[2018] KEELC 3578 (KLR)
The court found that the application to set aside the judgment and stay the orders had been overtaken by events due to the consent judgment entered in ELC 116 of 2017, which involved the same subject matter and parties. The consent judgment effectively compromised and collapsed the present application, making...
Source-derived case information.
- Citation
- [2018] KEELC 3578 (KLR)
- Parties
- Plaintiff: David Kamundi Muranga; Defendant: Charles Njagi Kanga; Applicant: Charles Nyaga; Applicant: Nicholas Mwiti
- Court
- Environment and Land Court
- Court Station
- Environment and Land Court at Chuka
- Jurisdiction
- Kenya
- Case Number
- Environment & Land Case 226 of 2017
- Procedural Posture
- Miscellaneous Application / Ruling on Application to Set Aside Judgment and Stay Orders
- Outcome
- application dismissed as compromised
- Judges
- FM Njoroge
- Legal Topics
- Setting Aside Judgment, Abuse of Court Process, Ancestral Land Disputes, Stay of Execution
- Source Language
- en
Source-derived case record
Summary, issues, holding and outcome
More case intelligence is available
Unlock the full research layer for this judgment.
Parties
David Kamundi Muranga
Plaintiff
Charles Njagi Kanga
Defendant
Charles Nyaga
Applicant
Nicholas Mwiti
Applicant
Procedural Posture
Miscellaneous Application / Ruling on Application to Set Aside Judgment and Stay Orders
Legal Issues
- 1 Whether the judgment delivered on 17th October, 2017 should be set aside for being obtained through abuse of court process, fraud, and perjury.
- 2 Whether the orders of 17th October, 2017 should be stayed pending hearing and determination of the application.
- 3 Whether the application has been compromised by the consent judgment in ELC 116 of 2017.
Ratio Decidendi
The court found that the application to set aside the judgment and stay the orders had been overtaken by events due to the consent judgment entered in ELC 116 of 2017, which involved the same subject matter and parties. The consent judgment effectively compromised and collapsed the present application, making further proceedings or submissions unnecessary. As a result, the application was dismissed with no order as to costs. The court emphasized that once parties have compromised their dispute in a related suit, interlocutory applications in parallel proceedings become moot and should be dismissed to avoid duplicity and unnecessary litigation.
Court Disposition
application dismissed as compromised
Orders
- The application dated 6th November, 2017 is dismissed.
- There is no order as to costs.
Full Case Text
Judgment text and source record
52 paragraphs
REPUBLIC OF KENYA
IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND LAND COURT OF KENYA AT CHUKA
CHUKA ELC CASE NO 226 OF 2017
DAVID KAMUNDI MURANGA …………………………………… PLAINTIFF
VERSUS
CHARLES NJAGI KANGA……………………….…………...…. DEFENDANT
RULING
1. This application is dated 6th November, 2017. It states that it has been brought to court under Sections 1A , 1B, 3 and 3A of the Civil Procedure Act and Order 1 Rule 10 of the Civil Procedure Rules and Article 40 and 50 of the Constitution of Kenya.
2. The application seeks the following orders:
1. That the Applicants/Interested parties in this case (sic).
2. That this honourable court be pleased to stay its orders of 17th October, 2017pending hearing and determination of this application or as the court may direct.
3. That this honourable court be pleased to set aside the judgment delivered on 17th October, 2017 as the same was obtained though an abuse of the court process, fraud and perjury and have the same heard with all the parties and consolidate the same with CHUKA ELC NO. 116 of 2017 formerly MERU HCCC NO. 83 of 2009.
4. That the costs of this application be provided for.
3. The application has the following grounds:
a) That the applicants live on land reference No. Muthambi/Lower Kirimba/1604 as their father left to another county and lives in Tigania.
b) That the said land is ancestral land and cannot be sold without consent of the family.
c) That the defendant’s father purported to sell the land to the plaintiff and an objection was made and parties were advised by land control board to go to court.
d) That HCCC No. 83 of 2009 was filed in Meru and is now this court’s suit No. 116 of 2017.
e) That the defendants have conspired to cheat the court and get an order to circumvent the hearing of this court’s case No. 116 of 2017 formerly Meru HCCC No. 83 of 2009.
f) That the intervention of this court is necessary to avoid orders obtained through abuse of the court process.
DATED AT MERU THIS 6TH DAY OF NOVEMBER, 2017
MAITAI RIMITA & CO.
ADVOCATES FOR THE INTERESTED PARTIES
4. The application is supported by the joint affidavits of Charles Nyaga and Nicholas Mwiti which states as follows:
“We CHARLES NYAGA and NICHOLAS MWITI of P. O. Box 75 CHUKA make oath and state as follows:
1. That we are the Applicants/Interested Parties herein and therefore competent to make and swear this affidavit.
2. That the subject matter herein is Land Reference No. MUTHAMBI/LOWER-KRIMBA/1604 which is our ancestral land.
3. That we live on the said land but in the years 2008 and 2009 the plaintiff in this case started telling us that we were on his land and should be evicted.
4. That we learnt that the defendant/our father had secretly attempted to sell the land to the plaintiff.
5. That the defendant and the plaintiff know that the land belonged to us and could not be sold without our consent and therefore we moved to court.
6. That we filed High Court Civil Case No. 83 of 2009 at Meru which was transferred to this court and registered as ELC NO. 116 of 2017 and comes for mention on 7th November, 2017. (Annexed is a copy of the plaint marked “CNii”).
7. That the court ordered that inhibition be registered against the Title awaiting hearing of the case.
8. That on 2nd November, 2017 the plaintiff herein came with a judgment in this case and threw it at us asking us to move from the land. (Annexed is a copy of the same marked “(CNii”).
9. That we were surprised since we were waiting for our case which is fixed for 7th November, 2017 and we (sic) to see our advocate.
10. That our advocate was also surprised and we all learnt that this was a separate and different case filed by the plaintiff in conspiracy with the defendant to fool and cheat the court to avoid full hearing of our case.
11. That we are advised and believe the advice to be sound that what the parties did in this case was in contravention of the Rules and Practice of this court.
12. That we are further advised that the fraudulent judgment obtained by the parties by not disclosing the truth to the court is obtained through an abuse of the process of this court and should not be allowed to stand.
13. That the parties are rendering us landless and injustice will be visited upon us unless this court intervenes.
14. That the contents of this affidavit are true to the best of our knowledge, information and belief.
5. On 30th April, 2018, Miss Munga of Maitai Rimita & Co. Advocates told the court that the Consent judgment delivered on 30th April, 2018 in ELC 116 of 2017 had compromised and collapsed this application. She asked the court to note this fact and to take the necessary action.
6. I agree that this application has been compromised. I note that filing submissions as earlier ordered by the court is veritably pyrric and unnecessary.
7. In the circumstances, this application is dismissed with no order as to costs.
Delivered in open court at Chuka this 30th day of April, 2018 in the presence of:
CA: Ndegwa
Miss Munga for the applicants
David Kamundi Muranga – Plaintiff
Charles Njagi M’Kanga – Defendant
Charles Nyaga – 1st Interested Party
Nicholas Mwiti – 2nd Interested Party
David Kamundi Muranga – Plaintiff
P. M. NJOROGE
JUDGE