Parliament, Nairobi County in Sh300 million land rates dispute

Parliament yesterday moved to court in a bid to bar City Hall from demanding Sh399 million in unpaid land rates.

Through its lawyer Anthony Njoroge, the August House told the court that it cannot pay money, seeing as the land in question is public.

Nairobi County wants Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) to pay rates for grounds where mausoleum of the former President Jomo Kenyatta is located; juvenile court building; store and parking for Parliament; county hall; continental house; the main Parliament building and red cross-building, which house PSC and speaker of the National Assembly’s residence.

The county argues in correspondences between it, PSC and Attorney General that Parliament’s land is private hence it should pay rates, just like other private entities.

To justify its demand, the county claims that the land in question has been used for private purposes and do not benefit the larger public.

But PSC in its case argues that the county ignored an advisory by the Attorney General that the land in question is public adding that it cannot demand rates.

According to the PSC lawyer, City Hall ought to have valued all Government properties in Nairobi for a general rates contribution by different arms of Government.

From correspondences filed in court, meeting between City Hall and August House to iron out the issue have hit a dead end. In one of the letters, PSC demanded the county to withdraw its claim, saying that Parliament was a State organ.