A normal uptick in home buying during the spring played a role, but property agents also reported they were busier than usual.

Kenyans are the most numerous foreigners in Juba, the would-be state's capital, with property agents and a host of consultants to the fore.

Some people, particularly the elderly and infirm, are being "encouraged" to vacate their family homes by property agents working on behalf of unscrupulous developers.