Kenyan High Court: 2,863 Petitioners Challenge Local Firms' Authority in Pamp

Nairobi — A dispute over who has the authority to represent Procter & Gamble and Kimberly-Clark in a Kenyan court will be heard on October 19, following a challenge by 2,863 petitioners seeking to establish whether local entities can act for the multinational companies. The petitioners, represented by Joseph Mwai Advocates, argue that Procter & Gamble Distribution East Africa Limited cannot automatically represent Procter & Gamble, the global manufacturer and trademark owner named in the proceedings. They have asked the High Court to determine whether the local distributor has formal authority to act for the foreign parent company. A similar challenge has been raised over the role of Kimberly-Clark South Africa (Pty) Ltd in proceedings involving the second and fourth respondents. Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines The petitioners' lawyers said they had filed several applications since 2024 seeking a determination of the issue before the court considers the substantive claims. The dispute centres on the separate legal status of companies operating under the same multinational group and whether a local subsidiary, distributor or affiliate can represent another company in litigation. The case was previously handled by Justice Chacha Mwita before his elevation to the Court of Appeal. Justice Roselyne Aburili has since taken over the file. A related application is pending at the Court of Appeal, where Civil Application No. E012 of 2026 seeks an extension of time to challenge earlier decisions on the same issue. The petitioners' lawyers said they would inform the appellate court of the October 19 hearing to minimise the risk of conflicting decisions. The High Court's decision could determine how the case proceeds and clarify the authority companies must demonstrate when representing separate corporate entities in Kenyan court proceedings. Read the original article on Capital FM . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

Source: Original reporting via AllAfrica Kenya