The City Council of Nairobi is no longer waiving rates on land for defaulters. Following a long campaign of waivers and extensions they finally decided to put their foot down. Chief Public Relations Officer Mr. Marube said that since the expiry of the August 31st 2012 deadline of operation clampdown, the council will not accept any waving requests from property owners who have been trapped by the deadline. "A revised list of defaulters is almost ready and the real clampdown is shortly set to ensue", says a rates clerk at City Hall.

The  council stated that there have been numerous property owners showing up at City Hall pleading to have their rates waived but City Hall has declined to grant that, given that it extended the deadline twice. Thousands will not be spared by punitive interests and penalties charged, and they expect to auction property well into the millions.

City Hal plan to invoke the  Rating Act, part of which states:

“The rating authority may serve upon any person paying rent in respect of any land on which such rate was levied...a written notice stating the amount of such arrears and requiring all future payments of rent (whether the same have already accrued due or not) by the person paying the rent to be made directly to the rating authority until such arrears and interest have been duly paid.”

However, law experts feel that the City Council should sufficiently be advised regarding taking over of other peoiples property because such actions will be challenged in court by the affected. Article 40 of the Kenyan Constitution bars the Parliament from enacting a law that permits the State or any person to arbitrarily deprive a person of their own property, of any interest, or right over, or any property of any description.

City Hall did not disclose to pesatalk the amounts collected so far, but as of  Friday August 17th 2012, the Council had gathered KES 1.3 billion.