[2013] KEHC 2983 (KLR)
The court declined to grant the orders sought because the reliefs requested—declaration of unlawful occupation and eviction—are final in nature and cannot be issued at the interlocutory stage. Such orders can only be granted after a full trial where all issues, including the plaintiff's standing and the defendants'...
Source-derived case information.
- Citation
- [2013] KEHC 2983 (KLR)
- Parties
- Plaintiff: Hydro Developers Limited; Defendant: Peter Muange Mwanzou; Defendant: Joseph Lengishili; Defendant: Brither Morang’a
- Court
- High Court
- Court Station
- High Court at Nairobi (Milimani Commercial Courts)
- Jurisdiction
- Kenya
- Case Number
- Environment & Land Case 417 of 2012
- Procedural Posture
- Notice of Motion / Interlocutory Application Ruling
- Outcome
- application dismissed
- Judges
- MM Gitumbi
- Legal Topics
- Eviction Orders, Trespass to Land, Interlocutory Injunctions
- Source Language
- en
Source-derived case record
Summary, issues, holding and outcome
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Parties
Hydro Developers Limited
Plaintiff
Peter Muange Mwanzou
Defendant
Joseph Lengishili
Defendant
Brither Morang’a
Defendant
Procedural Posture
Notice of Motion / Interlocutory Application Ruling
Legal Issues
- 1 Whether the defendants' continued occupation of the suit property constitutes unlawful trespass.
- 2 Whether the plaintiff is entitled to an eviction order at the interlocutory stage.
- 3 Whether Hydro Developers Limited and Clesoi Complex Property Limited are the same entity.
Ratio Decidendi
The court declined to grant the orders sought because the reliefs requested—declaration of unlawful occupation and eviction—are final in nature and cannot be issued at the interlocutory stage. Such orders can only be granted after a full trial where all issues, including the plaintiff's standing and the defendants' rights, are fully ventilated. Additionally, the plaintiff failed to provide sufficient evidence to establish that Hydro Developers Limited and Clesoi Complex Property Limited are the same entity, as no certificate of change of name was produced. The application was therefore dismissed for being premature and lacking evidentiary support on the plaintiff's identity.
Court Disposition
application dismissed
Orders
- The Notice of Motion dated 24/8/12 is dismissed.
- No order as to costs.
Full Case Text
Judgment text and source record
26 paragraphs
REPUBLIC OF KENYA
IN THE HIGH COURT OF KENYA AT NAIROBI
ELC. CASE NO. 417 OF 2012
HYDRO DEVELOPERS LIMITED…………………..………......….PLAINTIFF
VERSUS
PETER MUANGE MWANZOU……………………………..1STDEFENDANT
JOSEPH LENGISHILI ……………………………………..2ND DEFENDANT
BRITHER MORANG’A …….……………………………..3RD DEFENDANT
RULING
Coming up before me for determination is the Notice of Motion dated 24/8/12 brought under Order 51 Rule 1 of the Civil Procedure Rules and Sections 3, 3A and 63E of the Civil Procedure Act. It seeks the following orders:
That this honourable court do declare that the Defendants continued occupation of the Plaintiff’s parcel of land known as L.R. NO. 209/11878 situated in the City of Nairobi (hereinafter referred to as the “Suit Property”) is unlawful and constitutes illegal trespass.
That this honourable court be pleased to issue an eviction order evicting the Defendants by themselves, their agents, servants, employees, legal representatives or otherwise howsoever from the Suit Property pending the hearing and determination of this Suit.
That the Officer Commanding Industrial Area Police Station and the Officer-In-Charge Administration Police Industrial Area to provide security in the enforcement of the orders above.
That Wright Auctioneers do evict the Defendants as per orders above.
That costs of this Application be in the Cause.
The application is based on the grounds set out on the face of it as well as the Supporting Affidavit of Mohamed Tahir Kana in which he stated that the Plaintiff/Applicant is the registered proprietor of the Suit Property. A certificate of title bearing the name Clesoi Complex Property Limited was produced as an annexure. He further stated that the Defendants are in occupation of the Plaintiff/Applicant’s Suit Property as intruders and trespassers without any justification legal, contractual or otherwise.
He further stated that since filing of this suit, the Defendants have built temporary structures on the Suit Property and have interfered with the sewerage and water supply pipes causing the same to overflow into the factory affecting normal factory operations. Further, he stated that the Defendants have also been lighting fires on the Suit Property and have illegally connected electricity to the said structures thereby endangering factory operations and the lives of factory employees. He also averred that despite the repeated requests to the Defendants to vacate the Suit Property, those requests have been willfully ignored by the Defendants who are continuing with their illegal trespass and occupation.
The application is not contested. Though service was effected on them, no Defendant filed a Replying Affidavit in response to the Plaintiff/Applicant’s application.
The hearing of this application took place on 17th April 2013 when Counsel for the Applicants made his submissions to this Court, all of which have been taken into consideration.
Looking at the nature of orders sought in this application, namely a declaration that the Defendant’s occupation of the Suit Property is unlawful and constitutes illegal trespass as well as the request for an eviction order are both in my opinion final orders which cannot be granted at this interlocutory stage of these proceedings. Those constitute final orders which can only be granted after full trial.
Further, there is the question whether the Plaintiff - Hydro Developers Limited is one and the same company as Clesoi Complex Property Limited. No Certificate of Change of Name has been produced.
For the reasons stated above, this court declines to allow the application. The same is dismissed. No order as to costs.
SIGNED AND DELIVERED AT NAIROBI ON THE 14th
DAY OF JUNE 2013
MARY M. GITUMBI
JUDGE