Moving House in Kenya: A Four-Week Checklist

Moving House in Kenya: A Four-Week Checklist

Moving day goes wrong in three predictable ways: something breaks, something cannot be found for a week, and the new place has no water when you arrive. All three are fixed before the lorry comes — by packing room by room, labelling by destination, and carrying one box yourself.

Four weeks out

• Confirm the moving date and the lorry in writing, with the price and what it includes.
• Start the declutter. Every item you do not move is an item you do not pay to move, wrap, or find space for. Be ruthless about anything unused for a year.
• Measure the new place — doorways, stairs, lift, and the wall where the big furniture is going. Sofas that do not fit through doors are a genuinely common and expensive surprise.
• Note what fittings are staying — curtains, rails, light fittings, gas cylinder — and what you must buy.
• Sort out the paperwork: notice to your landlord, deposit arrangements, and the new lease.

Two weeks out

• Gather packing materials: boxes, tape, bubble wrap or newspaper, marker pens, and old towels for padding.
• Start with what you do not use daily — books, decor, spare bedding, out-of-season clothes.
• Run down the food. Cook what is in the freezer rather than moving it.
• Arrange utilities and internet at the new place, and take meter readings at the old one.
• Tell whoever needs to know your new address — bank, employer, deliveries.

Packing rules that prevent breakage

1. Heavy items in small boxes, light items in large boxes. The instinct is the reverse, and it is how boxes burst and backs go.
2. Plates stand on edge, not stacked flat. Vertical plates survive a bump; a flat stack cracks through the middle.
3. Glasses wrapped individually and packed upright, never on their sides.
4. Fill every gap. Movement inside a box is what breaks things — pad with towels, clothes or paper.
5. Tape the base as well as the top, in both directions.
6. Nothing heavier than you can lift comfortably. If you cannot carry it, it will be dropped.
7. Screws and fittings from dismantled furniture go in a labelled bag taped to that piece of furniture.
8. Photograph the back of the TV before unplugging anything.

Labelling that actually helps

Label by destination room, not contents. "Kitchen" tells the person carrying it where to put it down; "assorted" tells them nothing.

• Write the room on the top and at least two sides — boxes get stacked and you cannot see the top.
• Mark FRAGILE and THIS WAY UP clearly, on the sides.
• Number the boxes per room and keep a short list of what is in each. Finding the sieve later takes seconds instead of an evening.
• Use a distinct colour or a large mark for OPEN FIRST boxes.

The box you carry yourself

One box, in your own vehicle or in your hand, never on the lorry. It should contain:

• Bedsheet, pillow, towel — enough for the first night
• Toilet paper, soap, toothbrush
• Kettle, two mugs, tea, sugar, a spoon
• Torch and a charged power bank
• Basic tools — screwdriver, pliers, tape measure
• Cleaning cloth, all-purpose cleaner, bin bags
• Chargers
• Any medication, documents and keys
• A filled water container — see below

This box is what stands between an exhausting day and a distressing one.

Kenya-specific things to sort before the lorry arrives

• Water. Confirm the new place has supply on the day, and carry water regardless. Arriving to a dry tap with a lorry-load of dust is the classic moving-day misery.
• Gas cylinder. It must travel upright and secured, never on its side, and never in a sealed passenger compartment. Turn it off at the valve and cap it.
• Clean the new place before the furniture goes in, not after. It is a one-hour job empty and a one-day job full.
• Check the locks and change them if you are not confident who has keys.
• Find the water shut-off, the electricity meter and the main switch on day one.
• Road conditions. Boxes shift on rough sections — pack tight and tell the driver what is fragile.
• Dust. Cover mattresses and upholstery for transport. An uncovered mattress on an open lorry arrives filthy.
• Rain. If you are moving in the wet season, have tarpaulin. An open lorry and a downpour ruins mattresses and cardboard alike.

Moving day order

1. Load last what you want first — beds and bedding come off the lorry early.
2. Furniture in before boxes. You cannot place a wardrobe in a room full of boxes.
3. Boxes go straight to their labelled room, not to a central pile. The central pile is how a move takes a week to unpack.
4. Assemble beds first, before anything else, while you still have energy.
5. Set up the kitchen second — kettle, a couple of plates, washing-up.
6. Check nothing is left behind — inside cupboards, behind doors, on the balcony, in the ceiling storage.
7. Photograph the old place empty for your deposit.

First week in the new place

• Unpack the kitchen fully — it is what makes a place habitable fastest.
• Fill your water storage.
• Buy the storage you now know you need, having seen the actual cupboards.
• Wash bedding and curtains that travelled on an open lorry.
• Note what broke and what was missing while you can still raise it with the movers.
• Leave decor until last, once you know the light in each room.

Frequently asked questions

How should I pack plates for moving?

Standing on edge, not stacked flat, with padding between them and every gap filled. Vertical plates survive bumps; flat stacks crack.

Should heavy items go in big boxes?

No — heavy items in small boxes, light items in large ones. Overloaded large boxes burst and are unliftable.

How do I label boxes?

By destination room, on the top and two sides, with FRAGILE marked on the sides. Number them and keep a short contents list.

What should I keep with me on moving day?

Bedding for one night, toiletries, kettle and mugs, torch, tools, cleaning basics, chargers, documents, medication and water.

How do I transport a gas cylinder?

Upright and secured, turned off at the valve and capped, never lying on its side and never in a sealed passenger space.

Should I clean before or after moving in?

Before the furniture arrives. It takes an hour empty and a day once full.

What is most often forgotten?

Water at the new place, tarpaulin in the rainy season, and covering mattresses against dust on an open lorry.

Get set up

See storage and organisation, cookware, bedding, cleaning supplies, buckets and laundry and kitchen accessories. Also see our first apartment starter list for what to buy in what order. Moving soon? Message us on WhatsApp and we will help you plan the order.