Introduction When a man buys a drill, he is not just buying a drill for the sake of it; it is because he wants to make a hole in the wall. In the same way, there are many ways that parties can use to avoid, manage and resolve disputes. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is not a watered-down form of litigation. It refers to any method of resolving a dispute as an alternative to going to...

Having served as a property valuation expert witness in Kenya for nearly a decade, I have seen valuation disputes across every scale. My work has spanned from modest residential and commercial land cases worth a few million shillings to Kenya’s largest infrastructure developments, including Phases 1 and 2 of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project valued in the multi-billions. I have appeared in...

In the Kenyan property market, few things cause as much anxiety as discovering a discrepancy between what you thought you were buying and what is officially recorded on the title deed—or worse, what remains after county planning changes. At Valuer Kariuki & Company, we are increasingly called upon to act as expert witnesses in arbitration and legal proceedings involving land size discrepancies....

I have lived and worked in Botswana and the UK. I have been in your shoes, and I know where it pinches. Investing in real estate is not easy for anyone. It is not like buying shares or government bonds. Investing while living abroad poses an additional challenge. Experiencing the product Before you buy a shoe or a shirt, the normal thing is to try it on to see if it fits. Buying real estate is no...

Have you listened to a politician discouraging you from investing in real estate? Have you believed him? What does he know about the regulations governing banks' property holdings and the investment rules that apply to pension schemes and insurance companies? Did you know that Kenyan retirement benefit schemes can invest up to 30% of their assets in immovable property in Kenya, subject to the applicable...

If you were to search “Are cats better than dogs?” in Google, all you would get are sites listing the reasons why cats are better.

We are not the rational decision makers that we think we are. To avoid decision fatigue, your brain unconsciously looks for shortcuts in reasoning processes by trusting initial data.

I have been working as a valuer and estate agent in Kenya for more than 13 years and I have observed that people are afraid of making a wrong decision when it comes to real estate investments. These people shy away and end up losing big opportunities in the long run. We all want to own real estate either as a passive form of income, as an investment, or for self-actualization. Real estate investments...

While adulting is something that happens over time, marriage and real estate investing are choices you make as you step into adulthood.

The first time I said that every banker should own a house in the presence of my wife, she looked at me stunned and she refuted my claim. I went on to explain my point. You see, if you work for a bank, you have many privileges that the rest of us don’t. Take an example of buying a two-bedroom apartment off Mombasa Road or in Ruaka, a few kilometres from Village Market and near Runda Estate, which would...