Apartment homeowners in Nairobi will from this month start paying land rates. This follows the implementation of the Sectional Properties Act of 2021.
Under this law, apartment homeowners in Nairobi who share common areas within their apartments will pay land rates depending on the size of their units and their locations.
“Unit owners who have titles for their units ought to pay rates to the county because they are registered titles,” said Stephen Mwangi, the Nairobi County Executive for Built Environment and Urban Planning.
According to Mwangi, owners will be required to pay rates for common areas such as swimming pool, lifts and playground.
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“The values of land in Nairobi, if you look at some areas, they are quite high, so the government is sensitive. It does not want to over-tax its citizens,” he added. “We have gone down to a very reasonable percentage so that you are paying almost similar to what you were paying before.”
At the same time, under flat rate zones, owners of land not exceedingly 0.1 Hectares will pay Sh. 2,560. Land greater than 0.1 hectares but not exceeding 0.2 hectares will cost Sh. 3,200 in land rates.
Land greater than 0.2 hectares but not exceeding 0.4 hectares will cost Sh. 4,000 in land rates while owners of parcels that exceed 0.4 hectares will pay Sh. 4,800 in the new rates regime.
Nairobi residents who fail to pay their land rates by March 31 of each year will be charged additional interest by the county government.
“A person who fails to pay land rates by 31 March of each year in which the rates are due shall be liable to interest on arrears at the rate of three (3) per cent per month until the same is paid in full,” the Act that has brought up the new rates states.