Somali-Kenyan oil magnate Abdinasir Ali Hassan has suffered a significant legal setback after the Court of Appeal in Nairobi dismissed his attempt to block the sale of a high-value property in the capital’s Upper Hill district. Valued at KSh1.2 billion ($9.3 million), the property had been placed on the auction block by Credit Bank Limited, prompting Hassan’s latest bid to halt the transaction.
In a unanimous ruling delivered by Justices Wanjiru Karanja, Mumbi Ngugi and Aggrey Muchelule, the appellate court rejected Hassan’s petition and ordered him to pay costs, noting that his arguments did not meet the legal threshold required to stop the auction. The decision brings an end to a protracted dispute that has unfolded over several years and triggered multiple court battles.
Court records show that the contested property, owned by One Upperhill Towers Limited, had been pledged to Credit Bank as collateral for credit facilities extended to Jabavu Village Limited and Hasscon Pharmaceuticals Limited, businesses linked to Hassan’s expansive Hass Petroleum Group, which operates across 11 countries with commercial offices in London and Dubai.
The dispute escalated earlier in the year when One Upperhill Towers approached the High Court on January 30, 2025, seeking to stop Credit Bank from auctioning the building through Purple Royal Auctioneers and Garam Investments Auctioneers. The company insisted that the loan was being serviced as agreed and accused the bank of acting in bad faith by initiating what it called a premature and unlawful sale. It further argued that the lender had violated mandatory procedures under Kenya’s Land Act, including the requirement to issue proper notices and provide reasonable time to redeem the property.
But both the High Court and the Appellate Court concluded that the loan had indeed fallen into arrears, entitling Credit Bank to enforce its rights under the security agreement. The judges held that once a borrower defaults, the lender is legally empowered to sell the secured property, clearing the way for Credit Bank to proceed with the auction.
The ruling marks a fresh challenge for Hassan, who has spent years expanding Hass Petroleum’s footprint across East Africa. While widely known for its fuel retail operations, the group has been pushing more aggressively into upstream ventures and regional energy partnerships. Earlier this year, Hassan revealed that the Mozambican government had expressed strong interest in collaborating with Hass Petroleum on natural-gas infrastructure projects, with discussions moving into what he described as “the second level” of engagement.
Even as his business interests continue to widen across the continent, the court’s decision underscores the financial and legal pressures surrounding some of his Kenyan-based assets and signals that lenders may increasingly take a firmer stance with high-profile borrowers facing repayment challenges.
