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Rent paid by banks for City Annex puzzle county reps

City News

MCAs have started a fresh probe into space leased by banks in buildings owned by the city government.

The legal affairs committee in the County Assembly will investigate the allocation of spaces to local banks in City Hall and City Hall Annex buildings.

The committee chaired by MCA Jaffer Kassam was asked to investigate the leases further after disbandment of planning and housing committee.

The committee was accused of failing to dig deeper into anomalies identified in some of the leases.

The Kidero administration is currently leasing its city centre buildings to four commercial banks- Co-operative, Equity, Family and Kenya Commercial banks- but MCAs have raised storm over the lease agreements.

The leased space at City Hall brings in between Sh300,000 and Sh370,000 every month, but MCAs claim agreements terms do not clearly specify the sum received by the county’s finance department.

The county-owned 18-storey City Hall Annex building has been the centre of interest between county executive and MCAs.

In June, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was told the county government did not have title deed for the 34-year-old building, but the chief valuer says the title is now free from claim by another party.

MCAs have however disputed the executive’s report that the building houses 27 tenants, who pay the county Sh902,760 every month.

As at April 28, the tenants had rent arrears in excess of Sh1.7 million. The MCAs disputed the report from county secretary Lilian Ndegwa claiming it was a sham.

Also in April, the assembly took the executive to task over Sh40 million budget money meant to renovate two lifts in the building. The contract was awarded to Schindler, the company that has been maintaining the lifts since 1981.

In June, the Assembly threatened to have the building closed on grounds it was unsafe for occupancy after a faulty lift injured nine people.

- James Mwangi

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