Conveyancing advocates in Nairobi
Buying, selling, charging or transferring land in Kenya — handled end to end, from title search to registration, by a partner who has done it hundreds of times.
Conveyancing is the legal transfer of property from one owner to another. In Kenya it is also where the most money is lost — to fraudulent titles, unpaid rates and land rent, missing consents, and agreements drafted to protect only one side of the transaction. Our role is to make sure that does not happen to you.
Meshack Musau Kathyaka leads the firm’s conveyancing, land and family practice. He acts for individual buyers and sellers, developers, SACCOs and financiers, on both freehold and leasehold titles registered under the Land Registration Act.
What we handle
How a Kenyan land transaction runs
A straightforward transfer typically takes [8–14 weeks], most of it spent waiting on consents and registration. Here is the sequence.
- Instructions and title searchWe take your instructions and conduct an official search at the land registry to confirm the proprietor, tenure and any encumbrances.
- Sale agreementThe agreement is drafted or reviewed, deposit terms and completion period fixed, and completion documents listed.
- Deposit into escrowThe deposit is held in the advocate's client account, not released to the seller until the agreed conditions are met.
- ConsentsLand Control Board consent for agricultural land, spousal consent where applicable, and any lessor or company approvals.
- Valuation and stamp dutyThe government valuer assesses the property; stamp duty is assessed and paid, and the instrument is franked.
- RegistrationThe transfer is lodged and registered at the relevant registry, and a fresh search confirms the title is now in your name.
- HandoverOriginal documents are handed over or held in safe custody, and a final statement of account is issued.
Common questions
A straightforward transfer typically takes [8 to 14 weeks]. Most of that time is spent waiting on Land Control Board consent, the government valuation for stamp duty, and registration at the registry — none of which the advocate controls. Complications on the title, absent spouses or company sellers extend it.
Advocates' fees for conveyancing are governed by the Advocates (Remuneration) Order, which sets a scale based on the value of the property. On top of that you pay disbursements: search fees, stamp duty (a percentage of the value, depending on whether the land is urban or rural), registration fees and valuation costs. We set all of it out in writing before we start.
You can, and people do — usually once. Without an official search, a properly drafted agreement and escrow arrangements for the deposit, you are relying entirely on the honesty of the seller. The cost of the conveyance is a fraction of the value at risk.
Agricultural land in Kenya cannot be transferred, charged, subdivided or leased for more than two years without the consent of the Land Control Board for the area. A transaction completed without it is void. The board sits periodically, which is often the single longest delay in a rural transaction.
Yes. We regularly act for Kenyans in the diaspora, working through a registered power of attorney, with searches, site photographs and documents sent to you electronically at each stage before anything is signed.