New Kisumu Land Rates That Will See Owners Pay Over 7,000 Percent More
By Estate Cloud - over 2 years ago - Kenya
Kisumu County yesterday published the proposed new land rates which will see the rates payable amount rise by up to 7,275 percent from the old rates for land in some areas of the county.
According to the notice published yesterday, the lowest land rates increase for specific blocks within Kisumu Municipality was 525 percent. Owners of land within Nyalenda B block (freehold) will see a rates increase from Ksh 1,500 to Ksh 109,125 according to the proposed new land rates.
The highest amount of land rates payable for any area in the Lakeside City will increase from Ksh 40,305 to Ksh 259,290 on implementation of the new rates (643%) while the lowest band will increase from Ksh 1,500 to Ksh 27,450 (1830%).
Kisumu County has been using a 1974 valuation roll which is considered outdated, for rating. In practice, valuation rolls are supposed to be revised after every five years but this has not been done while property values have been increasing.
“These rates are very much okay. The valuation roll for Kisumu County was so much outdated that the new rates should not surprise anyone,” said Enock Onyango, a valuer.
The rates increase is expected to affect property prices and rents further increasing property values in the market. Land rates form the major revenue component for most counties.
At the same time, Kisumu County City Manager Aballa Wanga has published a statement revoking approvals and suspending any further development on all undeveloped plots issued under the defunct Municipal Council including any wetlands within the City of Kisumu.
This comes at a time when the County has been grappling with issues of land grabbing. County authorities recently published a list of the City’s land grabbers.
