Mombasa landowners owe county Sh11.5 billion in rates, official says

Mombasa county government says 30,000 landowners owe it Sh11.5 billion in unpaid rates which must be paid in two weeks.
Authorities warned the defaulters to settle bill within 15 days or face legal proceedings leading to auctioning of the plots.
The county secretary Francis Thoya also warned the county government would stop all developments or approvals of building plans for the defaulters until they settle the debts.
Thoya said the Sh11.5 billion in the hands of property tycoons, government ministries and state corporations was enough to finance the county government for two financial years.
"The defaulters are holding Sh11.5 billion in land rates which is enough to run the county government for two years because our annual equitable share from the exchequer is Sh5.7 billion," Thoya said in an interview.
Government institutions and ministries are the biggest defaulters owing the county government Sh6 billion in land rates.
They include Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Power, Kenya Railways Corporation, Kenya Ports Authority Pension Scheme, Department of Defence, Kenya Ferry Services.