi City Hall has defended its controversial eviction of tenants from county-owned houses, citing massive rent arrears amounting to more than Sh300 million. According to Housing Chief Officer Lydia Mathia, about 5,000 tenants have defaulted on their payments, some for nearly two decades, prompting the ongoing evictions.
Currently, over 20,000 residents live in county housing units spread across the city. Of these, around 100 defaulters have already been evicted as part of a larger multi-sectoral revenue recovery campaign.
“It is unfair to the rest of Nairobi residents who pay their dues and expect quality services like water, garbage collection, and road maintenance, while some people have stayed rent-free for years,” said Mathia. Investigations revealed severe cases of non-payment, including a tenant who accrued Sh425,000 in arrears over 16 years despite living in a Sh2,200-per-month unit, and another who owed Sh151,000 after 15 years in a Sh900 monthly house.
In prime areas like Woodley, where private rentals fetch up to Sh250,000 monthly, some county tenants pay as little as Sh17,000 — yet still default. Despite efforts by the county to engage tenants through public participation and offer a two-year grace period, many refused to settle their dues.
President William Ruto, while speaking at a church service in Buruburu, backed Governor Johnson Sakaja’s administration on the evictions and urged tenants to either pay or enter into structured repayment agreements.
However, the eviction policy has sparked political uproar. A group of MCAs tabled a censure motion against Mathia, which she has since challenged in court. Justice Bahati Mwamuye issued a temporary injunction, halting the process until a full hearing scheduled for August 11.
Mathia insists the campaign is not a war against the poor but a move toward equity and sustainable service delivery. She highlighted that the recovered funds could help build infrastructure and improve public services.
Meanwhile, the county’s urban renewal project is ongoing. In Woodley, where 43 old units stood, 1,975 modern units are being constructed, with previous tenants compensated Sh600,000 and given allotment letters.
