[2022] KECA 78 (KLR)

[2022] KECA 78 (KLR)

The Court of Appeal found that the suit land was private property owned by Nairobi City Council and not unalienated government land. The Commissioner of Lands had no legal authority to allot the land to Renton, and the subsequent transfer to the respondent was therefore void. The respondent's title was acquired...

Source-derived case information.

Citation
[2022] KECA 78 (KLR)
Parties
Appellant: Attorney General; Respondent: Torino Enterprises Limited
Court
Court of Appeal
Court Station
Court of Appeal at Nairobi
Jurisdiction
Kenya
Case Number
Civil Application 84 of 2012
Procedural Posture
Civil Application / Appeal From Judgment and Decree of the High Court
Outcome
Appeal allowed. High Court judgment set aside. Respondent's suit dismissed. Costs to appellant.
Judges
DK Musinga, AK Murgor, J Mohammed
Legal Topics
Compulsory Acquisition, Indefeasibility of Title, Public Vs Private Land, Admissibility of Evidence, Fraudulent Land Allocation, Right to Property
Source Language
en
Land and Property Civil Procedure Constitutional Law Compulsory Acquisition Indefeasibility of Title Public Vs Private Land Admissibility of Evidence Fraudulent Land Allocation +1 more

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Parties

Attorney General

Appellant

Torino Enterprises Limited

Respondent

Procedural Posture

Civil Application / Appeal From Judgment and Decree of the High Court

  1. 1 Whether the documents relied upon by the respondent offended the provisions of sections 68(2)(c) and 80 of the Evidence Act.
  2. 2 Whether the suit land was available for alienation and/or allocation.
  3. 3 Whether the registration of the suit land in the respondent’s name was legally done.

Ratio Decidendi

The Court of Appeal found that the suit land was private property owned by Nairobi City Council and not unalienated government land. The Commissioner of Lands had no legal authority to allot the land to Renton, and the subsequent transfer to the respondent was therefore void. The respondent's title was acquired through a process tainted by illegality and could not be protected under the doctrine of indefeasibility of title, as Article 40(6) of the Constitution excludes unlawfully acquired property from constitutional protection. Furthermore, the respondent was not an innocent purchaser for value without notice, as DoD was already in occupation of the land. The documents relied upon by the...

Court Disposition

Appeal allowed. High Court judgment set aside. Respondent's suit dismissed. Costs to appellant.

Orders

  • The appeal is allowed.
  • The judgment and decree of the High Court are set aside.