Can a foreigner buy property in Kenya?

Foreigners cannot own the land, only lease it or hold use rights

Under Kenya's Constitution a non-citizen may hold land only on a lease of up to ninety-nine years. The rule also covers a company with any foreign shareholder.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Rules change. This page describes the structure of the rule, not prices, taxes or quotas. Confirm the current position with the official source listed below, and with a lawyer in the country, before you pay anything. This is general information, not legal advice.

Land

A non-citizen may hold land only as a leaseholder, and for no more than ninety-nine years.

Houses and flats

A foreigner may own a building or flat on leasehold land.

Buying through a company

A company counts as a citizen only if all its shareholders are citizens. A company with a foreign shareholder is limited to leasehold.

Limits and closed zones

Agricultural land has further limits on foreign holdings.

What to watch for

Check the title at the land registry, because fraud and double sales of land are a known risk in Kenya.

Understand the legal system first

Kenya belongs to the Common law family. Property is registered and transferred differently in different traditions, so it helps to know how the system works.

Read the Kenya legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
Compare Kenya with another country →

Official sources

Kenya Law: Constitution of Kenya, Article 65

TheLawToKnow Tools’s guide to foreign property ownership is an educational overview of general rules. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace the official source or a lawyer in the country. Report a mistake.