Nairobi, Sept. 14 -- A landlord's decision to increase monthly rent can alter a household's budget, particularly when the new figure runs into thousands of shillings.

The Kenyan law does not prescribe a fixed percentage by which rent can be increased. Instead, whether an increase is lawful depends on the tenancy agreement, the law governing the tenancy and, in some cases, the courts or specialised tribunals.

"There is no general statutory cap expressed as a percentage for most ordinary residential tenancies in Kenya," says Chris Gichangi, an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and partner at G.M. Gamma Advocates LLP.

"The starting point is the tenancy agreement, guided by the general law of contract. However, that does not mean a landl...