Related documents
- Is amended by 24th Annual Supplement
- Is amended by Auctioneers Act
- Is amended by Kenya (Amendment of Laws) (Written Laws) Order, 1963
LAWS OF KENYA
DISTRESS FOR RENT ACT
CAP. 293
- Assented to on 20 January 1937
- Commenced on 1 June 1938
- [Amended by Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Ordinance, 1961 (Act No. 28 of 1961) on 26 December 1961]
- [Amended by Kenya (Amendment of Laws) (Written Laws) Order, 1963 (Legal Notice 2 of 1964) on 12 December 1963]
- [Amended by Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act, 1964 (Act No. 19 of 1964) on 3 November 1964]
- [Amended by Auctioneers Act (Cap. 526) on 15 September 1997]
- [Amended by Licensing Laws (Repeals and Amendment) Act, 2006 (Act No. 17 of 2006) on 1 May 2007]
- [Revised by 24th Annual Supplement (Legal Notice 221 of 2023) on 31 December 2022]
1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Distress for Rent Act.2. Interpretation
In this Act, except where the context otherwise requires—"agricultural holding" means any land used for agricultural or pastoral purposes;"approved valuer" means a valuer licensed under the Valuers Act (Cap. 532) or a licensed auctioneer, but excludes an auctioneer levying distress or any person acting on his behalf;"licensed auctioneer" has the meaning assigned to it in section 2 of the Auctioneers Act (Cap. 526);"superior landlord" includes a landlord in cases where the goods seized are not those of an under-tenant or lodger;"tenant" and "under-tenant" do not include a lodger.[Act No. 28 of 1961, Sch., Act No. 5 of 1996, s. 34.]3. Right of distress
4. Distrained goods may be sold under certain circumstances
5. Rent in arrears may be distrained for after determination of lease
Any person having rent in arrears and due upon a demise, lease or contract after the ending or determination of the demise, lease or contract, may distrain for the arrears after the ending or determination in the same manner as he might have done if the demise, lease or contract had not been ended or determined:Provided that distress under this section shall be made within the space of six months after the determination of the demise, lease or contract and during the continuance of the landlord’s title or interest, and during the possession of the tenant from whom the arrears became due.6. Crops may be detained and sold
7. Penalty for pound breach
If any person in any unauthorized manner removes or causes to be removed goods, chattels, stock or crops distrained upon for rent from any place where they or any of them are lawfully stored or detained, he shall be guilty of an offence and liable to pay to the person or persons aggrieved by the removal three times the value of the goods, chattels, stock or crops so removed, in addition to any costs incurred by the person or persons so aggrieved in the prosecution of the offender, and the tenant or owner of the goods, chattels, stock or crops or any of them so removed shall be liable to the same penalties as are imposed upon the person removing or causing to be removed the goods, chattels, stock or crops, where they or any of them are afterwards found to have come into his use or possession.8. [Repealed by Act No. 5 of 1996, s. 34.]
9. Landlord may distrain and sell goods fraudulently carried off premises
If the tenant or lessee or person in possession or occupation of any premises in respect of which any rent is reserved, due or made payable, fraudulently or clandestinely removes or carries away, or causes or permits to be removed or carried away, from the premises any goods or chattels liable to be seized for that rent to prevent the landlord or lessor from distraining them for arrears of rent so reserved, due or made payable, the landlord or lessor or any person or persons lawfully empowered by him for that purpose, may, within the space of thirty days following the removal or carrying away of those goods or chattels instruct a licensed auctioneer to take and seize the goods and chattels, wherever they are found, as a distress for the arrears of rent; and may sell or otherwise dispose of them as if the goods and chattels had actually been distrained by a licensed auctioneer:Provided that no licensed auctioneer shall take or seize as a distress any such goods or chattels which are sold bona fide, and for a valuable consideration, before the seizure, to any person or persons not privy to the fraud, notwithstanding anything herein contained to the contrary.[Act No. 5 of 1996, s. 34.]10. Penalty for fraud, or assisting therein
If a tenant or lessee referred to in section 9 fraudulently removes and conveys away his goods or chattels, or if any person wilfully and knowingly aids or assists a tenant or lessee in fraudulent conveying away or carrying off of any part of his goods or chattels, or in concealing them, the tenant, lessee or other person shall be liable to pay to the landlord or lessor from whose estate the goods and chattels were fraudulently carried off double the value of the goods so carried off or concealed, and that liability shall be a civil debt recoverable summarily.11. Landlord may break into house to seize goods fraudulently secured therein
Where any goods or chattels fraudulently or clandestinely conveyed or carried away by a tenant or a lessee or his servant or agent, or other person or persons aiding or assisting therein are kept in any house, barn, stable, out-house, yard, close or place locked up, fastened or otherwise secured so as to prevent the goods or chattels from being taken and seized as distress for arrears of rent, a licensed auctioneer acting on behalf of the landlord or lessor may, in the day time, break into such place and may take and seize the goods or chattels for the arrears of rent as he might have done by virtue of this Act if those goods or chattels had been put in an open field or place.[Act No. 5 of 1996, s. 34.]12. Power to distrain stock or crops on premises for arrears of rent
13. Distress may be secured and sold on premises
Any person or persons lawfully taking distress for any kind or rent may impound or otherwise secure the distress so made, of whatever nature or kind it may be, in such place or on such part of the premises chargeable with the rent as is most fit and convenient for the impounding and securing thereof, and may value, sell and dispose of the distress upon the premises in the same manner and under the same directions and restraints as a person taking a distress for rent may now do off the premises under this Act; and any person or persons may come and go to and from that place or part of the premises where the distress for rent is impounded and secured in order to view, value and buy and also in order to carry off or remove the distress, on account of the purchaser thereof.14. Tenant holding premises after time notified to pay double rent
If a tenant gives notice to his landlord of his intention to quit the premises held by him, at a time mentioned in the notice, and does not accordingly deliver up the possession thereof at the time specified in the notice, then the tenant or his executors or administrators shall from thenceforward pay to the landlord double the rent or sum which he should otherwise have paid, to be levied, sued for and recovered at the same times, and in the same manner, as the single rent or sum could be levied, sued for or recovered before the giving of the notice; and the double rent or sum shall continue to be paid while the tenant continues in possession, and the double rent may be distrained for in the same manner as is provided in this Act for distraint for rent.15. Distress for rent not unlawful for any irregularity
Where distress is made for any kind of rent justly due, and any irregularity or unlawful act is afterwards done by the party distraining, or by his agents, the distress itself shall not be therefore deemed to be unlawful nor the party making it be deemed a trespasser ab initio, but the party aggrieved by the unlawful act or irregularity may recover full satisfaction for the special damage he has sustained thereby in a suit for that purpose:Provided that—16. Articles exempted from distress
17. Licensed auctioneer to give copy of charges to person distrained
A person who makes and levies any distress shall, if requested to do so by the person or persons on whose goods and chattels distress is levied, give a copy of his charges, and of all the costs and charges of any distress, signed by him, to that person, and, in default of doing so, shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding one hundred shillings.[Act No. 5 of 1996, s. 34.]18. [Repealed by Act No. 17 of 2006, s. 21.]
19. Under-tenant or lodger may make declaration that goods distrained are his property
20. Penalty on superior landlord disregarding lodger’s declaration
If a superior landlord, or a licensed auctioneer or other agent employed by him, after being served with the declaration and inventory referred to in section 19, and in the case of an under-tenant or lodger after an undertaking has been given, and the amount of rent (if any) then due has been paid or tendered in accordance with that undertaking, levies or proceeds with a distress on the furniture, goods or chattels of the under-tenant, lodger or other person, the superior landlord, licensed auctioneer or other agent shall be deemed guilty of an illegal distress, and the under-tenant, lodger or other person may apply to a subordinate court of the first or second class for an order for the restoration to him of those goods, and the court shall inquire into the truth of the declaration and inventory, and shall make such order for the recovery of the goods or otherwise as to it may seem just, and the superior landlord shall also be liable to an action at law at the suit of the under-tenant, lodger or other person, in which action the truth of the declaration and inventory may likewise be inquired into.[Act No. 5 of 1996, s. 34.]21. Payments by lodger to superior landlord
For the purposes of the recovery of any sums payable by an under-tenant or lodger to a superior landlord under an undertaking referred to in section 19, or under notice served in accordance with section 23, the under-tenant or lodger shall be deemed to be the immediate tenant of the superior landlord, and the sums payable shall be deemed to be rent; but, where the under-tenant or lodger has, in pursuance of any such undertaking or notice, paid any sums to the superior landlord, he may deduct the amount thereof from any rent due or which may become due from him to his immediate landlord, and any person (other than the tenant for whose rent the distress is levied or authorized to be levied) from whose rent a deduction has been made in respect of such a payment may make the same deductions from any rent due or which may become due from him to his immediate landlord.22. Exclusion of certain tenants
The provisions of sections 19, 20 and 21 shall not apply to an under-tenant where the under-tenancy has been created in breach of any covenant or agreement in writing between the landlord and his immediate tenant or where the under- tenancy has been created under a lease existing at the date of the passing of this Act contrary to the wish of the landlord in that behalf, expressed in writing and delivered at the premises within a reasonable time after the circumstances had come, or with due diligence would have come, to his knowledge.23. To avoid distress
In cases where the rent of the immediate tenant of the superior landlord is in arrear, the superior landlord may serve upon any under-tenant or lodger a notice (by registered post addressed to the under-tenant or lodger upon the premises) stating the amount of the arrears of rent, and requiring all future payments of rent, whether already accrued due or not, by the under-tenant or lodger to be made direct to the superior landlord until the arrears shall have been duly paid, and the notice shall operate to transfer to the superior landlord the right to recover, receive and give a discharge for the rent.24. No goods to be taken in execution unless party before removal pays landlord the rent due up to one year’s arrears
No goods or chattels lying or being in or upon any land which is leased for life or lives, term of years, at will or otherwise shall be liable to be taken by virtue of any execution or any pretence whatsoever, unless the party at whose suit the execution is levied, before the removal of those goods from the premises, pays to the landlord of the premises or his licensed auctioneer (provided that a request for payment is made by the landlord or his licensed auctioneer before the removal of the goods) such sum or sums of money as are due for rent for the premises at the time of the taking the goods or chattels:Provided that the arrears of rent shall not amount to more than one year’s rent, and, where they exceed one year’s rent, then the party at whose suit execution is levied, after paying the landlord or his licensed auctioneer one year’s rent, may proceed to execute his judgment as he might have done before the passing of this Act, and the licensed auctioneer or other officer shall levy and pay to the plaintiff as well the money so paid for rent as the execution money.[Act No. 5 of 1996, s. 34.]25. Limitation of distress in respect of things to be distrained
26. Remedy for wrongful distress
27. Rules
The Chief Justice may make rules—History of this document
31 December 2022 this version
Revised by
24th Annual Supplement
01 May 2007
15 September 1997
Amended by
Auctioneers Act
03 November 1964
12 December 1963
26 December 1961
01 June 1938
Commenced
20 January 1937
Assented to
Cited documents 0
Documents citing this one 201
Judgment 198
Legal Notice 2
| 1. | The Statutory Instruments (Exemption from Expiry) Regulations | |
| 2. | The Statutory Instruments (Exemption from Expiry) Regulations |
Act 1
| 1. | Trade Marks Act | 59 citations |