Vacate order worries tenants
Tenants of Kipande Plaza on Kipande Road are a worried lot after their landlord asked them to vacate by Monday following recent fires in the five storey building.
In a span of one month, the building has suffered two outbreaks, both linked to electrical fault. The latest was just four days ago.
Notify them
The instructions to move out, were being passed by word of mouth and they said the decision by the owner not to notify them by writing was suspect.
“It is unfair I am told to move because of someone else’s mistake yet a week has not lapsed since I paid my rent,” said a female tenant who spoke on condition that she was not identified for fear of being targeted by the landlord.
The managers of the building, Mamuka Valuers Management however dismissed the tenants’ claims of being unfairly targeted. On the contrary they said the move would save their lives.
They accused them of damaging electricity connections in the building over the years, hence the decision to evict them.
Ms Hellen Kamanja, the manager, said the owner intended to repair the connections as well as renovate the building as soon as the last tenant moved out. The tenants would be refunded their deposits once they move out, she assured.
However, Ephraim Murigo, secretary general of Urban Tenants Association of Kenya said it was illegal for the landlord to kick out the occupants without giving them adequate notice.
“It is not proper to terminate tenancy by word of mouth and the minimum notice to vacate should go up to 30 days,” he said. He advised the tenants to ignore the eviction notice, saying the landlord had not followed the right procedures.