[2020] KEELC 267 (KLR)

[2020] KEELC 267 (KLR)

The court found that the applicants were required to exhaust statutory remedies by appealing to the National Environment Tribunal before seeking judicial review, as mandated by Section 129 of the Environmental Management and Coordination Act and Section 9 of the Fair Administrative Action Act. The judicial review...

Source-derived case information.

Citation
[2020] KEELC 267 (KLR)
Parties
Applicant: Misty Mountain Lodge Ltd; Applicant: Dennis Mathenge Waihenya; Respondent: National Environment Management Authority (NEMA); Respondent: Inspector General of Police; Respondent: Director of Public Prosecutions
Court
Environment and Land Court
Court Station
Environment and Land Court at Nyeri
Jurisdiction
Kenya
Case Number
Judicial Review Miscellaneous Application 6 of 2019
Procedural Posture
Judicial Review Application / Judgment
Outcome
application dismissed
Legal Topics
Effluent Discharge Licence, Judicial Review, Environmental Impact Assessment, Administrative Exhaustion, Criminal Prosecution, Environmental Compliance
Source Language
en
Environmental Law Administrative Law Effluent Discharge Licence Judicial Review Environmental Impact Assessment Administrative Exhaustion Criminal Prosecution Environmental Compliance

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Summary, issues, holding and outcome

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Parties

Misty Mountain Lodge Ltd

Applicant

Dennis Mathenge Waihenya

Applicant

National Environment Management Authority (NEMA)

Respondent

Inspector General of Police

Respondent

Director of Public Prosecutions

Respondent

Procedural Posture

Judicial Review Application / Judgment

  1. 1 Whether the applicants were required by law to obtain an Effluent Discharge License for their hotel operations.
  2. 2 Whether the demand and enforcement actions by NEMA, including arrest and prosecution, were lawful and procedurally fair.
  3. 3 Whether the applicants prematurely invoked judicial review jurisdiction without exhausting statutory remedies before the National Environment Tribunal.

Ratio Decidendi

The court found that the applicants were required to exhaust statutory remedies by appealing to the National Environment Tribunal before seeking judicial review, as mandated by Section 129 of the Environmental Management and Coordination Act and Section 9 of the Fair Administrative Action Act. The judicial review application was therefore premature. On the substantive issues, the court held that NEMA acted within its statutory mandate in requiring an Effluent Discharge License and issuing an Improvement Notice. The applicants' failure to comply justified the enforcement actions, including prosecution. The court emphasized that judicial review is not the forum to determine the merits of...

Court Disposition

application dismissed

Orders

  • The Notice of Motion dated 29th July, 2019 is dismissed with costs to the respondents.