Great Wall Gardens Homeowners Protest Delay of Leases, Mistreatment by Chinese Contractor

Great Wall Gardens apartment owners are still suffering a year after a certificate of completion was issued and houses occupied.

According to sources privy to the details, homeowners living in the Chinese built apartments in Athi River are squatters in their houses.

“Inquiries by homeowners and their lawyers go unanswered. It is sad that people spent between Sh3.5 to Sh4 million on your (Zeyun Yang) properties,” a source told this writer.

The source intimated that homeowners are yet to receive their sub leases even after efforts from their leaders.

On May 3, 2019, the homeowners wrote to the developer, Edermann, and their lawyers Simba and Simba expressing concern over the delay in the processing of sub leases.

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“We are greatly concerned that registration of the sub-leases delayed, this has exposed some homeowners to great risks of penalties accruals for unpaid stamp duty including denying homeowners the benefit of realising their investments in the event they desire to dispose their properties,” the letter by Great Wall Gardens Athi River Homeowners Association read.

Michael Olanya, Erdemann Property Limited Sales and Marketing Manager, defended the delayed processing of sub leases noting that they would be ready by year’s end.

It has been two years since Olanya pledged to have the sub leases in the custody of the legitimate homeowners.

The leaders have had their complaints met with threats to cancel the sale agreement.

Currently, the Chinese national is converting parking lots into shops even as homeowners complain of lack of parking space.

“When asked, you say that owners did not buy parking slots – REALLY?. House Owners bought their houses bearing in mind the layout of the place, parking and other common amenities. The approved plans you shared do not have shops on parking slots,” the source lamented.

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It is also said that stamp duty the anxious homeowners paid more than one year ago are yet to be remitted to Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).

In 2019, a homeowner identified as Sophia Mwendwa told the Standard, “We paid stamp duty in 2017 and up to now, we are yet to get our sub-leases.”

This writer also understands that Mr Yang has been selling electricity at exorbitant prices without a license from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).

Mr Yang would later acquire a licence in the interim after residents lodged a complaint with the regulatory authority.

The apartments sit on a 30-acre parcel of land in Athi River and were billed as affordable units for middle and lower income earners.

The aggrieved homeowners are now seeking government intervention as they accuse Mr Yang of “colonization”.

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