Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja took his case to the Senate County Public Accounts Committee, urging senators to strengthen laws that would give county governments the legal muscle to compel property owners to pay their land rates. The governor made the argument that Nairobi, with the right legislative backing, could more than quadruple its annual own-source revenue — from the current Sh13.8 billion to an ambitious Sh63 billion.
The governor pointed to progress already made under his administration as proof that the city is moving in the right direction. Nairobi’s revenue collection has nearly doubled over four years, climbing from Sh8 billion to Sh13.8 billion. Despite this improvement, Sakaja was candid that the gains are being undermined by a legal framework that leaves county governments with limited tools to pursue those who refuse to pay.
“Unless counties are properly facilitated by law to enforce collections, it will be impossible to realize our full revenue potential,” he told the committee. The governor stressed that without stronger enforcement mechanisms, the city’s financial targets will remain out of reach regardless of how efficient its internal collection systems become.
At the heart of the problem is a stubborn culture of non-compliance among property owners. Sakaja revealed that of Nairobi’s 256,000 registered property owners, only around 20 percent honour their land rate obligations consistently. That leaves more than 200,000 properties sitting on outstanding arrears — a massive pool of uncollected revenue bleeding the county dry. He raised further eyebrows by noting that several of the worst offenders are individuals in positions of influence, a sharp contrast to ordinary Nairobians who dutifully meet their obligations.
Sakaja also used his Senate appearance to defend the county’s Nairobi Pay digital revenue collection platform, which he credited with bringing greater transparency and plugging the inefficiencies that had long plagued manual collection systems. The platform has gained traction beyond Nairobi’s borders — Nyandarua County is among those that have since adopted it as a model for their own revenue efforts.
The Senate committee did not issue immediate recommendations after hearing the submission. Instead, it directed Nairobi County to furnish additional documentation within 14 days, demonstrating the practical effectiveness of the Nairobi Pay platform before the committee moves forward with any formal guidance.
With Nairobi driving a substantial share of Kenya’s urban economic activity, the outcome of these legislative discussions carries real weight. Should the legal reforms Sakaja is pushing for gain Senate backing, the capital could tap into a revenue stream large enough to meaningfully transform service delivery for millions of residents spread across its 17 sub-counties.
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