This archive report was first published on 17 June 2020.
Kenya's Urban Landlords and Tenants of Kenya (ULTK) association has called on the government to reopen the Rent Restriction Tribunal to address a growing backlog of rental disputes in courts.
According to a video shared by Daily Nation on June 17, 2020, ULTK Secretary-General Ephraim Murigo stated that house cases have been pending in courts for over three months without clear resolutions.
Murigo accused the Cabinet Secretary in charge of failing to address the issue, saying the association was seeking to have the tribunal reconvened to settle rental disputes.
He dared the CS to step aside and pave the way for another holder who could influence change in the sector.
"Everything is handled in court, so when tenants come to us and they say 'my house was broken into, my landlord picked my things.' We have filed several cases in court whereby some are expected to be heard from the expert level which is the first level," Murigo explained.
He added that the delay in court proceedings had allowed some landlords to illegally sell tenants' belongings, leaving them in the cold.
"Once they (tenants) don't have the orders, then the landlords will get the advantage of selling out these things illegally," Murigo remarked.
He also clarified that some landlords had used the delay to evict tenants and lose rent, leading to a push and pull game between tenants and landlords.
ULTK had earlier developed a system to require tenants to provide working details to avoid exploitation over pandemics.
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe had earlier pleaded to landlords to be lenient to their tenants, noting that directives by the state in curbing the virus had affected the working patterns of most industries.
