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Parliament denies Sh26m land rates debt

By JUSTUS WANGA December 4th, 2013 1 min read

The Parliamentary Service Commission has denied owing Nairobi county government Sh26 million in land rates arrears.

Commission secretary Jeremiah Nyegenye said the Parliament building sits in a public land owned by the state and not the county government.

“The land in question is registered under the Commissioner of Lands. This tells you it is public land. And really this is a matter of law that we don’t even need to argue over because chapter 267 of the Constitution on Valuation for Rating stipulates that public land is not ratable,” said Mr Nyegenye.

Nairobi News had in its Wednesday edition listed high value properties within the city, including Parliament building, that are being targeted for auction for land rates arrears.

“They must pay or live with drastic measures we are set to undertake,” Governor Evans Kidero had said.

“As lawmakers, they must be in the forefront in obeying laws of the land and paying rates is one such cardinal duty,” he added.