Nairobi City billionaire Chris Obure’s SBS Dunhill Group (EA) Limited has secured a significant legal victory after the Environment and Land Court dismissed an application seeking to overturn proceedings and decisions arising from a year-long protracted tenancy dispute over Senteu Plaza in Kilimani.
In a 10 Page Judgment delivered by Hon. Justice Charles G. Mbogo, on June 15, 2026, the court dismissed a Notice of Motion filed by Ajeetkumar C. Shah and Others finding that the application lacked merit.
The dispute stemmed from attempts by the applicants to challenge proceedings before the Business Premises Rent Tribunal (BPRT) and halt further action relating to the commercial property located along Lenana Road.
The applicants had sought a raft of judicial review orders, including the quashing of tribunal decisions and an order prohibiting the tribunal from handling matters connected to the premises. However, the court declined to grant the orders sought.
“The Court finds no merit in the Notice of Motion dated 5th August 2025,” Justice Mbogo ruled, directing that each party bear its own costs and ordering that the matter be marked as closed.
The decision effectively upholds SBS Dunhill Group’s position in the dispute and brings to an end a legal challenge that sought to question the tribunal’s handling of the matter.
The ruling comes amid a series of high-profile legal battles surrounding ownership, tenancy rights and control of Senteu Plaza, one of Kilimani’s prime commercial properties.
Court records show that SBS Dunhill Group was named as the second respondent in the proceedings, with the applicants seeking to overturn rulings issued in several tribunal cases linked to the tenancy dispute.
Legal analysts say the judgment reinforces the principle that courts will not readily interfere with proceedings before specialized tribunals unless there are clear legal grounds warranting intervention.
The ruling also provides certainty for SBS Dunhill Group regarding its interests in the disputed property after months of litigation before both the Business Premises Rent Tribunal and the Environment and Land Court.
The latest court victory comes barely a month after SBS Dunhill Group filed a separate multi-billion-shilling suit at the Commercial and Tax Division of the High Court, seeking more than KSh7.6 Billion in compensation over what it describes as an illegal eviction from the same property.
In the suit, the company alleges that it was unlawfully evicted from Senteu Plaza in May 2025, resulting in substantial financial losses, including the alleged disappearance of 330 Kilograms of jewelery and family gold bars as well as cash reportedly kept in a diplomatic safe. The company is seeking compensation for the alleged loss of the gold, renovation costs, excess payments, business losses, damages and legal expenses.
Those claims remain before the court and are yet to be determined, while the defendants have not publicly responded to the allegations contained in the pleadings.
With the Environment and Land Court having dismissed the latest challenge and formally closed the file, SBS Dunhill Group emerges as the principal beneficiary of the ruling, bringing a measure of finality to one aspect of a dispute that continues to generate significant legal and public interest.
