Developers and property buyers in Nairobi are increasingly worried about a cartel that they say is frustrating the real estate sector.
According to their accounts, some Nairobi County Government staff are working with officers at Kamukunji Police Station to intimidate and extort those involved in construction and land transactions.
What should be a straightforward process of investing in property has instead become a risky affair marked by harassment and fear.
Those affected narrate how police swoop in during site visits, rounding up contractors, workers, and even innocent buyers who have saved for years to acquire land. They are then taken to Kamukunji Police Station where they are allegedly detained until they pay bribes.
The amounts demanded, according to several reports, range from as high as one hundred thousand shillings to no less than twenty thousand shillings.
Many say they have little option but to pay to avoid unnecessary delays or prolonged detention.
This situation has made developers deeply concerned about the safety of doing business in Nairobi’s property market.
They argue that the harassment is discouraging investment and limiting growth in a sector that should be driving job creation and economic progress in the capital. Instead of focusing on building homes and expanding the market, investors are now forced to calculate the risks of being extorted.
Cyprian Nyakundi shared a message from developers who reached out to him, saying, “Hi Nyakundi Developers of Real Estate in Nairobi are having a lot of problems which is getting out of hand. County Government of Nairobi staff in collusion with Kamukunji Police Station are arresting people on site including innocent buyers & dumping them at the said police station while demanding 100K to minimum of 20K for their release. We want this syndicate to be investigated & stopped.”
The problem appears bigger than just contractors. Property owners suggest that innocent buyers are also being victimized, which raises more questions about the credibility of both county officials and police officers.
For many, this kind of unchecked abuse shows a failure of accountability and a betrayal of public trust.
Developers insist that unless independent investigations are carried out and those responsible held accountable, Nairobi risks normalizing corruption in the property sector.
They are calling on national bodies such as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the National Construction Authority, and professional associations like the Architectural Association of Kenya to step in.
Without such action, they warn, property ownership in Nairobi could shift from being a dream of progress to a constant battle with harassment, extortion, and disillusionment.
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