Hanos [Kenya] Limited v Dhiren Mohalal Shah [2021] KECA 652 (KLR)
The bottom line
#Kenya's Court of Appeal struck out an appeal because its foundational Notice of Appeal had already been struck out — no foundation, no appeal.
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 respondent's appeal filed on 20th June 2019 should be struck out for failure to take essential steps under the Court of Appeal Rules and as an abuse of process
- 2.Whether the appeal is competent given that the underlying Notice of Appeal dated 22nd October 2018 had already been struck out in Civil Application No. 110 of 2018
Key legal issues
#Competence of an appeal founded on a Notice of Appeal already struck out
The appeal was struck out without going into the merits of the striking-out application because the Notice of Appeal underpinning it had already been struck out in Civil Application No. 110 of 2018, rendering the appeal incompetent.
The court noted that the applicant's own application relied on the pending motion in Civil Application No. 110 of 2018. That application had since been heard inter partes and the Notice of Appeal dated 22nd October 2018 was struck out. Since that notice was the foundation of the present appeal, the appeal had no leg to stand on and was incompetent and liable to be struck out, making determination of the other grounds unnecessary.
Legal principles established
#- An appeal whose foundational Notice of Appeal has been struck out is incompetent and must itself be struck out
Court orders
#- 1.The application dated 19th July 2019 is allowed
- 2.The respondent's appeal filed on 20th June 2019 is struck out
- 3.Costs of the application to the applicant
The bench
#One judgment of the whole court — no separate or dissenting opinions.
- On appeal from
- Environment & Land Court at Mombasa
- Mombasa ELC No. 52 of 2016 (Formerly Misc. Civil Application No. 667 OS of 2009)
- Jurisdiction invoked
- Rules 84 and 87(1), (h), (i), (j) and (k) of the Court of Appeal Rules
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 foundation having been removed, the appeal stands on quicksand. It is in fact incompetent and liable to be struck out.
Accordingly the application is allowed with the consequence that the respondent’s appeal filed on 20 th June 2019 be and is hereby struck out with costs to the applicant.
Issues in the judgment
#The coram states the court is sitting at Mombasa but the delivery clause states the ruling was dated and delivered at Nairobi
Key timeline
#Practical implications
#Frequently asked questions
#Cite this brief
#Cite this brief
Caselaw, "Hanos [Kenya] Limited v Dhiren Mohalal Shah [2021] KECA 652 (KLR)", Case Analysis (2021). Civil Application No. 64 of 2019. Source: https://new.kenyalaw.org/akn/ke/judgment/keca/2021/652/eng@2021-04-23
Suggested citation format for research notes or client memos. Always verify the original judgment before relying on any point.