Kenyans Share Worst Experiences In The Hands Of Rental Agents: "Walikata Stima Na Maji"

• The lady claimed she delayed in paying her monthly rent by two days, and she called her rental agency to inform them
• Despite calling them, the agency cut off electricity and water from her house and said they would penalise her
• Many Kenyans shared similar experiences and said that they prefer to deal directly with landlords/ladies

Elijah Ntongai, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, leverages more than three years of expertise in financial, business, and technology research, providing insights into both Kenyan and global economic trends.

A Kenyan lady sparked a debate online after sharing her experience living in a rental house managed by agents.

In the video posted on Instagram by bnnbasic, the lady said that she delayed making her rent payments by two days after the deadline, which is on the fifth of each month.

She claimed that she called the rental agent's office to inform them that she would pay her rent on the seventh of the month.

But when she woke up on the sixth, she had no water in the taps and electricity to her house had been disconnected.

"The worst part was, I have a baby in the house, and I live in a place where there is salty water, so it's always there 24/7. I had not stored any water," said the lady in the video.

How Kenyans Reacted:

Abbywhite01 said:

I remember such a scenario in 2017 South B. I was very sick after hospital discharge, I had antibiotics that needed refrigeration; they switched off electricity and I cursed agent, tipped caretaker and he reconnected for me until I served my notice and moved immediately.

gee_stie said:

They turned off my electricity because I forgot to forward the payment confirmation message.

Nyamburahmaina said:

The day you manage property and know how most tenants behave,then and only then will you get to understand why they do certain things.

Listerogembo said:

I am kind to my tenants. Find a house where you deal directly with landlord/Lady.

Ayzzoh-t said:

An agent/landlord is not supposed to harass any tenants if the deposit fee is still in their accounts.

Iryne-jay said:

Never in my life to rent a house owned by agent. First of all they don't refund deposits secondly you get penalties and they lock your door. Deal with landlord only because you can explain to the landlord and accepts your request.

_ql360 said:

Nairobi if you can't pay rent, you go back to your home. Those agents don't sympathise, we pay rent by second where I live.

Landlords Need Court Orders, 30 Days notice To Evict Tenants

Earlier, Lawyer Willis Otieno alias Piki Piki Ponki told TUKO.co.ke that tenants have an obligation to pay rent to their landlords as agreed but in case they are unable to raise the required amount after some time they may be evicted by the house owner.

He, however, clarified that a landlord cannot arbitrarily evict a tenant from their premises over arrears, adding that they need court order to execute eviction.

"Under Section 8 of the Rent Restrictions Act, before a landlord evicts you from the house, they must get an order from court to execute the eviction. This however, does not save you from the obligation of paying rent," he explained.