Silas Simeri Opetu T/A Malaba Security Services v National Bank of Kenya & 2 Others
The bottom line
#A Kenyan land court struck out a property owner's challenge to a bank auction because disputes about loan charges belong in the High Court, not the Environment and Land Court.
What this practically means
#Executive summary
#Questions the Court framed
#The issues the Court set itself to decide, in its own words.
- 1.Whether this Court has jurisdiction to entertain the Plaintiff's suit.
Key legal issues
#Whether the ELC has jurisdiction over a suit challenging a chargee's exercise of statutory power of sale
No - the suit was struck out for want of jurisdiction.
The Court examined the pleadings and reliefs. Though the suit concerns registered land, the Plaintiff did not challenge title or ownership. The gravamen was alleged non-compliance with statutory notices, disputed indebtedness and restraint of sale under the charge. Following Co-operative Bank v Njuguna and Bank of Africa v TSS Investment, such disputes fall within the High Court's civil jurisdiction, not Article 162(2)(b).
Whether Section 150 of the Land Act confers jurisdiction on the ELC over disputes arising from charges
Section 150 cannot be read as conferring unlimited jurisdiction over every dispute where land is used as security; the constitutional allocation under Article 162(2)(b) as interpreted by the Court of Appeal is decisive.
The Court acknowledged Section 150 confers jurisdiction over land disputes under the Land Act, but held it must be read within the constitutional remit of Article 162(2)(b) and cannot override the binding Court of Appeal interpretation that charge and mortgage disputes belong to the High Court.
Legal principles established
#- Jurisdiction is everything; a court without jurisdiction must down tools immediately.
- The ELC's jurisdiction does not extend to mortgages, charges, collection of dues and exercise of statutory power of sale; the dominant nature of the dispute, not the mere involvement of land, is determinative.
- Jurisdiction cannot be conferred by consent, acquiescence or pleading.
Court orders
#- 1.The suit is hereby struck out for want of jurisdiction.
- 2.The Plaintiff shall bear the costs of the suit payable to the 1st Defendant.
The bench
#One judgment of the whole court — no separate or dissenting opinions.
Wrote the judgment
- Jurisdiction invoked
- Article 162(2)(b) of the Constitution and Section 13 of the Environment and Land Court Act (jurisdiction examined sua sponte)
Relief refused
#All reliefs sought in the Amended Plaint (injunctions, declaration of nullity of auction, accounts)
Suit struck out for want of jurisdiction; the dominant dispute concerns enforcement of a charge and statutory power of sale, outside ELC jurisdiction.
Costs
The Plaintiff shall bear the costs of the suit payable to the 1st Defendant.
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.
Jurisdiction is everything. Where a court acts without jurisdiction, it cannot make one more step in the proceedings.
The Court must examine the real nature and substance of the dispute and determine the dominant issue arising from the pleadings.
The fact that the dispute concerns a parcel of registered land is therefore not determinative. What is determinative is the substance of the controversy.
a) The suit is hereby struck out for want of jurisdiction. b) The Plaintiff shall bear the costs of the suit payable to the 1st Defendant.
Issues in the judgment
#Chronology anomaly: directions dated 27th July 2026 in a suit numbered 2024 with submissions dated 5th August 2026.
Key timeline
#Practical implications
#Frequently asked questions
#Cite this brief
#Cite this brief
Caselaw, "Silas Simeri Opetu T/A Malaba Security Services v National Bank of Kenya & 2 Others", Case Analysis (2026). ELC LC No. E006 of 2024. Source: https://new.kenyalaw.org/akn/ke/judgment/keelc/2026/6010/eng@2026-09-30
Suggested citation format for research notes or client memos. Always verify the original judgment before relying on any point.