Environment Land No 170 of 2012
Environment Land No 170 of 2012
Environment Land No 170 of 2012
REPUBLIC OF KENYA
Formerly 95 of 2004
VS
(Suit by plaintiff seeking eviction of defendants from land; defendants making counterclaim for
specific performance; sale agreement made in 1994; no consent of land control board; whether
requirement for consent is a technicality; whether agreement enforceable; only remedy refund;
whether prayer for refund caught up by limitation of time; plaintiff's suit succeeds; counterclaim
dismissed).
JUDGMENT
The plaintiff instituted this suit on 29 July 2004 in respect of the land parcel Cheptiret/Cheplaskei Block
3/Sertwet/103 measuring approximately 3.5 hectares. He is seeking the following orders against the
defendants :-
(b) Eviction.
(d) Costs.
In the plaint, it is pleaded that the plaintiff is the personal representative of the estate of the late James
Gachore Njeru. It is stated that the deceased is the registered owner of the land parcel Cheptiret/
Cheplaskei Block 3/ Sertwet/103 (the suit land) and that the defendants have trespassed into the said
land without the consent of the plaintiff or any legal basis. It is further pleaded that the defendants have
been in illegal occupation since the year 1994 and that they therefore ought to pay mesne profits from
1st January 1995 till they move out of the land.
The seven defendants filed a joint statement of defence. They denied that the deceased is the
registered owner of the suit land. They also denied that they are trespassers and stated that they are
rightfully on the land. It is pleaded that through an agreement entered on 12 May 1994, the deceased
agreed to sell his land to the 1st and 2nd defendants plus one Solomon Chepgimis, for a consideration
of Kshs. 279,000/= to be shared as follows:-
The 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th defendants averred that they are strangers to this suit. All defendants asked
that the suit be dismissed with costs.
The original defence was later amended to include a counterclaim. In the amended defence and
counterclaim, it is contended that the plaintiff, as administrator, has a duty to effect the agreement of 12
May 1994 as the vendor died before effecting the transfer. They have pleaded that after the agreement,
the 1st and 2nd defendants settled their families on the suit land and have asked for a declaration that
they are entitled to 3 and 5 acres respectively in line with the agreement. In the alternative, they have
sought a refund of the purchase price at the current market value of Kshs. 300,000/= per acre and costs
of development of Kshs. 800,000/= for the 1st defendant and Kshs.500,000/= for the 2nd defendant.
They have also asked for damages for breach of contract and exemplary damages. The plaintiff filed a
reply to defence in which he joined issue with the defendants and contested all the issues in the
counterclaim.
B. THE EVIDENCE
The plaintiff testified as the sole witness. He testified that he is the administrator of the Estate of James
Gachobe Njeru (the deceased) who was his father. A grant of letters of administration dated
21/6/2004was produced. The same was confirmed on 16 August 2008. The deceased died on 3 August
1995. The plaintiff produced a certificate of title deed and a search certificate to demonstrate that the suit
land is registered in the name of the deceased. The plaintiff stated that the defendants use the land but
have no right to do so and that if he were to use it, he would have reserved one acre for a residence and
the farm maize on the rest. He stated that an acre would yield about 20 bags of maize and would sell for
Kshs. 2,000/=. He estimated overheads at kshs. 1,000/= for each bag and thus he would make a profit of
kshs. 1,000/= per bag. He also testified that there were 102 pine and cypress trees which were felled by
the defendants. He estimated the value at Kshs. 5,000/= per tree. He further testified that when the
succession cause was filed, the 1st and 2nd defendants filed objection proceedings which were
dismissed. The plaintiff testified that he has no knowledge of the agreement to sell the land alluded to by
the defendants. He stated that if indeed they purchased the land, then the consent of the land control
board needed to be issued as the land was agricultural land.
In cross-examination, it emerged that in the confirmed grant, the land was distributed to the plaintiff and
his three brothers, each to get 2 acres. One acre was distributed to Solomon Chepgimis (not a party to
this case). He stated that the defendants moved into the land in the year 2003-2004. He insisted that he
has no knowledge of the alleged sale by his father. He stated that he was only aware of a sale of 1 acre
to Chepgimis. An agreement bearing the names of Chepgimis and the 1st and 2nd defendant was put to
him, but he denied any knowledge of it and stated that the agreement with Chepgimis was handwritten.
He also denied knowledge that the deceased had applied to the Land Control Board for sub-division of
the land into 3 portions. He had no knowledge of a letter of consent dated 14 June 1994 and of mutation
forms that were put to him. It also emerged that the plaintiff entered into an agreement on 19 September
2002 with the 1st defendant for an additional payment of Kshs. 30,000/= for the land but the plaintiff
stated that at that time, he did not hold letters of administration. He contended that the Kshs. 30,000/=
was refunded through his advocates. He testified that an order of injunction was issued in 2004 but the
defendants continued to be on the land.
The 1st defendant on his part testified that he lives in the suit land. He testified that the plaintiff's father
sold the land to 3 purchasers; himself, the 2nd defendant and Solomon Chepgimis. They purchased 3, 5
, and 1 acre respectively. An agreement was drawn on 12 May 1994 by the office of M/s Birech &
Company Advocates. On the said date, the three purchasers paid Kshs. 183,000/= out of the total of
Kshs. 279,000/=. The balance was to be paid by 14 June 1994 and the deceased was to allow them
possession after payment of the full purchase price. On his part, the 1st defendant entered into
possession in January 1995.
The 1st defendant testified that the deceased then applied for consent to sub-divide the parcel into three
portions. Mutation forms were drawn but the land was never formally sub-divided. In 2002, the plaintiff
asked the defendants to vacate unless they paid an addition of Kshs. 10,000/= per acre. Chepgimis paid
kshs.10,000/= and the 1st defendant paid Kshs.30,000/=. They wrote an agreement on 19 September
2002. He testified that he is entitled to the land and he has made significant developments. He stated
that the 4th and 7th defendants are his son and wife respectively. In cross-examination, the 1st
defendant conceded that he is aware that the land is agricultural land and that consent to transfer has
not been issued. He stated that he does not claim any money for the developments and does not want a
refund, but wants the land. He stated that out of the amount of Kshs. 183,000/= paid in the first instance,
he contributed Kshs. 25,000/=. In his view an acre of land would at best produce 15 bags of maize.
The 2nd defendant on his part stated that he bought 5 acres of the land. The total purchase price was
Kshs. 279,000/= for the 9 acres and that the three purchasers collectively paid kshs. 183,000/=. He
stated that his contribution was Kshs. 102,000/=, whereas the 1st defendant contributed Kshs. 57,000/=,
and Chepkimis Kshs. 24,000/=. The balance was to be paid by installments made to the advocate M/s
Birech & Co Advocates. He stated that he paid Kshs. 15,000/= on 14 June 1994, and Kshs. 20,000/= on
17 August 1994. On this latter date, Chepgimis and the 1st defendant paid Kshs. 6,500/=. He remained
with a balance of Kshs. 18,000/= which the deceased asked him to deposit with AFC, as he had a loan,
and the title was with AFC. When he went to AFC, he found that the balance due was not Kshs.
18,000/= but Kshs.22,000/=. He paid the money and cleared the loan that the deceased had with AFC.
The deceased promised to refund him the extra Kshs. 4,000/=.
He also testified that there were trees on the land which the deceased sold to him separately for Kshs.
7,000/= which he paid. He stated that the deceased acknowledged that he had been paid all the money
by all purchasers and that he then moved to sub-divide the land. Consent to sub-divide was given and
mutation forms drawn. On his part, he took possession of the land in the year 1995 and allowed his
mother in law to use it. He was at a loss why Chepgimis was allowed to keep the 1 acre, yet the plaintiff
wants the other purchasers evicted. He asked for the present value of the land in the event that he is
evicted. In cross-examination, PW-2 conceded that the mutation forms have not been registered. He
also conceded that he had not produced any document to show payments to AFC. It also emerged that
the deceased died about 15 months after the agreement. He affirmed that his counterclaim was filed in
2008 in which he claimed kshs. 500,000/=.
C. SUBMISSIONS OF COUNSEL
In his submissions, Mr. E.M. Momanyi, learned counsel for the plaintiff, inter alia submitted that the
success or failure of the case, depends on whether consent of the land control board, to transfer the land
to the defendants was issued. He submitted that none was issued and therefore the transaction of the
parties became null and void. He submitted that the estate of the deceased is entitled to the eviction
sought. As to the claims of the defendants, he submitted that they are only entitled to the money paid.
He further submitted that in any event, the counterclaim was filed out of time. On the supplementary
agreement signed in 2002, he submitted that the same was null and void as the plaintiff at that time had
no capacity. He relied on the cases of Kariuki v Kariuki (1983) KLR 225, Wasike v Swala (1985) KLR
425, and Simiyu v Watambala (1985) KLR 852.
In her submissions, Ms. L.J.Kipseei, learned counsel for the defendants, submitted that the land was
bought jointly by three persons and there was no reason why the plaintiff was treating the first two
purchasers differently from Chepgimis. She submitted that this was discriminatory, and against the
constitution, and that it denied the defendants the constitutional right to own property. She submitted that
if the plaintiff acknowledged the rights of Chepgimis, he must also recognize the rights of the 1st and 2nd
defendants as the transactions were done jointly. She submitted that the plaintiff must execute his duties
as required by law. She further submitted that the plaintiff recognized the original agreement, as he later
solicited for further consideration, whereupon the 1st plaintiff paid him kshs. 30,000/=. She stated that it
would be unjust to have the plaintiff have his cake and eat it. She submitted that the provisions of the
Constitution against discrimination and the right to own property are above the provisions of the Land
Control Act. She submitted that this is a technicality that the plaintiff is relying on, but that the
Constitution demands that justice be done without undue regard to technicalities. She also submitted
that the plaintiff has no capacity to file suit as his duties as administrator ended when the land was
distributed and that it is the duty of the beneficiaries to pursue their own interests. She submitted that the
plaintiff needed to file a representative suit to do so, and at most, that the plaintiff is entitled only to claim
his share of 2 acres. She further submitted that the pleadings claim 9 acres yet the plaintiff admitted that
Chepgimis owns 1 acre. She submitted that there was no attempt at amendment to reflect that the
plaintiff is claiming 8 acres. She further submitted that to claim mesne profits, one must plead the exact
amount, but that this was not done so. She submitted that the deceased intended to transfer the property
to the defendants, but died before doing so, and that the defendants are innocent purchasers. No
authorities were relied upon by counsel for the defendants.
It is with the above pleadings, evidence and submissions that I need to determine this case.
D. DETERMINATION
It is not in dispute that the suit land is agricultural land and the provisions of the Land Control Act (CAP
302 (LCA) therefore apply. For our purposes, Section 6, 7and 8 are important and I will therefore set
them out in full. They provide as follows :-
(a) the sale, transfer, lease, mortgage, exchange, partition or other disposal of or dealing with any
agricultural land which is situated within a land control area;
(b) the division of any such agricultural land into two or more parcels to be held under separate titles,
other than the division of an area of less than twenty acres into plots in an area to which the
Development and Use of Land (Planning) Regulations, 1961 for the time being apply;
(c) the issue, sale, transfer, mortgage or any other disposal of or dealing with any share in a private
company or co-operative society which for the time being owns agricultural land situated within a land
control area, is void for all purposes unless the land control board for the land control area or division in
which the land is situated has given its consent in respect of that transaction in accordance with this Act.
7. If any money or other valuable consideration has been paid in the course of a controlled transaction
that becomes void under this Act, that money or consideration shall be recoverable as a debt by the
person who paid it from the person to whom it was paid, but without prejudice to section 22.
8. (1) An application for consent in respect of a controlled transaction shall be made in the prescribed
form to the appropriate land control board within six months of the making of the agreement for the
controlled transaction by any party thereto:
Provided that the High Court may, notwithstanding that the period of six months may have expired,
extend that period where it considers that there is sufficient reason so to do, upon such conditions, if
any, as it may think fit.
(2) The land control board shall either give or refuse its consent to the controlled transaction and, subject
to any right of appeal conferred by this Act, its decision shall be final and conclusive and shall not be
questioned in any court.
(3) For the purposes of subsection (1), an application shall be deemed to be made when it is delivered to
the authority prescribed in the manner prescribed.
(4) An application under subsection (1) shall be valid notwithstanding that the agreement for the
controlled transaction is reduced to writing, or drawn up in the form of a legal document, only after the
application has been made.
The contest in this case is clearly between the plaintiff and the 1st and 2nd defendants. The other
defendants appear to be on the land, as assigns of the 1st and 2nd defendants. Their fate therefore lies
with how the case of the 1st and 2nd defendants will go. The 1st and 2nd defendants base their case on
an agreement for sale which they produced as an exhibit. I have seen the agreement. It is an agreement
made between the deceased as vendor, and the 1st and 2nd defendants and Solomon Chepgimis, as
joint purchasers. The purchase price is stated as Kshs. 279,000/=. Nowhere in the agreement does it
say what the price per acre was, and nowhere in the agreement does it say what each party was to
contribute. It seems to be a joint purchase, in which case, the obligation to pay was joint, and I cannot
impute a several obligation on either party obligating either, to pay a specific amount of money.
The amount of Kshs. 183,000/= is acknowledged in the agreement as having been paid. The balance of
Kshs. 96,000/= was to be paid on 14th June 1994. It is also stated that the vendor shall seek the consent
of the land control board on 14th June 1994. It was agreed that the parties will transfer the land upon
payment of the balance of the purchase price. Within this sale agreement, the buyers undertook to
partition the land between themselves, with the 1st defendant having 3 acres, the 2nd defendant 5 acres,
and Solomon Chepgimis, 1 acre. The agreement is typed and was drawn by Birech & Co Advocates.
There are several handwritten endorsements. The first is dated 14th June 1994 and is stated to be an
acknowledgment of kshs. 15,000/= being further payment from the purchasers. The second is dated 6
July 1994 and is an acknowledgement of Kshs. 15,500/= from the 1st defendant being further payment
of the purchase price. The last is an acknowledgment of Kshs. 26,500/= from the three purchasers being
further payment. It will appear therefore that the purchasers made a further payment of Kshs. 57,000/=.
That left a balance of Kshs. 43,000/=. The defendants have not produced any evidence that this balance
was paid. The 2nd defendant averred that he deposited Kshs. 22,000/= with AFC, but no document was
produced to show this payment. The only amount that I can ascertain as having been paid jointly by the
three purchasers is Kshs. 140,000/=.
There is also the second agreement, which is dated 19th September 2002. It is between the plaintiff and
the 1st defendant. It refers to the agreement of 1994 and acknowledges that the 1st defendant
purchased 3 acres at a consideration for Kshs. 93,000/=. It is stated that the parties have reached an
agreement that the purchaser (1st defendant) will pay an additional Kshs. 30,000/=. It is stated that a
sum of Kshs. 20,000/= shall be paid on execution of the agreement and the balance of Kshs. 10,000/=
shall be paid on or before 26.9.2002. No payments are acknowledged. I will come to the aspect of these
payments later as the defendants in their counterclaim, have in the alternative, sought a refund of the
purchase price.
The vendor died on 3rd August 1995. By that time, he had applied and obtained consent to subdivide the
land into three portions of 3 acres, 5 acres, and 1 acre. It seems that he had every intention to sub-divide
the land, and probably even transfer it, but he died before doing so. No application for consent to transfer
was ever made to the Land Control Board, and non was issued. Pursuant to the provisions of Section 6
of the LCA, there must be consent to transfer. Since no consent was obtained, the agreement of the
parties became null and void after 6 months, pursuant to Section 8(1) of the LCA. That agreement
cannot be enforced. The only remedy for a transaction that has become null and void is for a refund ,
recoverable as a debt, as provided by Section 7 of the LCA.
Ms. Kipseei argued that the requirement for consent is a technicality. This is not so. It is the requirement
of the law. It is not a technical rule of procedure. Neither can it be said that the provisions of the LCA
have denied the defendants the constitutional right to own property. The right to own property is not
taken away by the Land Control Act. What the Act provides is the process that needs to be followed
before one can own agricultural land. The purpose of the law is to guide the process, it does not take
away the right to own property. If one follows the process, he will get his property. The LCA deals with
agricultural land, but there are many statutes that guide other processes. For example, the Limitation of
Actions Act (CAP 22), provides that one must file a suit for recovery of land within a period of 12 years.
The Law of Contract Act (CAP 23), provides that an agreement for purchase of land needs to be in
writing for it to be enforced. There are underlying policy considerations behind these laws. There must
be law to guide how one can acquire property, and if one intends to own property, then he must follow
the prescribed law. One cannot complain that the law is unfair, when it is he himself who has neglected
to follow it.
It cannot also be argued that the fact that the plaintiff acknowledged only one purchaser out of the three
is discriminatory, in the sense addressed by the Constitution. This was a contract that became void. I do
not know why the plaintiff decided to acknowledge Chepgimis as being the only purcheser entitled to
land. The basis of the case of the defendants is based on contract. There is freedom of contract, and if
one enters into a contract jointly with others, it is within his right if he choses only to perform one and
leave out the rest. The remedy for the rest will be as provided by the law. In our case, the remedy is
refund.
I have also considered the argument that the plaintiff ought not to have filed this suit, for his role as
administrator ended when the grant was confirmed. I do not agree. The role of the administrator does not
end with confirmation. He has to ensure that each beneficiary gets his/her entitlement according to the
distribution. He has to sign mutation forms for land, sign any relevant transfers and generally see that
every beneficiary has got his share. The filing of this suit by the plaintiff is a manifestation of his role as
administrator. Neither can I fault him for suing for the whole 9 acres instead of 8. Chepgimis is a
beneficiary according to the confirmed grant. The plaintiff is entitled to also sue to ensure that the share
of Chepgimis is handed to him. The position of Chepgimis, with that of the brothers of the plaintiff, is the
same. They are all beneficiaries of the estate of the deceased and the plaintiff as administrator is
perfectly entitled to sue any person who comes in the way of the distribution of the estate.
For the above reasons, I declare the agreement between the deceased and the 1st and 2nd defendants
null and void and the same cannot be enforced. I further declare that the remedy of the 1st and 2nd
defendants lies in getting a refund of what they paid under the transaction. It follows therefore that the
plaintiff cannot be denied the remedies that he has prayed for. The defendants have not demonstrated
any legal right that would entitle them to remain in possession of the land. They must vacate and if they
do not, the plaintiff has every right to evict them at their own cost. The plaintiff is also entitled to an order
of permanent injunction to bar the defendants from remaining on the suit land.
There is the claim of mesne profits. In my view, that claim is too loosely pleaded and the evidence too
scanty and hypothetical, for me to make any award on it. I disallow this prayer. I am also unable to allow
any damages for the alleged felled trees for the same reason. Indeed no proof was tendered to support
the allegation that the defendants felled any trees.
Let me now turn to the counterclaim filed by the defendants. They have asked for a declaration that they
are entitled to 3 and 5 acres and for an order compelling the plaintiff to execute the transfer forms. That
claim cannot be sustained for the reasons that consent of the Land Control Board was required but was
never issued. The alternative prayer is for refund of the purchase price at the current market value of
Kshs. 300,000/= and costs of development of Kshs. 800,000/= and Kshs. 500,000/= for the 1st and 2nd
defendants respectively. The only remedy as provided by Section 7 of the LCA is a refund and nothing
else. Forgetting for a moment that no valuation report or other proof was tendered to show that there are
developments of that value on the land, there is no remedy for compensation for developments made,
probably because Section 22 of the LCA declares continued occupation to be illegal. Neither can the
defendants seek damages for breach of contract, for the contract was voided by the law, and the
agreement never made provision for damages. In any event the defendants themselves were in breach
for failing to pay the purchase price in time. Such claim cannot succeed.
This position has been affirmed by various decisions of the Court of Appeal one of which is Kariuki v
Kariuki cited by counsel for the plaintiff. In this case, it was held inter alia that no general or special
damages are recoverable in respect of a transaction which is void for all purposes for want of consent
from the Land Control Board and that the only remedy open to a party to such transaction is recovery of
any money or consideration paid in the course of the transaction. In the said case it was also affirmed
that there can be no award for compensation for improvements. Had the Act so intended, it would have
provided so.
The same position ensued in the case of Wasike v Swala. The appellant filed suit in which he averred
that he had paid the purchase price for a piece of land to the respondent. He sought for an order that the
respondent transfer the land to him and to vacate it. The defendant raised the issue that the transaction
was void for want of consent of the Land Control Board. The court of appeal asserted that the sale
transaction was void for all purposes as no consent had been given by the Land Control Board.
The most that the 1st and 2nd defendants can get is a refund. The law provides that this refund is
recoverable as a debt. In my view, the cause of action arises immediately the transaction is voided by
the law. The limitation period for recovering a debt is 6 years pursuant to section 4 of the Liimitation of
Actions Act (CAP 22). The claim for recovery of the refund came through an application filed on 15
November 2007. About 13 years had lapsed from the time the agreement became void. Mr. Momanyi for
the plaintiff argued that the recovery of that money has been caught up by limitation and I incline to
agree with him. Neither did the second agreement of 2002 revive the limitation period, for the plaintiff
had no capacity to enter into that agreement. It is also an agreement which is void. My view therefore is
that the counterclaim for refund by the defendants has been caught up by limitation of time. The issue of
limitation was mentioned obiter in the case of Simiyu v Watambala. In the said case Hancox JA,
averred at p857, as follows on a transaction that was declared void for want of consent :-
"The appellant's remedy, subject to the laws of limitation (emphasis mine), was an action for damages,
coupled with the right of recovery of the purchase money under Section 7 of the Act"
I appreciate that the defendants will suffer hardship. I sympathize with them, but the law is not on their
side, and I am unable to twist it so as to grant them the reliefs they have sought. I can probably only
allow them a reasonable period so that they can move from the land, and I do give them 6 months from
the date of this judgment. For these reasons, the counterclaim cannot be sustained and it is hereby
dismissed.
That leaves costs which are at the discretion of the court. Costs ordinarily follow the event and I see no
reason why I should deny the plaintiff the costs of this suit. I grant him costs of both the suit and the
counterclaim.
(1) I order the defendants to vacate the suit land and to do so no later than 6 months from today and in
default the plaintiff is at liberty to apply for their eviction.
(2) Upon vacating, the defendants are hereby permanently restrained from entering or being on the suit
land or utilizing the suit land.
(5) The plaintiff shall have costs of both suit and counterclaim.
Mr. A.M. Kitigin holding brief for Ms Kipseei for the defendants.
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