Registration of Charitable Trusts in Kenya
1.Prepare a Trust Deed. A basic Trust deed contains the following:
- The Name.
- Objectives.
- The Names in full and addresses of the Trustees.
- Powers of the Trustees including powers of the trustees to change and appoint other trustees.

2. Assessment the Trust.
After preparation of the Trust Deed and the document being executed applicably by the Trustees. The Trust Document is submitted for Stamp duty upon payment of the requisite stamp duty.

3. Registration under the Registry of Documents Act.
After the Trust Document is stamped, the next stage is to register the Trust Deed under the Registry of Documents Act.

4. Incorporation under the Perpetual Successions Act.
After registration under the Registry of Documents, a Certified copy of the trust deed and a petition for incorporation prepared in the prescribed form is then lodged with the Minister for Lands for incorporation of the trust

The petition must state, inter alia, that the trustees are desirous of being incorporated into a Trust under the Act and give a representation of the common seal of the trust, which must be rounded in shape and with the name of the trust inscribed thereto.
The process takes an average of 3 to 6 months to the issuance of a certificate of Incorporation.

5. Registration - Certificate of Incorporation is processed thereafter.

Checklist for registration of the Trust.

  1. The Trust Deed.
  2. Objectives of the Trust.
  3. Names of the Trustees in Full.
  4. Postal addresses of the Trustees.
  5. Proposed Physical address of the Trust. (Address includes road, plot number, town, and county)
  6. Copy of ID / Passport of the Trustees.
  7. Passport photos of the Trustee.
  8. Copy of PIN certificate of the Trustees

NOTE: This is an advisory opinion, merely.