KENYA · LISTED COMPANIES
Key Facts
- —The country Kenya is an East African nation of more than 50 million people whose capital is Nairobi, and Kakuzi is one of its older listed farming companies.
- —What happened Kenya’s Supreme Court dismissed Kakuzi’s appeal over the Kakuzi golf course land, 72 acres (about 29 hectares), Business Daily reported on Saturday 24 October 2026.
- —The company Kakuzi PLC grows avocados, macadamia nuts, tea and blueberries and is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, with Britain’s Camellia holding 50.7 percent.
- —The ruling The judges found that Makuyu Club had occupied the land continuously and alone, while Kakuzi did not act to assert its ownership in time.
- —The company’s year Kakuzi’s profit before tax fell to KES 10.4 million (about US$80,300) in the six months to 30 June 2026, from KES 435.2 million (about US$3.35 million).
- —Dividend The directors recommended no interim dividend for 2026, and Kakuzi warned that full-year earnings could be at least 25 percent lower than in 2025.
- —Still open Kakuzi has not said how the loss of the land will affect its accounts, and the date of the judgment has not been published in the reports.
The Kakuzi golf course is lost to the company, as Kenya’s Supreme Court dismissed its appeal and left 72 acres with the Makuyu Club. Business Daily, a Nairobi newspaper, reported the ruling on Saturday 24 October 2026.
For US readers, the case shows how a Kenyan court can strip a company of land it has held on paper for nearly 60 years. It also hits a stock that already warned of a sharp fall in profit this year.
What the Court Decided on the Kakuzi Golf Course
The Supreme Court upheld the Court of Appeal and found that the club had used the land continuously and exclusively for the required period. It said Kakuzi “failed” to assert its ownership within the time limit, according to Business Daily.
The court noted that the club had used the land since 1934 and kept using it after Kakuzi bought the wider farm in 1967. The ruling ends what Business Daily called Kakuzi’s latest attempt to overturn a series of judgments for the club.
How the Kakuzi Golf Course Became a Court Fight
The club says white settlers donated the land in 1934 for a golf course, decades before Kakuzi acquired the larger property in 1967. The club went to court in 2002 and asked to be declared owner of the Kakuzi golf course land, about 29 hectares.
Kakuzi argued that the club entered as a donee with its consent, and sued while a lease was still being negotiated in May 2001. The club, speaking through David Mereka, denied that any informal arrangement existed.
What Adverse Possession Means
Adverse possession is a legal rule that lets a person who openly occupies someone else’s land for long enough become its owner. In Kenya the period is 12 years, and the owner can stop the clock only by clear action.
Kakuzi asked the Supreme Court to rule that use which began with the owner’s permission can never count. The judges dismissed the appeal and found that the company had waited until May 2002 to assert its interest.
The Long Road Through the Courts
The Environment and Land Court, a Kenyan court that hears land disputes, ruled for the club in 2019. Kakuzi lost its appeal in the Court of Appeal in November 2024 and then took the case to the Supreme Court, Kenya’s highest court.
In January 2026 the Supreme Court paused the lower ruling, so the club could not take over the Kakuzi golf course land during the appeal. The appeal that the order covered has now been dismissed, according to Business Daily.
Kakuzi Is Already Under Pressure
Kakuzi told investors on 26 August 2026 that half-year sales fell to KES 1.12 billion (about US$8.6 million) from KES 1.51 billion (about US$11.6 million). Profit after tax dropped to KES 7.1 million (about US$54,800) from KES 295.5 million (about US$2.28 million).
The company blamed shipping delays on routes into Europe, a smaller avocado crop and weaker demand for macadamia nuts. It paid KES 313.6 million (about US$2.4 million) in dividends during the period but recommended no interim payout.
What the Land Is Worth to Kakuzi
The Kakuzi golf course is a small slice of an estate that Business Daily describes as expansive. The extract of the half-year report that Kakuzi released to investors does not mention the Makuyu dispute.
Kakuzi is the Kenyan farm company profiled by the Rio Times, a grower and exporter of avocados and macadamia nuts. Its parent, Camellia PLC, holds 50.7 percent and saw its own shares fall 4.9 percent when Kakuzi issued its profit warning in August.
What It Means for US Readers
Investors in Kenyan farm stocks should note that title to farmland can be lost through long, unchallenged use by someone else. Courts also settle big business fights, such as a debt case won by a cigarette maker on 22 October.
For US buyers of Kenyan avocados and macadamia nuts, the Kakuzi golf course loss does not touch the orchards that supply exports. The bigger issue is the shipping and crop pressure that Kakuzi described in its half-year report.
What Is Not Known
The reports do not give the exact date of the Supreme Court judgment or the number of the petition. Kakuzi has not said whether it will record a loss on the Kakuzi golf course land or what the land was worth in its books.
It is not clear whether the company will seek a review of the decision or will negotiate a lease or sale with the club. The club has not said what it plans to do with the title now that it has won.
More: Kenya news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Kakuzi golf course case?
Makuyu Club won, because Kenya’s Supreme Court dismissed Kakuzi’s appeal and upheld the earlier rulings in the club’s favour. Business Daily reported the decision on Saturday 24 October 2026.
How big is the Kakuzi golf course land?
The dispute covers about 72 acres, or roughly 29 hectares, in Murang’a County. The club has used the land as a golf course for decades.
Why did the court say Kakuzi lost?
The judges found that the club had occupied the land continuously and exclusively. Kakuzi did not assert its ownership in time, and Business Daily said it first moved in May 2002.
What is Kakuzi?
Kakuzi PLC is a Kenyan agribusiness that grows avocados, macadamia nuts, tea and blueberries and is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. Camellia PLC of Britain owns 50.7 percent of it.
How has Kakuzi performed this year?
Half-year profit before tax was KES 10.4 million (about US$80,300), against KES 435.2 million (about US$3.35 million) a year before. The company warned that full-year earnings could be at least 25 percent lower than in 2025.
Does the ruling affect Kakuzi’s exports to the US?
The ruling concerns the Kakuzi golf course and not the company’s avocado or macadamia orchards. Kakuzi’s export outlook depends mainly on crop size, prices and shipping routes.
Sources: Business Daily, Kakuzi dealt new blow in fight over Makuyu golf course land, 24 October 2026; Business Daily, Reprieve for Kakuzi in fight for Makuyu Golf Club land, 25 January 2026; Kakuzi PLC, Half-Year Report to 30 June 2026 (RNS), 26 August 2026; AJ Bell, Camellia shares slide after profit warning from Kakuzi, 26 August 2026; Nation, Makuyu Club handed 72-acre golf course as Kakuzi loses ownership case again, November 2024; Kenya News Agency, Golf club wins a land case that lasted 17 years, 2024.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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