Nairobi, Aug. 31 -- You finally buy your dream home after years of saving or taking out a mortgage. You have the title. The house is yours. The compound is yours.

Then you decide to put up a car shade before the rainy season, only to be told you need approval. You want to enclose the veranda and create extra space for the children. Again, you are told it is not allowed.

You want to repaint the house because you are tired of the colour you inherited from the developer. There are rules for that, too.

Restrictions also apply on the number of cars you can park outside, pets, construction hours, short-term rentals such as Airbnb, running a business from home and even how domestic workers access the estate.

Other developments regulate satel...