Eric Ng’ang’a & Antony Ndung’u T/A Five One Enterprises v Nairobi Liquor Board - Dagoreti North Sub County Alcoholics Drink Control and Licensing Committee & City County Alcoholics Drinks Control and Licensing Board [2017] KEHC 2078 (KLR) | Judicial Review Procedure | Esheria

Eric Ng’ang’a & Antony Ndung’u T/A Five One Enterprises v Nairobi Liquor Board - Dagoreti North Sub County Alcoholics Drink Control and Licensing Committee & City County Alcoholics Drinks Control and Licensing Board [2017] KEHC 2078 (KLR)

Full Case Text

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REPUBLIC OF KENYA

IN THE HIGH COURT OF KENYA

AT NAIROBI

JUDICIAL REVIEW NO. 56 OF 2017

IN THE MATTER OF AN APPLICATION FOR LEAVE TO APPLY FOR ORDERS OF JUDICIAL REVIEW

AND

IN THE MATTER OF AN APPLICATION FOR ORDERS OF CERTIORARI AND PROHIBITION.

AND

IN THE MATTE OF THE DECISION OF THE NAIROBI CITY COUNTY ALCOHOLIC DRINKS CONTROL AND LICENSING BOARD

AND

IN THE MATTER OF FIVE ONE ENTERPRISES

ERIC NG’ANG’A

ANTONY NDUNG’U T/A FIVE ONE ENTERPRISES...........APPLICANTS

VERSUS

THE NAIROBI LIQUOR BOARD-DAGORETI NORTH

SUB COUNTY ALCOHOLICS DRINK CONTROL AND

LICENSING COMMITTEE..1ST...........................................RESPONDENT

THE NAIROBI CITY COUNTY ALCOHOLIC DRINKS

CONTROL AND LICENSING BOARD.......................2ND RESPONDENT

JUDGMENT

1. On 15th February 2017 this court granted to the exparte applicants ERIC NG’ANG’A and ANTONY NDUNG’U T/A FIVE ONE ENTERPRISES leave to institute Judicial Review proceedings to challenge the decision made by the 2nd respondent THE NAIROBI CITY COUNTY ALCOHOLICS DRINKS CONTROL AND LICENSING BOARDon 11th February 2017 to revoke/cancel the applicant’s Liquor Licence No. 07785 and single permit No. 1413074 issued for the restaurant business more particularly known as Five One Lounge, by way of certiorari and prohibition. The court declined to grant a mandatory stay order.

2. Vide a notice of motion dated 23rd February 2017, the exparte applicants Eric Ng’ang’a and Anthony Ndung’u T/A Five One Enterprises sought from this court orders:

a. That this honourable court be pleased to issue an order of certiorari to remove into the High Court and quash the decision of the 1st respondent made on the 9th January 2017 to revoke/cancel the applicants liquor licence number 07785 and single business permit No. 1413074 issued for the restaurant business more particularly known as Five One Lounge;

b. That this Honourable court be pleased to issue an order of certiorari to remove into the High Court and quash the decision of the 2nd respondent made on the 11th January 2017 to revoke/ the applicants liquor licence number 07785 and single business permit No. 1413074 issued for the restaurant business more particularly known as Five One Lounge.

c. Costs.

3. The notice of motion was predicated on the statutory statement and verifying affidavit sworn by Eric Nganga and the exhibits annexed thereto, accompanying the chamber summons for leave dated 10th February 2017.

4. The exparte applicant’s case is that they intended to establish a business of restaurant within the City County of Nairobi- Dagoreti Sub County hence they applied to the Dagoreti Sub County Office of the Nairobi Liquor Licencing Board for a licence to operate which licence was granted as follows:

i. Nairobi City County Liquor Licence ID No. 07785 valid from 30th August 2016 to 29th August 2017.

ii. Nairobi City County unified Business Permit ID/No. 1413074 valid for the year 2017.

5. That the applicants secured premises on LR No. 209/7153/39, Apple Cross Court, Lavington, Nairobi belonging to Verdulana Gardens Ltdand signed a tenancy agreement to lease the premises for 3 years from April 2016 for a consideration of kshs 450,000 monthly rent.

6. That the applicants had secured a bank loan of kshs 14,000 from NIC Bank through a related company called Mac Dee Fast Foods Ltd and commenced operations in August 2016 legitimately expecting to conduct their business peacefully and without any unlawful interference by the respondent and or a third party.

7. The applicants allegedly continued operating their business called Five One Lounge until 11th January 2017 when the respondents herein issued letters dated 9th January 2017 and 11th January 2017 to the effect that the licences and business permit issued to the applicants had been revoked on allegations made by Apple Cross Residents Association that the applicants had violated the terms of the said licences and the Nairobi City County Alcoholics Drinks Control and Licensing Act, 2014.

8. That by letter dated 9th January 2012 the 1st respondent THE NAIROBI LIQUOR BOARD-DAGORETI NORTH SUB COUNTY ALCOHOLICS DRINK CONTROL AND LICENSING COMMITTEE summarily revoked the applicant’s liquor licence No. 07785 in purported exercise of the powers donated by the Nairobi City County Alcoholics Drinks Control and Licensing Act, 2014 and later on 11th January 2017 the 2nd respondent summarily revoked the applicant’s business permit No. 1413074 on the basis of complainants of noise and music in excess of the required noise levels.

9. The applicants believe that the actions by the respondents in revoking the liquor licence and business permit are unlawful, irregular, unreasonable, and unconstitutional and a nullity in law, warranting the intervention of this court to quash them and grant the reliefs sought granted.

10. It is further alleged that cancellation of the liquor licence was contrary to the provisions of Section 35 of the Nairobi City County Alcoholics Drinks Control and Licensing Act; that no report was made on the alleged violations of the provisions of the licence as required by Section 34 of the Act; that the applicants were not served with copy of the said report as required under Section 35(a) of the Act; that the applicants were not informed of any meeting of the Nairobi Liquor Board-Dagoreti North sub County as required under Section 35(b) of the Act; that the applicants were not provided with an opportunity to appear and respond to the allegations as provided under Section 35(2) of the Act and the decision to cancel the licence was made summarily and without affording the applicants due process.

11. On allegations of irregularity, the exparte applicant asserted that due process was not followed in the revocation of the licence and business permit; that there was no legal basis in revoking/cancelling the said licence; that there was no complaint or report made claiming the applicants had violated the law or terns of the licence prior to such revocation; and that the respondents in revocating the licence failed to take into consideration any report of violation of the terms of the licence by the Sub –County Liquor Committee.

12. On the allegations of unreasonableness, it was claimed that the decision was made arbitrarily claiming that the applicants were playing music, without empirical evidence thereof or at all; the summary decision that the applicants were in breach of unspecified environmental laws had no basis in evidence or available facts; allegations of non-compliance by the applicants of various agreements made with residents without any evidence of such agreements or disclosing particulars thereof; cancelling of applicant’s licence for speculative and unsubstantiated reasons and cancelling the applicant’s licence for insufficient and unreasonable reasons.

13. On allegations of unconstitutionality it was averred that the respondents violated the applicants’ right to a fair hearing contrary to Article 50(1) of the Constitution; they failed to inform the applicants of allegations against them in sufficient detail necessary to make a defence thereto contrary to the provisions of Article 50(2) (b) of the Constitution; they denied the applicant an opportunity to respond to the allegations contrary to the provisions of Article 50(2) (K) of the Constitution; and cancelled the applicants’ licence in a process that is unlawful, unreasonable and procedurally unfair contrary to Article 47 of the Constitution and the Fair Administrative Action Act, 2015.

14. According to the exparte applicants, the respondents’ actions are malicious and inspired by other factors aside from the law thereby warranting intervention by this court as the said actions have occasioned loss and extreme prejudice by way of closure of the applicants’ business thereby exposing the applicants to recovery actions by suppliers, financiers, landlord and other third party commercial obligations exceeding 1 million per month, which is likely to make the applicants go under, which is unfair and unjust in an open and democratic society governed by the rule of law. That in this case, the respondents acted with impunity thereby destroying the businesses of the applicants which breaches the applicants’ legitimate expectations and caused them massive financial losses and mental anguish and trauma hence it is in the interest of justice that the motion be allowed.

15. The applicants claim that all attempts to resolve this matter amicably by visiting the respondents’ offices have not been successful as the respondents have completely refused to hear out the applicants hence these proceedings.

16. The applicants annexed to their application the exhibits including the licences and permits, tenancy agreement, the impugned letters/decisions dated 9th January 2017 and 11th January 2017 respectively, and notice placed at the premises indicating the revocation of licence placed at the Apple Cross Residents Association.

17. The motion by the applicants was strenuously opposed by the respondents who filed a replying affidavit on 21st March 2017 sworn by Hesbon Mole Agwena the Director, Trade and Licencing Department, Nairobi City County contending that the change of user of the premises in issue was granted on conditions which had to be fully complied with and that revocation of licence and permit were carried out on notice upon receipt by the respondents of complaints by the neighborhood to the effect that the conduct of the applicants in carrying out their business interfered with the residents’ peaceful enjoyment of their property.

18. It was further contended that the applicants had not exhausted all the available legal channels of appeal before approaching the court as envisaged under Section 35(4) of the Nairobi City County Alcoholics Drinks Control and Licensing Act.

19. It was also contended that the respondent is a statutory body which carried out its mandate as authorized by law hence the application for Judicial Review is premature, has no prima facie case/merit and discloses no reasonable cause of action against the respondent, and that the applicants had come to court with unclean hands as they had not exhausted all channels of appeal and were in breach of the conditions attached to the licencing of the business.

20. Parties’ advocates filed submissions to canvass the issues raised in the notice of motion. The applicants’ counsel filed submissions on 22nd March 2017 and supported by a bundle and list of 21 authorities filed on 13th April 2017 whereas the respondents’ counsel filed written submissions on 22nd March 2017 citing statutory law and the case of Giella vs Cassman Brown.

21. The respondents’ counsel urged the court to adopt their written submissions as filed and supported by authorities whereas the applicants’ counsel highlighted his clients’ submissions briefly emphasizing that the respondents summarily cancelled the applicants’ licence which was lawfully issued yet the applicants had taken a loan of 20 million to invest in the business which loan is due and that the closed premises were leased at kshs 450,000 monthly rent.

22. In addition, it was submitted that the twin cancellations effectively closed the applicants’ business without reasons or notice. That the law does not allow such summary cancellation of licences hence the decision was manifestly unfair.

23. The rest of the written submissions, apart from citing provisions of the relevant law and case law, mirror the depositions in the applicants’ verifying affidavit which I have reproduced herein above.

24. In response to the replying affidavit filed by the respondents, it was submitted by the applicants’ counsel that there was no evidence of any complaint made against the applicants’ business or breach of licence provisions.

25. That no OB from police was produced to show persons affected by alleged breach of conditions for issuance of licences since the law at Section 34(3) of the relevant Act mandated that the complaint must be in writing hence the cancellation of licence and permit was malicious because another business was opened after closure of the applicants’ business.

26. It was submitted that no notice of breach or hearing as required under Section 35 of the Act and that what the applicants received was only a letter closing down their business on allegations of a complaint which complaint has not been exhibited hence the decisions are null and void since there was no hearing.

27. The respondents’ submissions mirror the contentions contained in the replying affidavit sworn by Director of Trade’s Licencing elucidated above. The respondents maintained that vide letter of 8th August 2016 they communicated to the applicants further conditions of change of user licence which was clear that in the event of activities of the proposed development giving rise to adverse impact to the immediate neighborhood during its operations, approval will be cancelled automatically without any further reference to the applicant and subject to no playing of loud music and or noise beyond the decibels allowed under the Environmental Management Act, 1999 and its Regulations.

28. It was submitted that the licence and permits granted to the applicants were revoked on 9th January 2017 and 11th January 2017 respectively after the residents of Apple Cross Road Association lodged a series of complaints of playing loud music exceeding the required noise level/decibels contrary to the Environment Laws by the applicant. It was further reiterated that the applicants had not exhausted all forms of procedures before coming to court as required by Section 9(2) of the Fair Administrative Action Act.

29. It was submitted that Section 21(2) and 35(4) of the Nairobi City County Alcoholics Drinks Control and Licensing Act had been by-passed as it stipulates for an appeal to the Board hence the application should be dismissed with costs.

DETERMINATION

30. I have considered the exparte applicants’ notice of motion in line with the leave of the court granted on 15th February 2017. I have given equal consideration to the respondents’ replying affidavit and the parties respective written and brief oral submissions made by the exparte applicants’ counsel together with the constitutional, statutory and case law cited in support and against the application.

31. In my humble view, the issues that flow for determination are:

1) Whether the applicant’s notice of motion as filed is competently before the court to warrant a determination on merit the prayers sought.

2) What orders should the court make.

3) Who should bear costs of the application?

32. On the first and most important issue of whether the motion before this court is competently filed to warrant a determination on merit the prayers sought, the commencement point is the leave granted on 15th February 2017. In the ruling on leave made on 15th February 2017, this court considered at length the chamber summons dated 10th February 2017 for leave which was brought under certificate of urgency and after certifying it as urgent, delved into the merits of the leave sought and declined to grant the prayer seeking leave of court to institute Judicial Review proceedings seeking for order of certiorari to remove into the High Court and quash the decision of the 1st respondent made on the 9th January 2017 to revoke/cancel the applicants liquor licence number 07785 and single business permit No. 1413074 issued for the restaurant more particularly known as Five One Lounge.

33. The court in declining to grant leave to apply for that Judicial Review remedy gave reasons which are on record and which have not been challenged.

34. An order was extracted on 17th February 2017 signed by the Deputy Registrar of this court clearly stipulating that leave to apply was only granted to challenge the decision of the 2nd respondents Board made on 11th January 2017.

35. However, the exparte applicants in their notice of motion dated 23rd February 2017, in their prayer one(1) sought a grant of the orders which the court had declined leave. The notice of motion is clearly filed pursuant to the leave granted on 15th February 2017 and all the substantive prayers sought in the Chamber Summons are subject to grant of leave of court as required by the provisions of Sections 8 and 9 of the Law Reform Act Cap 26 Laws of Kenya and Order 53 Rules(1) and (2) of the Civil Procedure Rules.

36. For the above reasons, I find and hold that prayer No. (1) of the notice of motion dated 23rd February 2017 is incompetently filed as leave to apply for the said prayer/remedy challenging the 1st respondent’s decision made on 9th January 2017 was rejected by this court on 15th February 2017. The prayer No. 1 is accordingly struck out.

37. On whether prayers 2 and 3 of the notice of motion dated 23rd February 2017 are competently before the court to warrant a grant of the substantive prayer sought, the competency issue relates to whether this court can hear and determine the prayers sought before the applicants exhaust the mechanisms for appeal provided for under the relevant  statute.

38. To answer the competency questions of the substantive prayers hereto for which leave was granted by this court on 15th February 2017, I will first deal with prayer No. 3 of the notice of motion which is silent on which cancellations the applicants were referring to, since the court declined to grant leave challenging the decision of 9th January 2017 and only allowed leave to challenge the decision of 11th January 2017.

39. As the prayer No 3 is vague and does not specify the date of the decision which is sought to be prohibited, I decline to consider the merits thereof. This is because Judicial Review orders are discretionary and as such, clarity and precision of the pleadings is key to invoking the jurisdiction of the court. From the manner in which the prayer No. 3 of the motion is framed, it could apply to prayer No.1 relating to the decision of 9th January 2017 or prayer No. 2 relating to the decision of 11th January 2017 which decisions were made by different respondents in their separate and not joint capacities.

40. Accordingly, the prayer No. 3 is hereby declined and rejected for being vague and ambiguous.

41. The court is then left with prayers Nos 2 and 4 of the motion to consider. Prayer No. 4 is on costs so it will be determined last.

42. Commencing with prayer No. 2 of the Notice of Motion, the respondents raised a very important point of law on the jurisdiction of this court to hear and determine the motion before the applicants exhaust the internal appeal mechanisms provided for under the provisions of Sections 21(2) and (35) 4 of the Nairobi City County Alcoholics Drinks Control and Licensing Act and Section 9(2) of the Fair Administrative Action Act, 2015.

43. The exparte applicants’ counsel did not submit on this very important issue which could determine the notice of motion in limine.

44. The Nairobi City County Alcoholics Drinks Control and Licensing Act No. 3 of 2014 is an Act of the Nairobi City County Assembly to provide for the implementation of the National Government policy on alcoholic drinks and for the control, licencing, regulation and general administration of the manufacture, advertisement, sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks in the County and for connected purposes.

45. The objects of the Act are among others, to (a) give further effect to part 2 paragraph 4(c) of the Fourth Schedule to the Constitution which assigns the County Government the function of liquor licencing; (b) to ensure that the National Government policy on the control of alcoholic drinks as set out in the National Alcoholics Drinks Act is implemented at the County level in accordance with the requirements of Article 189 of the Constitution to the effect that government at either level shall, among other things, as appropriate, implement the legislation of the other level of government; (c) to facilitate the application and enforcement of the national government standards on the regulation of manufacture, advertisement, sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks.

46. The Act at Section 4 Part II establishes the Nairobi City County Alcoholic Drinks Control and Licencing Board whose functions are stipulated in Section 5 of the Act to:

a) Ensure the implementation of the national government policy on the control and regulation of alcoholic drinks within the county;

b) Entertain appeals from the decision of the Sub County Committees under this Act;

c) On its own motion, or on, application by any person review any action or decision of the Sub County Committee under this Act;

d) Advise the County Government generally on the control and licencing policy on alcoholics drinks within the County;

e) Regulate the conduct of the Sub County licencing committees and ensure the full implementation of both the national and county governments policies on alcohol control and licencing among other functions.[emphasis added].

47. Under Section 6 of the Act, there is established for every Sub County, a committee known as the Sub County Alcoholic Drinks Control and Licencing Committee which is tasked with the responsibility of issuing licences in accordance with the Act and perform other duties as may be allocated from time to time by the Governor or the Executive Committee member.

48. Section 8 of the Act mandates that a person ( material to this case) operating an establishment for the sale of an alcoholic drink shall apply in the prescribed Form 1 in the 2nd Schedule to the Sub County Committee in the Sub county where the premises is to be situated and shall pay a prescribed fee.

49. In the instant case, the court is concerned with the competence of the prayer No. 2 in the motion which seeks to quash the decision of the 2nd respondent Board established under Section 4 of the Act, to revoke the licence and permit issued to the exparte applicants to operate a restaurant.

50. This is so because the court at the leave stage, after considering prayer No. 1 which challenged the decision of the Sub county licencing committee made on 9th January 2017 found that the applicant had not exhausted the internal mechanisms for appeal as stipulated in Sections 5, 21(1) (e) of the Act and Section 9(2) of the Fair Administrative Action Act that requires an aggrieved party to first exhaust the internal mechanisms for appeal or review before resorting to Judicial Review remedies.

51. Section 21(1) of the Act empowers the Sub County committee to revoke a licence in accordance with the Act and at subsection (2), any person who is aggrieved by the decision of the Sub county Committee made under the Section may appeal in accordance with the Act.

52. Section 5(b) of the Act provides for functions of the Nairobi City County Alcoholic Drinks Control and Licencing Board which function is to entertain appeals from the decisions of the Sub County Committees under the Act.

53. It follows that a party cannot rush to the High Court to challenge decisions of the Sub county Committee(s) without first appealing to the Nairobi City County Alcoholic Drinks Control and Licencing Board.

54. The procedure for cancellation of a licence is provided for in Section 35 of the Act and under Section 35(4) thereof, any person aggrieved by the decision of the Sub county Committee upon any such report stipulated in the Section may within 21 days appeal against the decision to the Board.

55. Section 35 Sub section 5 however, allows the licencee to obtain a temporary relief of 3 months for purposes of disposing of the alcoholic drink in stock.

56. From the pleadings and exhibits EN4 and EN5 which are the letters dated 9th January 2017 by the Dagoreti North Sub County Committee’s decision to revoke the liquor licence, and the letter dated 11th January 2017 from the Licencing Board, it is clear that the two decisions speak to one and the same thing namely, revocation of liquor licence issued to one Five One Lounge on Apple Cross Road and revocation of business licence for single business permit (BID No. 1413074) and liquor licence No. 07785 for the year 2016/2017.

57. The applicants were directed to cease operations until they adhere to the noise level directives. The latter letter was signed by the Chief Officer for Commerce, Tourism and Co-operatives and who was also the Secretary, County Liquor Board.

58. A reading of the two decisions indicates that it was upon the 2nd respondent receiving the letter dated 9th January 2017 that he made the decision of 11th January 2017.

59. In other words, the Board was only affirming the decision of the Sub County Committee for Dagoretti North, to revoke the licences. Under Section 26 of the National Government Alcoholic Drinks Control Act, 2014, a party whose licence has been cancelled by the District Committee may appeal to the High Court and the decision of the High Court on such matter is final.

60. The County Government legislation must be read together with the National Government legislation and in this case, the County Government legislation provides for application of the national legislation at section 14 of the Act to fill the gap.

61. As the National legislation provides for an appeal to the High Court it follows that the 2nd respondent’s decision made on 11th January 2017 could only be appealed to the High Court. This is supported by Section 14 of the Nairobi City County Alcoholic Drinks and Licencing Act, 2014 which stipulates that an applicant whose application for a new licence to review or transfer a licence has been refused or cancelled, may, within twenty one days of such refusal appeal against such refusal in accordance with the national legislation.

62. The Board under Section 5(h) of the county legislation is empowered to generally administer the Act and as appropriate, any relevant provision of the National Alcoholic Drinks Control Act, 2010, which is the National legislation.

63. However, it is my considered opinion that the Act does not give the Board the power to revoke the licence but to hear appeals from the Sub County Committee.

64. In the instant case, the Sub County committee had already revoked the licence on 9th January 2017 whether rightly or not, upon which an aggrieved party could move to appeal to the Board.

65. It follows that as at 11th January 2017 there was no liquor licence capable of being revoked or cancelled by the Board which could only have heard an appeal.

66. Accordingly, I find and hold that the Board in issuing the letter of 11th January 2017 was acting in vain as there was no licence capable of being revoked and therefore where there is nothing to be done then nothing was done and it would be superfluous for this court to quash a decision that was no decision at all.

67. Further, the applicant could not appeal to the High Court challenging the decision of the Board as it was a decision made in vain. The Board should have waited until the appeal from the Sub County was placed before it for consideration. The letter of 9th January 2017 was not an appeal but information to the Board by the Sub County Committee on the decision the Sub county Committee had taken against the exparte applicants. In Macfoy vs United African Company Ltd(1961) 3 ALL ER 1169, the court held:

“If an act is void, then it is in law a nullity. It is not only bad, but incurably bad. There is no need for an order of the court to set it aside. It is automatically null and void without more ado, though it is sometimes convenient to have the court declare it to be so. And every proceeding which is founded on it is also bad and incurably bad. You cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stay there. It will collapse.”

68. This court has supervisory powers over subordinate courts, boards, bodies or persons exercising Judicial or quasi judicial or administrative powers but not over superior courts. This is stipulated in Article 165(6) of the constitution. Under Article 165(7), the court may call for the record of any proceedings before any subordinate court or person, body or authority referred in clause (6), and may make any order or give any direction it considers appropriate to ensure the fair administration of justice.

69. The above provisions enjoin this court to call for, examine the record of proceedings before any administrative, judicial or quasi judicial authority or body and make any order or give any direction it considers appropriate to ensure fair administration of justice.

70. It is for the above reason that I would exercise the supervisory jurisdiction of the court under Article 165 (6) and (7) of the Constitution and direct that as there was no appeal filed before the Board for consideration, the Board had no power to revoke/cancel the licence issued to the applicants, which license had already been revoked by the Sub county Committee . This is not to say that I am reversing any decision of the Sub County Committee as that decision is amenable for challenge before the Board. Accordingly, I declare the purported cancellation of the applicant’s license by the Board a nullity and of no consequence. This leaves in place the cancellation by the Sub county Committee which the applicants can challenge in the manner provided for under the Act without rushing to this court contrary to the provisions of section 9(2 ) and ( 3) of the Fair Administrative Action Act.

80. This court has therefore refrained itself from delving into the merits of the decision of the Board and Sub County Committee as to do otherwise would prejudice the interests of the parties should they wish to file an appeal or in the event that there is such an appeal filed by the aggrieved parties.

81. With regard to prayer No. 2 , I find that the decision of the Board was made in vain as the Board had no power to cancel/revoke any licence issued to the applicant and in any event, the “revoked” licence was no longer in existence, having been revoked by the Sub County Committee hence the purported revocation was an exercise in futility. The revocation by the Board is therefore hereby brought before this court and quashed, in exercise of jurisdiction conferred by Article 165(6) and (7) of the Constitution.

82. Prayer No. 1 having been spent at the leave stage, and prayer 2 having been spent as it was made in vain by the 2nd respondent, there is nothing to determine regarding whether or not the applicant had exhausted the internal mechanisms for appeal provided for under the relevant Act.

83. In the end, I find that the motion as filed by the exparte applicant is incompetent in terms of prayer No. 1 and 3and with regard to prayer No. 2, I find that the Board had no jurisdiction to revoke a license which had already been revoked. The Board’s revocation is accordingly declared a nullity and of no consequence.

84. I order that each party do bear their own costs of these judicial review proceeding as a whole as none of the parties have substantially succeeded in this matter.

Dated, signed and delivered in open court at Nairobi this 7th day of November, 2017.

R. E. ABURILI

JUDGE

In the presence of

Mr Masese h/b for Mr Njenga for exparte applicants

N/A for 1st respondents

N/A for 2nd respondents

CA George