Kitonga v Kitonga; Kitonga (Intended Legal Representative) (Civil Appeal (Application) E187 of 2023) [2025] KECA 915 (KLR)
The bottom line
#The Court of Appeal dismissed an attempt to substitute a deceased party because the applicant had no death certificate and no letters of administration.
What this practically means
#Executive summary
#Key legal issues
#Sufficiency of evidence of the respondent's death
A letter from the Assistant Chief alone, without a death certificate, was insufficient evidence of death for substitution purposes.
The court examined the record and found the only document evidencing the respondent's alleged death was a letter from the Assistant Chief of Wikiliye Sub-location dated 23rd December 2024. No death certificate or other official proof was annexed. The court regarded this evidential gap, together with the applicant's defective drafting, as fatal to the motion, and declined to exercise its discretion in the applicant's favour.
Capacity of the intended legal representative
A person who has not taken out letters of administration lacks capacity to be substituted as legal representative of a deceased party for purposes of continuing an appeal.
The grounds of opposition contended that the intended legal representative had not taken out letters of administration and therefore lacked capacity to represent the estate. On reviewing the record, the court found no evidence that letters of administration had been obtained, and treated that omission as a ground for dismissing the application in its entirety.
Confusion regarding representation of a deceased respondent
The court noted the anomaly of grounds of opposition purportedly filed on behalf of a respondent alleged to be deceased, and questioned the drafting standards of the documents filed.
The court observed that the motion was poorly drafted with grammatical mistakes falling short of the standard expected of an advocate, and that the grounds of opposition were filed by a firm of advocates purporting to act for a respondent who was said to be deceased. Notwithstanding these anomalies, the court proceeded to determine the motion on the material before it and dismissed it on the evidential and capacity grounds.
Legal principles established
#- An application for substitution of a deceased party must be supported by proper evidence of death, including at least a death certificate, and the intended legal representative must demonstrate that letters of administration have been taken out to confer capacity.
Court orders
#- 1.The motion on notice dated 31st December 2024 is dismissed in its entirety
- 2.No order as to costs was made (the applicant had sought that costs of the application be in the cause)
- On appeal from
- null
- null
- Jurisdiction invoked
- Rule 96 of the Court of Appeal Rules (as cited in the motion)
Key timeline
#Practical implications
#Frequently asked questions
#Cite this brief
#Cite this brief
Caselaw, "Kitonga v Kitonga; Kitonga (Intended Legal Representative) (Civil Appeal (Application) E187 of 2023) [2025] KECA 915 (KLR)", Case Analysis (2025). Not stated in the judgment. Source: https://new.kenyalaw.org/akn/ke/judgment/keca/2025/915/eng@2025-05-23
Suggested citation format for research notes or client memos. Always verify the original judgment before relying on any point.