The Nairobi City County Government has announced new land rates that will come into effect on January 1, 2026, under Gazette Notice No. 15899, issued pursuant to the National Rating Act, 2024.
According to the notice signed by Patrick Mbogo, the County Executive Committee Member for Built Environment and Urban Planning, all ratable property owners in Nairobi will be required to pay the revised charges beginning next year.
Under the new structure, property owners will pay flat annual rates based on land size as follows:
| Land Size (Hectares) | Annual Charge (KSh) |
|---|---|
| Up to 0.1 hectares | 2,560 |
| Above 0.1–0.2 hectares | 3,200 |
| Above 0.2–0.4 hectares | 4,000 |
| Over 0.4 hectares | 4,800 |
For residential, commercial, and agricultural properties under valuation, a uniform rate of 0.115% of the unimproved site value (USV) will apply, based on the 2019 Draft Valuation Roll.
Mbogo clarified that owners whose new rates are lower than the 2022 rates will continue paying the 2022 rates, while those whose rates have doubled will only pay twice the 2022 charge, not the full revised rate.
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Landowners whose properties were omitted from the Draft Valuation Roll or who filed objections are advised to contact the Chief Valuer at City Hall for guidance. The notice also directs sectional title holders to open individual rates accounts.
Property owners can access or download their rates invoices via nairobiservices.go.ke, or seek help through the county’s customer care channels.
The updated land rates mark a significant policy shift aimed at boosting revenue collection and modernising Nairobi’s valuation system.
Crackdown on Defaulters
In May 2025, the county launched a crackdown on land rates defaulters after the grace period expired on April 30. Governor Johnson Sakaja disclosed that only 20% of landowners, roughly 50,000 out of 256,000 parcels, had been consistently remitting payments.
The county’s enforcement team will initially target high-value areas such as Westlands, Kilimani, Upper Hill, and the Industrial Area, before extending operations to residential estates.
Nairobi’s Receiver of Revenue, Tiras Njoroge, said the county will employ a new digital land data system mapping all 256,000 parcels, enabling real-time compliance tracking and closing loopholes previously exploited by defaulters.
