Landlordism and landlord–tenant relations in Kisumu and Kitale’s low-income settlements

Abstract

This article concerns the nature of landlordism and landlord–tenant relations in Kenya’s smaller towns and cities and takes as its case studies Kisumu and Kitale. There is a pressing need to understand the variable ways in which rental tenure is produced in low-income areas and the interaction between inequality and the private provision of housing. This article contends that rental tenure has a long and complex history in Kenyan cities and remains the dominant mode of housing production in low-income areas. The article critically examines the ways in which different forms of landlordism, such as absentee landlordism, have different connotations when applied to smaller Kenyan town and cities. Moreover, the article analyses the symbiotic relationship between landlords and tenants, particularly regarding tensions surrounding the extraction of rent. Lastly, the wider socio-spatial significance of landlordism is discussed through an examination of the significance of life-quality differences between landlords/tenants.

Keywords:

• landlordism
• low income
• Kenya
• landlords
• tenants
• Kisumu
• Kitale
• inequality
• absentee
• socio-spatial

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council [Shaun Smith +3 PhD Scholarship].

Notes on contributors

Shaun Smith

Shaun Smith recently completed his PhD in geography at Royal Holloway, University of London. His research focuses on service delivery and land tenure issues in low-income settlements of developing countries. He is currently visiting lecturer in geography at Royal Holloway.