Service charge is the part of a rental agreement tenants understand least and resent most — usually because nobody has ever told them what it pays for.
What it normally covers
Security: guards, lighting, the gate Common-area water and electricity Cleaning of corridors, compound and stairwells Rubbish collection Lift maintenance, where there is one Borehole running costs and water pumping Repairs to shared parts: the roof, the gate motor, the water tank
What it should not cover
Repairs inside a unit The landlord's own income Anything that varies wildly month to month with no explanation
That last one is what breaks trust. A charge that moves from KES 3,000 to KES 8,000 without a word makes every tenant assume the worst, usually unfairly.
Set it from actual costs
Add up twelve months of shared costs, divide by twelve, divide by the number of units, and add a modest margin for the things that break. Then write the list down and give it to tenants.