Limitation period calculator
Work out the last day on which a claim may be filed under the Limitation of Actions Act (Cap 22) and the other statutes a Kenyan civil practice hits most often. Every answer cites the provision it relied on.
6 years from accrual · Limitation of Actions Act (Cap 22) s.4(1)(a)
Pick a cause of action and the date it accrued to see the bar date.
What this does not know
These are the ordinary periods. Real matters carry exceptions this calculator cannot see: disability, fraud or mistake under section 26, acknowledgement or part payment under sections 23 and 24, and extension of time. The date of knowledge can also postpone accrual in personal injury. Treat the result as a prompt to check, not as advice. The advocate on record remains responsible for what is filed.
Limitation periods in Kenya at a glance
| Cause of action | Period | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Contract (simple) | 6 years | Limitation of Actions Act (Cap 22) s.4(1)(a) |
| Tort (general) | 3 years | Limitation of Actions Act (Cap 22) s.4(2) |
| Personal injury (negligence) | 3 years | Limitation of Actions Act (Cap 22) s.4(2) |
| Defamation | 1 year | Limitation of Actions Act (Cap 22) s.4(2) |
| Recovery of land | 12 years | Limitation of Actions Act (Cap 22) s.7 |
| Enforcement of a judgment | 12 years | Limitation of Actions Act (Cap 22) s.4(4) |
| Recovery of trust property | 6 years | Limitation of Actions Act (Cap 22) s.20 |
| Claim against a deceased's estate | 6 years | Limitation of Actions Act (Cap 22) s.20(2) |
| Judicial review (certiorari) | 6 months | Law Reform Act (Cap 26) s.9(3) |
| Employment claim | 3 years | Employment Act 2007 s.90 |
| Claim against a public body | 3 years | Public Authorities Limitation Act (Cap 39) |
| Tort against the Government | 1 year | Public Authorities Limitation Act (Cap 39) s.3(1) |
Stop calculating. Start diarising.
Inside LawFirmly, one click writes the bar date into the matter diary along with escalating reminders at six months, three months, one month and one week out. A time-barred claim has to survive four warnings instead of one.
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