On Wednesday, May 14, Nairobi County officials shut down the Grand Lodge of East Africa’s Freemasons Hall on Nyerere Avenue over a large debt in land rates.
The action was led by Health County Executive Committee Member Suzanne Silantoi as part of a wider crackdown on property owners who have failed to pay their land rates.
According to the Nairobi County Revenue Department, the Freemasons Hall owes the county more than Ksh19 million in land rate arrears.
The shutdown was one of several recent actions taken by the county to recover lost revenue from rate defaulters.
While addressing the press during the operation, Silantoi stated that the enforcement was carried out after following all the necessary legal procedures.
These included issuing multiple demand letters and notices before moving forward with the closure of the premises.
“This property owes the county over Ksh19 million. We had no choice but to take enforcement action,” Silantoi said during the operation.
She further emphasized that this was not an isolated case and that the county would continue targeting other defaulters.
She revealed that more enforcement actions were in the pipeline, including plans to cut off essential services such as water and sewer connections to properties with unpaid land rates.
The Freemasons Hall, a landmark located on Nyerere Avenue, is a historic building that serves as the headquarters for Masonic activities in the region.
The hall hosts regular lodge meetings, events, and discussions where members come together to engage in Freemasonry practices and uphold the fraternity’s principles and values.
This closure is part of Nairobi County’s renewed effort to improve its revenue collection. The county has been struggling to meet its financial obligations, especially due to a ballooning wage bill and declining revenues. One of the main challenges has been the low rate of landowners paying their dues.
Currently, out of the 256,000 land parcels registered in Nairobi, only about 50,000 are up to date on their payments. This alarming statistic has pushed the county to take tougher actions to recover what it is owed.
Just a day before the Freemasons Hall was shut down, Nairobi County officials had already closed four buildings in the central business district (CBD) over similar issues of unpaid rent.
They also warned that more buildings would be targeted in the coming days if property owners failed to clear their debts.
Speaking about the ongoing operations, Nairobi County’s Receiver of Revenue, Tiras Njoroge, explained that many of the affected property owners had been given ample time to show their willingness to settle their arrears, but had failed to do so. He added that the county would no longer tolerate non-compliance.
“We have given them enough time, but most have not shown any effort to pay. Now we are left with no option but to enforce the law,” Njoroge said.
The county government has vowed to continue with these enforcement actions until all outstanding payments are cleared, signaling a firm stance on ensuring compliance from property owners.
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