[2012] KEHC 4088 (KLR)
The court held that the defendant, having participated in the proceedings for over six years without raising any objection to the court's jurisdiction, is estopped from now seeking a transfer of the suit to another division. The divisions of the High Court are administrative and do not affect the substantive...
Source-derived case information.
- Citation
- [2012] KEHC 4088 (KLR)
- Parties
- Plaintiff: Twiga Chemicals Industries Limited; Defendant: Game Ranching Limited
- Court
- High Court
- Court Station
- High Court at Nairobi (Milimani Commercial Courts)
- Jurisdiction
- Kenya
- Case Number
- Civil Suit 684 of 2006
- Procedural Posture
- Civil Suit / Ruling on Oral Application for Transfer of Suit
- Outcome
- application dismissed
- Legal Topics
- Jurisdiction of High Court, Transfer of Suit, Division of High Court, Estoppel by Conduct
- Source Language
- en
Source-derived case record
Summary, issues, holding and outcome
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Parties
Twiga Chemicals Industries Limited
Plaintiff
Game Ranching Limited
Defendant
Procedural Posture
Civil Suit / Ruling on Oral Application for Transfer of Suit
Legal Issues
- 1 Whether the High Court Commercial Division has jurisdiction to hear a dispute concerning ownership of land.
- 2 Whether the suit should be transferred to the Environment and Land Division given the stage of proceedings.
- 3 Whether the defendant is estopped from challenging jurisdiction after participating in proceedings for several years.
Ratio Decidendi
The court held that the defendant, having participated in the proceedings for over six years without raising any objection to the court's jurisdiction, is estopped from now seeking a transfer of the suit to another division. The divisions of the High Court are administrative and do not affect the substantive jurisdiction of a judge to hear and determine a matter. The court further found that, even if the matter does not fall within the express commercial categories, it is proper for the Commercial Division to hear it under the omnibus category, especially given the advanced stage of the proceedings. Transferring the suit at this late stage would impede the speedy determination of the...
Court Disposition
application dismissed
Orders
- The application seeking transfer of this suit to the Environment and Land Division of the High Court is dismissed.
Full Case Text
Judgment text and source record
30 paragraphs
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REPUBLIC OF KENYA
IN THE HIGH COURT
AT NAIROBI
MILIMANI LAW COURTS
Civil Suit 684 of 2006
TWIGA CHEMICALS INDUSTRIES LIMITED……PLAINTIFF
VS
GAME RANCHING LMITED…………….……DEFENDANT
RULING
1. This ruling relates to an oral application made by counsel for the Defendant on 14th May 2012 when an application by the Plaintiff dated 18th January 2012 came up for highlighting of written submissions.
2. The application sought orders that this suit be transferred to the Environmental & Land Division of the High Court on grounds that the subject matter of the suit was ownership of a parcel of land known as L.R. No. 7590 /4. Counsel for the Defendant KethiKilonzo argued that there were no commercial issues arising for determination by this court and therefore that this court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter.
3. The application was opposed by counsel for the Plaintiff Mr. King’ara who submitted that the application was mischievous and an excuse by the Defendant to impede progress of this matter. He argued that the Defendant had for the last six years submitted to the jurisdiction of this court and that a judge in any Division of the High Court had jurisdiction to hear the matter.
4. I have considered the application and the oral arguments made by counsel for both parties.
5. By a Circular issued in November 1997, the then Chief Justice A.M. Cockar gave directions on what matters were to be deemed to be commercial matters suited for trial by the Commercial Division of the High Court. The said matters were listed as follows:
a)Injunction proceedings against realization of securities whether debentures or charges;
b)Company matters and applications including winding up excluding cases in which a company is suing or is being sued as an entity;
c)Bankruptcy matters;
d)Matters relating to arbitration
e)Intellectual property matters;
f)Claims for the recovery of unsecured debts due to a bank or other financial institution;
g)Such other matters as are certified by a Judge of the Commercial Court as being suitable for determination in the Commercial Court having regard to the amount involved; the need for speedy hearing and the nature of the case.
6. Although on the face of the above classification the matter before the court does not fall within the substantive categories of commercial matters, I find the application made by counsel for the Defendant to be devoid of merit and a blatant abuse of the court process given that this suit was filed way back on 13th December 2006 and that the same firm of advocates now representing the Defendant is the same firm of advocates that entered appearance on 1st February 2006 and filed defence on 13th February 2006. In the defence no averment was made as to the contention that the claim was filed in the wrong Division of the High Court. Neither did the Defendant raise the concern in the subsequent papers filed in court and in the many appearances and submissions that counsel have made in court, includingthe submissions filed in the instant application before the court.
7. This court takes the view that the sheer time lapse and progression of this suitfrom the date of filing of the suit until now estops either party from raising the elementary claim that this court has no jurisdiction to hear the matter. This case in my humble view is a proper case for invocation of the omnibus category set out in paragraph 5(g) of this ruling as the court in its assessment finds that a transfer of the suit at this stage where parties have even filed and exchanged written submissions would impede speedy determination of the matter.
8. In any case, Divisions of the High Court are administrative arrangements that are put in place to streamline delivery of justice in a coordinated manner and do not go into the question of whether a particular judge has jurisdiction to hear and determine a matter irrespective of the Division where that matter ideally ought to be tried. A judge is a judge irrespective of the Division of the High Court one currently serves.
10. For the above reasons, the application seeking transfer of this suit to the Environment and Land Division of the High Court is hereby dismissed.
11. IT IS SO ORDERED
DATED, SIGNED AND DELIVERED AT NAIROBI THIS 17th DAY OF MAY 2012.
<span style="\"font-size:" 16pt;="" font-family:="" "arial","sans-serif";\"="" lang="\"EN-US\"">JUDGE