Glossary
Property and paperwork terms you will meet back home, explained plainly. Each definition links to its source.
- UPI (Unique Parcel Identifier)rw
- The number every registered plot in Rwanda has. Dial *651# with it to see ownership and land-use information.
- e-titlerw
- An electronic land title. Rwanda has issued them since 6 January 2023; owners download them online.
- *651#rw
- The USSD code you dial on a Rwandan line, with a plot's UPI, to see its ownership and land use.
- KUBAKArw
- Rwanda's upgraded online building-permit system, also called BPMIS 2.0.
- Private land notaryrw
- A notary authorised by the Minister of Justice to certify land transfers in Rwanda, alongside sector land notaries.
- Apostillerw
- A certificate that authenticates a public document for use abroad. For property in Rwanda, an apostille alone isn't accepted; legalise through a Rwandan embassy on Irembo.
- Ardhisasake
- Kenya's online platform for land searches, transfers and other land services, rolled out registry by registry.
- Stamp duty (Kenya)ke
- A tax on a land transfer: 4% of value in municipalities and gazetted towns and 2% in rural areas, on the higher of the price and the government valuation.
- Land Control Board consentke
- Consent usually needed to transfer agricultural land in Kenya. Without it, the transaction can be void.
- EARBke
- The Estate Agents Registration Board. Kenyan estate agents must be registered with it and hold an annual practising certificate.
- NCAke
- The National Construction Authority. Kenyan contractors must be registered with it; its register is public.
- Power of attorneyke · rw
- A document that lets someone act for you. For land in Kenya, one signed abroad is authenticated by a Kenyan embassy and registered before use. In Rwanda, land powers of attorney must be made abroad and legalised through a Rwandan embassy on Irembo.