[2014] KEHC 3944 (KLR)
The court found that the defendant's application for a permanent injunction was unmeritorious because the issue of the boundary between the parties' plots had not yet been determined by the surveyor or registrar, as required by section 18(2) of the Land Registration Act. Furthermore, the court had previously ordered...
Source-derived case information.
- Citation
- [2014] KEHC 3944 (KLR)
- Parties
- Plaintiff: Henry Kinyua; Defendant: Fabiano W. Wanga
- Court
- High Court
- Court Station
- High Court at Malindi
- Jurisdiction
- Kenya
- Case Number
- Civil Suit 75 of 2012
- Procedural Posture
- Civil Suit / Ruling on Interlocutory Application for Permanent Injunction
- Outcome
- application dismissed
- Legal Topics
- Injunctions, Land Boundary Disputes, Interlocutory Applications, Trespass
- Source Language
- en
Source-derived case record
Summary, issues, holding and outcome
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Parties
Henry Kinyua
Plaintiff
Fabiano W. Wanga
Defendant
Procedural Posture
Civil Suit / Ruling on Interlocutory Application for Permanent Injunction
Legal Issues
- 1 Whether the defendant is entitled to a permanent injunction restraining the plaintiff from trespassing or interfering with the boundary fence and beacons on the disputed land.
- 2 Whether a permanent injunction can be granted at the interlocutory stage before the determination of the main suit and filing of the surveyor's report.
- 3 Whether the parties should be restrained from accessing the suit property pending determination of the boundary dispute.
Ratio Decidendi
The court found that the defendant's application for a permanent injunction was unmeritorious because the issue of the boundary between the parties' plots had not yet been determined by the surveyor or registrar, as required by section 18(2) of the Land Registration Act. Furthermore, the court had previously ordered both parties to keep off the disputed property pending the surveyor's report and the hearing of the main suit. Granting a permanent injunction at the interlocutory stage would be premature and contrary to established legal principles. Therefore, the application was dismissed, and both parties were directed to continue keeping off the suit property until the boundary dispute is...
Court Disposition
application dismissed
Orders
- The defendant's application dated 8th April 2014 is dismissed.
- Both parties are to keep off the suit property pending the filing of the surveyor's report and the hearing of the suit.
Full Case Text
Judgment text and source record
30 paragraphs
REPUBLIC OF KENYA
IN THE HIGH COURT OF KENYA
AT MALINDI
CIVIL SUIT NO.75 OF 2012
HENRY KINYUA......................................................PLAINTIFF
=VERSUS=
FABIANO W.WANGA...........................................DEFENDANT
RULING
Introduction
What is before me is the Defendant's Application dated 8th April, 2014 seeking for the following orders;-
(a) That the Honourable Court be pleased to issue permanent injunction order restraining the respondent by himself, his servants and or agents and his family members from trespassing, entering, interfering from further damaging the boundary fence and beacons erected by the surveyors thereon.
(b) That the Honourable court be pleased to issue an order directing the OCS Kijipwa Police Station to make sure that this order is respected and complied with.
( c) That costs of this application be in the course.
The Application is supported by the Defendant's affidavit who has deponed that he is the owner of parcel of land number 346B situated at Vipingo Trading Centre.
The Defendant/Applicant has further deponed that the Plaintiff/Respondent has been trespassing on his land; that despite reporting to Kijipwa Police Station about the trespass, the police have not made any attempt to summon the Respondent
The Plaintiff's/Respondent's case;
The Plaintiff/Respondent filed his affidavit and deponed that it is the Defendant and his family who have been trespassing on the suit property despite the order of the court that none of the parties should access the suit property; that he has been charged in Shanzu in criminal case number 294 of 2012 and 857 of 2013 over the suit property and that the Defendant's wife and children demolished his perimeter wall.
None of the parties made submission in respect to the Application.
Analysis;
Before the filing of the current Application by the Defendant, the plaintiff had filed an Application dated 13th April 2012 seeking for injunction order. When that application came up for hearing, I was informed that the dispute was in respect to the boundary of plot number 348 A which was allocated to the Plaintiff and plot number 348 B that was allocated to the Defendant.
On 17th June 2013, this court directed the Kilifi District Surveyor to prepare a report in respect to the boundary of plot number 348 A and 348B and file the same in court. On the same day, and in view of the provisions of section 18 (2) of the Land Registration Act I directed both parties to keep away from the disputed plot until the hearing and determination of the suit. Section 18(2) of the Land Registration Act, 2012 provides as follows;-
“The court shall not entertain any action or other proceedings relating to a dispute as to the boundaries of registered land unless the boundaries have been determined in accordance with this section……. Provided that where all boundaries are defined under section 19(3) the determination of the position of any uncertain boundary shall be done as stipulated in the Survey Act”
The Defendant has not set aside my orders of 18th July, 2013 neither has the report of the surveyor or the Registrar in this issue of the boundary in respect to the two plots filed in this court. In the circumstances, I find the Defendant's Application dated 8th April, 2014 unmeritious.
In any event, the Defendant/Applicant is seeking for a permanent injunction at an interlocutory stage. It is trite law that a permanent injunction can only be granted after full trial.
In the circumstances and for the reasons I have given above, both parties should keep off the suit property pending the filing of the surveryor`s report and the hearing of the suit.
The defendant`s Application dated 8th April 2014 is hereby dismissed with no order as to costs.
Dated and delivered in Malindi this 11th day of July, 2014
O.A.ANGOTE
JUDGE
ENVIRONMENT AND LAND COURT