Buy Property in Kenya
Buy land, a home or an office in Kenya with your eyes open.
Kenya's property market rewards buyers who check before they pay. Gate 11 helps you buy land, apartments, houses and offices with confidence: a search matched to your brief and budget, independent advice on location, price and title, conveyancing through licensed Kenyan advocates, and introductions only to agents, valuers and developers with a proven record.
- Best for
- Foreign investors, companies and diaspora buyers acquiring land, apartments, houses, offices or warehouses in Kenya, and companies securing premises for their Kenyan operation.
- Where it sits
- Any time; often alongside Gate 02 when a new company needs premises
- Outcome
- A property bought on a clean, registered title, at a fair price, with every tax and fee accounted for.
- We work with
- Ministry of Lands and Ardhisasa, County governments, Kenya Revenue Authority, Land Control Boards
Everything Gate 11 covers.
Property search, consultancy and conveyancing for foreign and Kenyan buyers: due diligence on title, seller and approvals, advice on what non-citizens may hold, a full schedule of taxes and fees, and introductions to vetted developers, agents and professionals.
Property search
A search matched to your brief, budget and timetable across land, apartments, houses, offices and warehouses, with shortlists you can compare like for like.
Property consultancy
Advice on location, price, rental yield, financing and exit, including what a non-citizen or a foreign-owned company may hold and on what terms.
Title and seller due diligence
Official searches, survey and boundary checks, planning and building approvals, rates and land rent clearances, and checks on the seller or developer before any deposit is paid.
Conveyancing
Sale agreements, consents, valuation for stamp duty, transfer and registration, carried out by licensed Kenyan advocates under our coordination.
Vetted firms
Introductions only to estate agents registered with the Estate Agents Registration Board, licensed valuers and surveyors, and developers with completed projects and clean approvals.
Off-plan and new builds
Review of the developer's approvals, title to the land, payment schedule and completion risk before you commit to buying off-plan.
Five steps, one accountable partner.
Every step is agreed in writing at the start, with a named partner who answers for it.
Brief
We agree what you want to buy, where, at what budget, and in whose name the property will be held.
Search and shortlist
We search the market, view properties with you or on your behalf, and present a shortlist with prices and risks.
Due diligence
We help you verify the title, the seller, the approvals and any charges before money changes hands.
Conveyance
Licensed advocates prepare the sale agreement, obtain consents and valuation, and register the transfer while we coordinate.
Handover
You receive the registered title, the keys and a file of every document, with rates and utilities in your name.
Deliverables you can file, audit and act on.
Institutions we help you work with
- Property brief and shortlist
- Due diligence report on title, seller and approvals
- Sale agreement reviewed before you sign
- Cost schedule: price, stamp duty, fees and taxes
- Registered transfer and title in your name
- Handover file with rates and utilities set up
Start Gate 11 A written scope, timeline and fee after one call.
About Buy Property in Kenya.
If your question is not here, a partner will answer it on a discovery call.
Can a foreigner own property in Kenya?
Yes, on leasehold. The Constitution allows non-citizens to hold land on leases of up to 99 years. A company counts as a citizen only if all its shareholders are Kenyan citizens, so a foreign-owned company is in the same position. Apartments, houses and offices are commonly held this way.
Can a foreigner buy agricultural land?
Not without an exemption. Under the Land Control Act, a Land Control Board may not consent to a sale of agricultural land to a non-citizen or to a private company with foreign shareholders, unless the buyer holds a presidential exemption. We tell you early whether your land falls within these rules.
What will it cost on top of the price?
The buyer pays stamp duty of 4% of the value in urban areas and 2% elsewhere, plus legal fees, valuation, search and registration costs. The seller pays capital gains tax of 15% on the gain. We give you a full cost schedule before you commit.
How do you protect us from fraud?
No money moves until the title, the seller and any approvals have been checked against official records, and the deposit is held by an advocate as stakeholder until completion. We work only with registered agents and licensed professionals.
Do you sell property?
No. We are not a developer or a selling agent. We act for you as the buyer: we search the market, check what is offered and connect you only with firms that have a proven record.
Can we buy while we are abroad?
Yes. With a power of attorney registered in Kenya, the purchase can proceed while you are outside the country, and we report at every stage. Documents signed abroad usually need notarising and legalisation first.
Read before you decide.
Buying property in Kenya as a foreigner: what you can own and how to buy safely
The 99-year leasehold rule, agricultural land, apartments and sectional titles, the buying process step by step, what it costs and the red flags that signal fraud.
How to register a company in Kenya as a foreigner
A subsidiary or a branch, the documents you need, the order of the filings and what comes after the certificate.