Landlady removes tenant’s ironsheets over Sh500 rent arrears

A bobaboda operator in Eldoret is lamenting after his landlady removed the ironsheets to his house over Sh500 rent arrears.

Elijah Okumu, the tenant, said he was going through financial constraints due to the harsh economic conditions brought about by the government’s directive to curb the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Okumu says that his business was highly affected after the government imposed a 5am to 7pm curfew.

The boda boda rider says after a day of hard work, all he manages to get is about Sh300, which he has to buy food for his family, fuel his motorbike and pay for its loan as well.

“I have been a tenant in this house for five months now and I have always paid my Sh4,000 rent every month. Now, I gave the landlady Sh3,500 and when she told me to pay the remaining balance, I told her I would do it later since I had no money.”

“After a few hours, she sent a fundi who removed the ironsheets. My wife and my one-month old baby were inside,” said Okumu.

Okumu’s wife, Bosibori says she was in the house sleeping with her kids when the incident happened. 

“Yesterday while we were sleeping, I heard something walking on the roof and a bit of mud fell on the baby. I asked my son to go outside and check what was happening and he said someone was on the roof. I went outside and the fundi told me he was only doing his job,” narrated Okumu’s wife.

Two weeks ago, a Kenyan landlord in Kinangop Nyandarua County, Michael Munene, wass commended by netizens online after waiving two months' rent for both his residential and commercial units over coronavirus in the country.

Mr Munene has 28 residential houses that he charges Sh3,000 each and six commercial units that he rents out for Sh5,000 a month. 

"When Coronavirus came to Kenya, life became unbearable, and some of them could not afford to raise the rent early enough resorting to borrowing, that's why I have decided not to charge them for the next two months," said Munene.

The landlord added that he agreed with those who could pay the rent to do so by the 10th of the month instead of 7th.

"My tenants are usually very loyal, and most of them settle their rent on time. I reflected on the current situation, and told myself: 'Even if none [of my tenants] has ever absconded paying house rent, I understand that the coronavirus outbreak could make it difficult for some to raise the rent on time'. I wouldn't want a situation where any of my tenants takes a loan to settle house rent," he added.