Nyakundi v Kenya Airways Limited
The bottom line
#Kenya's Court of Appeal allowed a litigant to fix omitted grounds in his appeal against Kenya Airways, confirming courts will permit amendments that help decide the real dispute fairly.
What this practically means
#Executive summary
#Questions the Court framed
#The issues the Court set itself to decide, in its own words.
- 1.Whether leave should be granted to amend the memorandum of appeal filed on 26th December 2022
Key legal issues
#Leave to amend a memorandum of appeal
Leave granted where the amendment facilitates just determination of the appeal and the application is unopposed.
The court applied the guiding principle that amendments should be permitted where they facilitate determination of the real controversy and occasion no injustice or prejudice. The application was unopposed, the appellant annexed a draft amended memorandum, and the judge was satisfied the proposed amendment met those requirements.
Legal principles established
#- Amendments should be allowed where they facilitate determination of the real controversy and cause no injustice or prejudice to the other party.
Court orders
#- 1.Leave granted to the appellant to amend the Memorandum of Appeal in terms of the proposed draft
- 2.Amended Memorandum of Appeal to be filed and served within 7 days from the date of delivery of the ruling
- 3.Costs of the application to be in the appeal
The bench
#One judgment of the whole court — no separate or dissenting opinions.
Wrote the judgment
- On appeal from
- High Court of Kenya at Nairobi
- Civil Appeal No. E061 of 2022
- Jurisdiction invoked
- Inherent/appellate jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal over Civil Appeal E863 of 2022 (no specific provision cited in the ruling)
Quotable passages
#Verbatim from the judgment, each located to the page it appears on in the official PDF — so these can be cited and checked directly.
In an application of this nature the guiding principle is that amendments should be allowed if the amendment sought facilitates the determination of the real controversy between parties, if no injustice or prejudice would be occasioned to the other party.
I hereby grant leave to the appellant to amend his Memorandum of Appeal in terms of the proposed draft as aforesaid. The amended Memorandum of Appeal should be filed and served within 7 days from the date of delivery of this ruling.
Key timeline
#Practical implications
#Frequently asked questions
#Cite this brief
#Cite this brief
Caselaw, "Nyakundi v Kenya Airways Limited", Case Analysis (2025). Civil Appeal (Application) E863 of 2022. Source: https://new.kenyalaw.org/akn/ke/judgment/keca/2025/2256/eng@2025-12-19
Suggested citation format for research notes or client memos. Always verify the original judgment before relying on any point.