A Kenyan woman was forced to spend Saturday, July 11 and a greater part of Sunday, July 12, indoors after the landlord of a rental house she stays in welded the main door from outside.

Rhoda Makokha, a mother of five, said the property owner locked her inside the house after she failed to settle accumulated rent arrears.

According to Tuko publication, Makokha said before the landlord resorted to welding the door, she had tried to explain why she was unable to raise rent but the investor could have none of it.

“I told him I will settle the amount over time but this did not stop him. He came with a welder while I was inside and permanently sealed the door. I had assumed he will just leave me alone since I was inside. I spent the whole night inside with my baby who was unwell… I haven’t eaten anything,” Makokha said.

The trader was rescued from the house by police officers who were alerted about the incident by neighbours who had housed her other children. According to the woman, she has lived in the house for at least six years now and has been servicing rent religiously.

Her finances were, however, crippled after the coronavirus pandemic hit the country. Her business that depends on students at Egerton University main campus was choked following closure of schools in mid-March 2020. Njoro OCPD Mohhamed Huka said stern action will be taken against the landlord.

Cases of landlords unleashing terror on tenants have been rife since the coronavirus pandemic struck the country.

This is despite the country’s President Uhuru Kenyatta pleading with property owners to be understanding and not to evict tenants over unpaid rent.

However, other landlords have warmed hearts after reducing rent by a fraction while others have waived the whole amount to help clients sail through the pandemic period.