Landlord removes roof and door after woman fails to pay April rent

Ruth Shiundu from Kawangware estate in Nairobi is bracing for tougher times after her landlord removed the door and part of her roof over failure to pay rent last month.

The mother of four said she has been consistently paying her rent after moving in last December, but things came to a head in April.

Her attempts to appeal for clemency failed; she even tried to get the area chief to mediate between both parties but the landlord remained adamant.

Her son Nevil added: “Deni ile ambayo tuko nayo ni ya miezi miwili tukiwa kwa do jana ndio huyu dadangu alipiga simu akasema caretaker wamepanda huko juu na ngazi wanatoa paa tukifika hapa tukapata imeharibika.”

Efforts to reach the Kawangware landlord for comment were unsuccessful.

According to a Kenya National Bureau of Statistics report released on Tuesday, about 30.5 percent of Kenyans could not pay their monthly rent in April as the Covid-19 pandemic devastated monthly incomes.

21.5 percent of Kenyans now unable to meet the monthly obligation were reported to have been capable of doing so in a timely manner prior to the outbreak of the pandemic.

Only 59.8 percent of Kenyans were able to meet their rental payments as per the date agreed with landlords during the month.

A section of Kenyans were however cushioned against the devastation with some households reporting a waiver from landlords during the period.