Nairobi County has closed down Neno Evangelism Church, located on Haile Selassie Avenue, which is led by Pastor James Ng’ang’a. The reason for this closure is unpaid land taxes.
This action is part of a larger effort by the county to deal with property owners who owe money. Neno Church is one of four places that have been shut down.
Pastor Ng’ang’a has strongly opposed the closure. He called the county’s demand for Ksh10 million (about $90,000) “trash” and said he could pay it easily, even offering to give his car as payment.
He also claims that the former Governor, Mike Sonko, gave the church a waiver for these land taxes, which he believes is still valid. However, county officials have not commented on this waiver.
The church is facing additional problems because there is a dispute about whether it actually owns the land. Kenya Railways says the land was wrongly acquired and should have been used for railway purposes.
In contrast, Ng’ang’a argues that he legally bought the land from the Central Bank of Kenya for Ksh42 million (about $360,000) in 2004. This disagreement has added more confusion to the situation with the church.
The closure of the church has led to different reactions from people. Some support the county’s actions, while others stand with Ng’ang’a.
Nairobi County has stated that it will keep working to collect money from those who owe taxes.
