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ELCPartially AllowedNot stated in the judgment

Mwanzo Building Mart Limited & 5 others v Embakasi Ranching Company Limited & another (Environment & Land Case 350 of 2019) [2025] KEELC 3187 (KLR)

Environment and Land Court
8 April 2025
OAO. A. Angote
4,118 words in judgment
View original judgmentRead on Kenya Law Watch case
AI-assisted case brief
·~16 min to read original · ~4 min brief

The bottom line

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Buyers who keep share certificates and payment receipts won court-ordered titles to 89 Embakasi plots, even though the seller never defended the case.

What this practically means

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Executive summary

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Six Plaintiffs sued Embakasi Ranching Company Limited (1st Defendant) and the Chief Land Registrar (2nd Defendant), seeking a permanent injunction, a declaration of lawful ownership, and an order compelling issuance of leasehold titles over approximately 95 plots in the Embakasi Ranching Settlement Scheme at Ruai, which they purchased as non-members between 2005 and 2018. The 1st Defendant, despite service, neither entered appearance nor filed a defence; the 2nd Defendant filed a defence contending no cause of action lies against the government based on possession. The Plaintiffs testified through two witnesses and produced non-member certificates, payment receipts, beacon certificates and photographs of possession. The court noted that during the pendency of the suit, the 2nd Defendant issued Certificates of Lease over six of the plots, leaving 89 plots in dispute. Framing the sole issue as whether the Plaintiffs lawfully acquired title to the 89 plots, the court held that the burden of proof remains on a plaintiff even in an undefended suit, citing Karugi v Kabiya and Section 107 of the Evidence Act. Relying on Lucia Wambui Kariuki on proof of acquisition through land-buying companies and authorities upholding non-member share certificates, the court found the Plaintiffs had established their purchase and possession to the required standard, particularly as the 1st Defendant did not dispute the sale. Judgment was entered: a permanent injunction, a declaration of ownership, an order to the 2nd Defendant to issue leasehold titles, and costs against the 1st Defendant.

Questions the Court framed

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The issues the Court set itself to decide, in its own words.

  1. 1.Whether the Plaintiffs have established that they lawfully acquired title to the 89 plots at issue in this matter

Key legal issues

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01

Whether the Plaintiffs lawfully acquired title to the 89 plots from Embakasi Ranching Company Limited

Holding

Yes. The Plaintiffs produced non-member certificates, payment receipts, beacon certificates and evidence of possession, proving lawful purchase from the 1st Defendant on a balance of probability.

Reasoning

Although the suit was undefended, the burden of proof remained on the Plaintiffs. They were non-members who bought the plots directly from the 1st Defendant and were issued non-member share certificates. Citing authority upholding non-member certificates as proof of ownership, and noting that the 1st Defendant never entered appearance or denied the purchase and had already facilitated some titles, the court found the Plaintiffs established their claim to the required standard.

Legal principles established

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  • The burden of proof on a plaintiff is not lessened where a suit proceeds as undefended formal proof
  • Non-member share certificates issued by a land-buying company, supported by payment receipts, can prove lawful acquisition of plots from the company
  • To prove acquisition of title through a land buying company, one must present the share certificate, payment receipts and, for members, the ballot and clearance certificate

Court orders

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  1. 1.A permanent injunction restraining the Defendants from preparing, processing, facilitating and/or signing any leases or issuing title deeds with respect to the listed Land Reference Numbers (Nairobi Block 136 series) to any persons other than the Plaintiffs
  2. 2.A declaration that the Plaintiffs are the lawful owners of the listed L.R. Numbers Nairobi Block 136 series
  3. 3.An order directed to the 2nd Defendant to issue and/or facilitate the issuance of leasehold titles in respect of the listed L.R. Numbers to the Plaintiffs
  4. 4.Costs of the suit to be paid to the Plaintiff by the 1st Defendant

The bench

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One judgment of the whole court — no separate or dissenting opinions.

OA
majority

Wrote the judgment

Jurisdiction invoked
Original civil jurisdiction of the Environment and Land Court over disputes relating to title to land (Article 162(2)(b) of the Constitution, though not expressly cited in the judgment)

Relief refused

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Claim in respect of plots for which Certificates of Lease had already been issued (Nairobi Block 136/8512, 136/8513, 136/8514, 136/8529, 136/9818 and 136/9872)

The court noted the claim in respect of these properties had been overtaken by events, as leases had been issued and vacant possession given

p. 8

Costs

Costs of this suit to be paid to the Plaintiff by the 1st Defendant.

Quotable passages

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Verbatim from the judgment, each located to the page it appears on in the official PDF — so these can be cited and checked directly.

Having produced in evidence the non-membership certificates in respect to all the suit properties, and other accompanying documents, including receipts issued by the 1st Defendant, the Plaintiffs have established their claim to the required standards.
p. 8Proof of ownership through non-member certificates
A permanent injunction be and is hereby issued restraining the Defendants from preparing, processing, facilitating and/or signing any leases or issuing title deeds
p. 8Final orders - permanent injunction
A declaration be and is hereby issued that the Plaintiffs are the lawful owners of L.R. Numbers Nairobi Block
p. 9Final orders - declaration of ownership
An order is hereby issued directed to the 2nd Defendant to issue and/or facilitate the issuance of leasehold titles
p. 9Final orders - mandamus to issue titles
Costs of this suit to be paid to the Plaintiff by the 1st Defendant.
p. 9Costs

Issues in the judgment

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minor

The judgment states the Plaintiffs initially sought relief over 95 titles and that only 6 titles had been issued, yet computes the remaining plots as 89 (95 minus 6), which is arithmetically consistent, but the Plaint lists 96 L.R. numbers; minor discrepancy in the count of parcels.

Key timeline

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Practical implications

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Frequently asked questions

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Cite this brief

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Cite this brief

Caselaw, "Mwanzo Building Mart Limited & 5 others v Embakasi Ranching Company Limited & another (Environment & Land Case 350 of 2019) [2025] KEELC 3187 (KLR)", Case Analysis (2025). Not stated in the judgment. Source: https://new.kenyalaw.org/akn/ke/judgment/keelc/2025/3187/eng@2025-04-08

Suggested citation format for research notes or client memos. Always verify the original judgment before relying on any point.