Akithi Ranching (Directed Agricultural) Company Limited v National Land Commission & 3 others (Environment and Land Petition E009 of 2023) [2025] KEELC 6147 (KLR)
The bottom line
#What this practically means
#Executive summary
#Questions the Court framed
#The issues the Court set itself to decide, in its own words.
- 1.Whether the 11 applicants in the application dated 18/9/2024 have met the criteria for joinder to the petition as interested parties
- 2.Whether the 9 applicants in the application dated 22/11/2024 have met the criteria for joinder to the petition as interested parties
Key legal issues
#Criteria for joinder of interested parties to a constitutional petition
Applicants who own and occupy parcels within the Ngaremara/Gambela Adjudication Section, which is the subject of the certiorari orders sought, qualify as interested parties
The court applied rule 5(d) and rule 7 of the Mutunga Rules and the Trusted Society and Muruatetu tests. It found that the applicants' parcels were the subject matter of the land adjudication notice and title-annulment reliefs sought by the petitioner, and that the petitioner also sought a lease over land the applicants claim to hold. Their personal, proximate interests were demonstrated through letters from the Sub-County Land Adjudication & Settlement Officer identifying their parcels and demarcation maps. They were therefore entitled to be heard.
Whether the applicants demonstrated identifiable parcels despite the petitioner's objection
Yes - both groups exhibited letters from the Tigania East/Central Sub-County Land Adjudication & Settlement Officer identifying their specific parcels together with demarcation maps
The petitioner had argued the applicants failed to identify the parcels they occupy and to demonstrate an identifiable stake. The court found both groups had exhibited letters from the Sub-County Land Adjudication & Settlement Officer identifying the specific parcels held by each applicant, and demarcation maps showing their locations, thereby satisfying the identifiable-stake requirement of the Muruatetu criteria.
Legal principles established
#- An interested party is one with an identifiable stake in the proceedings who will be affected by the decision either way
- Joinder as an interested party is at the discretion of the court and requires the applicant to demonstrate a proximate personal interest, prejudice from non-joinder, and the relevance of the submissions it intends to make
Court orders
#- 1.The 11 applicants in the application dated 18/9/2024 are joined as the 1st to 11th interested parties in this petition
- 2.The 9 applicants in the application dated 22/11/2024 are joined as the 12th to 20th interested parties in this petition
- 3.The petitioners shall amend the petition within 14 days
- 4.The said interested parties are granted leave to file responses to the amended petition, clearly setting out their respective interests/stakes in the suit land
- 5.Costs of the two applications shall be in the petition
The bench
#One judgment of the whole court — no separate or dissenting opinions.
Wrote the judgment
- Jurisdiction invoked
- Article 23(1) and (2) of the Constitution read with rule 5(d) and rule 7 of the Constitution of Kenya (Protection of Rights and Fundamental Freedoms) Practice and Procedure Rules, 2013
Relief refused
#None - both joinder applications were allowed
Costs
Costs of the two applications shall be in the petition.
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.
The applicants in the two applications dated 18/9/2024 and 22/11/2024, respectively, have met the criteria for joinder as interested parties in an existing petition. Costs of the two applications shall be in the petition.
Clearly, the applicants properly fit the definition of interested parties in the above circumstances. They are entitled to be heard in the petition.
The said interested parties are hereby granted leave to file responses to the amended petition, clearly setting out their respective interests/stakes in the suit land.
Key timeline
#Practical implications
#Frequently asked questions
#Cite this brief
#Cite this brief
Caselaw, "Akithi Ranching (Directed Agricultural) Company Limited v National Land Commission & 3 others (Environment and Land Petition E009 of 2023) [2025] KEELC 6147 (KLR)", Case Analysis (2025). Petition dated 4/6/2024 (Meru ELC). Source: https://new.kenyalaw.org/akn/ke/judgment/keelc/2025/6147/eng@2025-09-15
Suggested citation format for research notes or client memos. Always verify the original judgment before relying on any point.