A five-wicket haul by one-time Leicestershire favourite Darren Stevens coupled with an unbroken second-wicket stand of 144 between Rob Key and Brendan Nash maintained Kent's grip on the rain-ruined LV= County Championship clash at Tunbridge Wells.
Kent ended day three on 159 for one, trailing by just 27, with Key and Nash well ensconsed on 81 and 65 respectively.
Although the visitors snared Daniel Bell-Drummond for eight through an Ollie Freckingham leg-cutter, they were left to rue missing two gilt-edged opportunities.
Nash had 12 to his name when he was cleaned up by Freckinham, only for a no-ball to be called. Key then survived a let-off on 31 as Joe Burns spurned a regulation chance at first slip off Shiv Thakor.
Having posted his 104-ball half-century with nine fours, Key became only the 17th batsman in Kent's history to pass 15,000 runs for the county when reaching 58.
Nash also struck nine fours in his fifty, which took up 13 more deliveries.
Following a second-day washout, Leicestershire resumed on 74 for four and were unable to muster a batting bonus point on a pitch freshened by Thursday’s showers.
The visitors added only 112 to their tally as the Kent seamers enjoyed regular success, none more so than Stevens, whose 5-39 represented his first five-wicket haul this summer.
It was Stevens, bowling at the Nevill Ground's Railway End, who started Leicestershire's slide with the scalp of Thakor, caught low down in the gully by Ben Harmison from a miscued cut.
Matthew Boyce then shouldered arms to a Calum Haggett off-cutter that pegged back off stump and Josh Cobb departed leg before after an ill-advised and ultimately one-handed flail across the line.
Freckingham sparred at a Charlie Shreck lifter only to spoon a catch to Bell-Drummond at midwicket and Jigar Naik gave the former Nottinghamshire seamer a haul of 3-54 when feathering one to second slip.
Last man Robbie Williams added a dozen to the total before he too edged to second slip off Stevens.