The National Housing Corporation Managing Director, Henry Mokono is urging tenants with rental arrears to pay up or face the consequences, which includes eviction as the last resort.
In a Press Conference on Friday 14th January at the NHC HQ, MD Henry Mokono and his executive managers together with relevant officers explained the reasons for the action taken.
“We’ll give them time, we’re not going to move quickly. We’ll give them two or three months, some grace periods so they got to turn these things around in their favour. We will not go wantonly, and we will not go and ethnically displace people.
“Regardless of where you come from. Whether you are from highlands or you’re from the coast, we DO NOT discriminate. We will not discriminate. It’s about taking ownership. You do your part and NHC will do it’s side.” Mokono said.
Mokono added that the NHC also wants to regenerate, and recapitalize the organization and they will do this maintenance work every year.
Win Philipus, the Manager for NCD and Central said the current defaulting tenants were given enough opportunity to pay their rental arrears.
“The previous tenant in this particular case, had arrears well over K26,000 and without taking it to consideration, it was transferred to the daughter. The daughter again added another K24,000, and when you add them together it’s roughly K48,000 plus. We cannot contain this so we have given so many notices last year, since 2020, 2021 and eventually we gave eviction notice on the 22nd of December.” Philipus said.
He added that on humanitarian grounds, since it was the festive period they gave another two weeks and finally evicted the default family on Tuesday 12th January.
“This is also an appeal to other default tenants particularly in Moresby and probably around the country we will come hard on those people who are not trying to pay.” Philipus warned.
The rentals of NHC rates are between K44 and K220 per fortnight, depending on the size of the house.
Meanwhile the Legal Officer for the NHC also explained the involvement of police personnel in the process of eviction.
In terms of police involvement, we don’t just go and pick police officers on the street. We actually write to the ACP, the responsible office for any evictions in the city seeking approval and seeking police assistance to provide security and our officers as the property owner does the eviction.
Tol said it is a misconception where people accuse police for doing the eviction when police are there only to maintain peace and security.
