Woodley Estate residents accuse Nairobi County gov't of poor record keeping

Residents of Woodley Estate, through the Woodley Residents’ Welfare Society (WRWS), have expressed frustration over the neglect of rent records and failure to implement gazetted waiver of rent collection by the Nairobi City Council.

This, they say has subjected tenants facing financial hardships to unjustified financial strain. 

The residents are asking Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to intervene and address the issues they raised urgently.

The issues surrounding Woodley Estate off Ngong Road in Nairobi date back to 1992. 

“The Nairobi County has displayed a gross neglect for its responsibility to maintain accurate and up-to-date records, crucial for verifying payments, tracking agreements and safeguarding our rights as tenants,” said WRWS chairperson Sam Gachago.

His vice chair David Sosah added: “These issues have been here for 27 years when the then city council started selling the land illegally.”

The records, whose responsibility to maintain lies with the Nairobi City County, are relied upon by the over 400 residents for their security. 

“Lost, misplaced and manipulated information has caused immense distress and hardship for countless individuals and families,” Gachago stated

Further, residents say the failure to implement gazetted waiver has caused anxiety among tenants with some receiving eviction notices.

“The gazetted waiver, intended to provide relief to tenants facing financial hardships, has been completely disregarded, subjecting us to unjustified financial strain and rendering the waiver meaningless,” he added.

The estate had been illegally transferred to private entities before it was repossessed by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in 2018.

“We express disappointment and frustration over the lack of recognition given to those who fought tirelessly to save the estate from illegal land grabbers,” Gachago noted.

The tenants and residents say they will not rest until Nairobi City County addresses the issues they have raised.