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Monster landlord ruins Christmas for Lang’ata tenants after rent dispute

By MAUREEN KAKAH December 24th, 2017 2 min read

This Christmas will not be a happy one for some tenants of a flat in Nairobi’s Lang’ata estate.

Their landlord has ensured they will not get a constant supply of electricity, water and security as well as parking services.

Reason? The landlord wants to forcefully evict them from his flat after they won a court battle on a proposed increase of rent.

It all started when the landlord, Joseph Kagwatha, through an ‘agent’ known as Pearl River, wrote to his  40 tenants at Ocean Park Apartments that he intends to increase rent from sh 25,000 to sh30,000.

Pleas by the tenants of the two-bedroom houses to lower the raise fell on deaf ears.

RENT TRIBUNAL

The tenants took their grievances to the Rents Restriction Tribunal on December 18, in a bid to get a reprieve.

When they appeared before Hillary Korir and Michael Dallah at the tribunal, the bench was shocked to have residents of a whole apartment protest against their landlord.

The tribunal issued temporary orders stopping the landlord and his agent from enforcing the proposed raise and  denying them crucial services or evicting them.

The tribunal also certified the matter as urgent and directed tenants to continue paying the old rents.

“Pearl River Agencies and Mr Kagwatha are hereby ordered to restore all the facilities such as water and electricity supply, garbage collection, security and parking services forthwith,” the tribunal ruled.

“The sued parties through their servants, agents or employees are hereby restrained from evicting, harassing the tenants and/ or in any other manner interfering with their tenancies pending the hearing and determination of this case.”

SERVICES CUT OFF

While the orders were issued on December 19, tenants say the landlord on Saturday, December 23, considering the fact that it was going to be a long weekend, made sure all the said services were cut off contrary to the directions issued by the tribunal.

The tenants are now stranded despite having obtained reprieve orders

Yhey are not sure if they would have a happy festive season!