President Kenyatta: Landlords Will Not Be Compelled to Waive Rents

Kenyans living in rental houses will have to depend on their landlords’ goodwill for rent waivers after the Government said it has no power over personal property.

Speaking to a local radio station on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta said the Government’s power is limited to a certain level and he can only send an appeal to landlords to be humane and understand the current situation.

“These are tough times for all Kenyans. Many landlords have refused to chase away tenants during this crisis. As humans, let us show mercy and be understanding during this time,” the President argued.

Most Kenyans now feel like they are on their own following the President’s statement after they thought the government would come to their rescue and order landlords to waive rents during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last week, the Landlords and Tenants Association of Kenya (LATAK) ordered tenants to stop paying rent for three months but the directive landed on deaf ears, it was the landlords to decide.

Even though the directive sounded legit, the helpline number given by LAKTAK was just calling for registration other than responding to the inquiries of the callers.

This ‘scam’ left Kenyans worried and they had to shift their focus back to their President who now has dumped them.

All Kenyans wanted was a simple statement like,” Fellow Kenyans, from today henceforth, you should not pay rent for a period of…consultations are ongoing to ensure that both parties are not…

Dear Mr. President, all Kenyans wanted was you to follow the example of our immediate neighbors Uganda, who ordered all landlords to stop collecting rents from tenants or suffer the consequences.

In Uganda, the Government through the Vice President issued a ‘polite threat’ to all landlords to allow tenants to stay in the houses for 90 days or face serious repercussions.

The notice sent to all Landlords in Uganda stated that “Failure to comply with this order, the government will take over your apartment or you will be sentenced for seven years or both.”

READ: President Uhuru Kenyatta Terribly Failed In His Speech