Rent paid, but still under threat of eviction....

I got myself an Equity Banker's Cheque No. 37155 dated 13th March 2009, to pay my rent to our Mombasa Municipal Council from April to July 2009. I gave this cheque in good faith to a lady who offered to help me out since I have mobility problems and our Council harasses it's tenants by having them go all over the place in the name of helping them balance their ledger books! It is not enough that one pays them.

Even before them accepting payment, and though they claim to be computerized, they want us to go all over the Council various offices to get their act and records together. We first have to fill in a form after we've shown them our last payment receipt. Then, after filling it and it being stamped, one goes to the cashier to pay. Then, from there, we have to go to another place where they again make a note (in their ledger books!), to confirm that you've paid. Don't they trust their own employees?

Failure to do this, and despite having paid, will result in them sending you 7 day eviction notices which then result in you being forced to do all that they want.

Therefore, they are not serving us, but themselves, in this case, in getting their so-called records straight. If this horrible council is supposed to be computerized, why can't they keep their records up to date without harassing their tenants? One gets the feeling that they use their computers like typewriters rather than getting them (computers), to do a multitude of tasks for them in keeping their records straight.

Why do tenants have to pay with their time and money for this useless and unaccountable Council's incompetence?

Now, to come back to my latest misadventures with the Council.... This woman who took up the task of paying the cheque disappeared from the face of the earth with my receipts, too. And, since I couldn't locate her to be able to get back my receipts to date, till this afternoon, I had nothing to show the Council that I'd paid till July! And since this nasty Council which doesn't keep it's records straight, claims that my latest eviction notice of 7 days (served yesterday afternoon), stands if I don't pay up!

Now, can somebody out there please, explain why a tenant should be victimized for the incompetence of the landlord. Worldwide, it is the landlord's duty to balance the ledger books, etc., and the tenant's duty is to pay the rent on time. But, it seems not to be the case here. Here, the Council instead of serving the public, turns the tables on them and demands and coerces this same public and it's tenants into submission to their weird bureaucracy.

And what is my situation where I've now got the receipt (No.111223972), to show that I'm paid up till July 2009, but, have still been served with a 7 day eviction notice which the Council claims (despite having been given the date that this payment was made on the 27th of March), holds, since this amount is not recorded in their so-called 'books'. Is that the tenant's fault? How long is the long suffering public to put up with this nasty and intimidating Council? Are they still going to evict me comes the end of the 7 days? And would that be lawful? For that matter, do we even have a law to speak of or justice? Or the law of the jungle prevails?

Why is the Mombasa Municipal Council so AWFUL and it's employees without common sense? Can the Ministry of Local Government please, do a complete overhaul of this den of incompetents, including their brains, of course! Btw, we're also required to retain these receipts for future reference when required. For how long into the future, and required for what? May we know? Till death or a move, do us part from this nasty Council? Which could take decades or a whole lifetime. So, are we supposed to continue collecting and storing these receipts ad infinitum?