COVID-19 Pandemic Pushes Tenants to Poorer Estates ¶
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the country, many Kenyans are struggling to make ends meet, with rent being a significant burden for many households.
According to a report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), 30% of Kenyans could not pay rent for the month of April due to the tough economic environment caused by the pandemic.
John Wanyama, a 38-year-old teacher from Nairobi's Umoja Estate, is one of the many Kenyans who have been forced to relocate to a poorer estate due to the pandemic. He had been paying Sh12,000 per month for his one-bedroom flat, but after losing his job due to the closure of schools, he was unable to pay the rent.
"I had no other option but to look for a more affordable house in the nearby Kariobangi South, which costs me Sh6,000 a month," Wanyama said.
Wanyama's story is replicated in many neighborhoods across the city, with many Kenyans forced to relocate to more affordable houses after losing their jobs or having their pay slashed.
"I tried to talk to the landlord about my situation, but he refused and since I could not pay the rent amount, I had to relocate my family," Wanyama said.
According to the KNBS report, 12 million households in the country live in rented housing units, with 4.6 million (38%) of these households struggling to pay rent.
President Uhuru Kenyatta's appeal to landlords to waive or reduce rent to tenants during this period has fallen on deaf ears, with few landlords complying.
The newly introduced Pandemic Response and Management Bill by Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja proposes that landlords and tenants negotiate on rent and utility bills waiver to help those who cannot afford them get through this period.
"Upon receipt of the notice, the contracting parties shall enter into an agreement on how the tenant shall meet their obligation at the end of the pandemic," reads part of the Bill.
