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Auctioneers Act, Cap 526

LAWS OF KENYA

THE AUCTIONEERS ACT


Cap. 526

Published by the National Council for Law Reporting


With the Authority of the Attorney-General

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Auctioneers Act, Cap 526

(Repealed by Auctioneers Act, Cap 526)


CHAPTER 526
THE AUCTIONEERS ACT
An Act of Parliament to provide for the licensing of auctioneers and to
regulate sales by auction
Short title.
1.This Act may be cited as the Auctioneers Act.
Interpretation.
L.N.374/1963,
21 of 1966,2nd Sch.,
38 of 1968,Sch.
2. In this Act
"auctioneer" includes every person selling by auction;
"licensing officer" means the Provincial Commissioner of the relative province.
Business of auctioneer.
3. Every person who sells or offers for sale any movable or immovable
property or any interest therein at any sale or group where any person becomes or
may become the purchaser of the same by competition and being the highest bidder,
either by being the sole bidder, or increasing upon the biddings made by others, or
decreasing on sums named by the auctioneer or person acting as auctioneer or other
person at such sale, or by any other mode of sale by competition, shall be deemed to
carry on the business of an auctioneer.
LICENSING OF AUCTIONEERS
Auctioneer to take licence.
38 of 1968,Sch.
4. (1) Whoever carries on the business of an auctioneer without having a
licence in force authorizing him to do so as by this Act directed shall be guilty of an
offence and liable to a fine not exceeding one thousand five hundred shillings.
(2) Whoever, being the holder of a licence in Form B in the Second Schedule to this
Act, shall sell by auction, at any one sale, any property exceeding six hundred
shillings in value, or shall sell any property by auction elsewhere than at the
premises specified in the licence as the place or premises at which the business of an
auctioneer may be carried on, shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not
exceeding one thousand five hundred shillings, and his licence may be suspended or
revoked.

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Auctioneers Act, Cap 526

Applications for licences.


L.N.374/1963,
38 of 1968,Sch.
5. All applications for licences shall be made in writing to the licensing officer
of the Nairobi Area or the province, as the case may be, in which the applicant has or
intends to establish his principal place of business, and every person applying for a
licence shall, at the same time, pay to the licensing officer the amount by this Act
fixed to be paid in respect of such licence, which amount, in case such application
shall be refused, such licensing officer shall forthwith, on demand, repay to the
person who paid the same without any deductions whatsoever.
Fees upon licences.
6. The several sums specified in the First Schedule shall be the fees payable
for every licence to sell by auction for the periods set forth in the said Schedule:
Provided that the amount of professional fee specified in the Schedule may be varied
by the Minister for the time being responsible for finance by notice in the Gazette.
Form and granting of licences.
L.N.342/1956,
L.N.172/1960,
L.N.374/1963.
7. (1) Every licence shall be in one of the forms set forth in the Second
Schedule to this Act and shall be granted by a licensing officer.
(2) Before granting any licence, the licensing officer shall make such inquiries as he
considers requisite for ascertaining that the party proposed to be licensed is a fit and
proper person to be so licensed, and may refuse any licence without assigning any
reason to the applicant:
Provided that any person to whom a licence has been refused may represent his case
to the Minister, who may direct a licence to be granted to him if satisfied that he is a
fit and proper person, or may withhold the licence, or may direct further examination
and inquiry.
(3)(Deleted by L.N. 374/1963.)
Security to be given by auctioneer.
8. Before the licence is granted, the applicant shall, if so required by any rules
made under this Act, give security, in such form and in such amount as may be
prescribed, to answer for the faithful discharge of his office.
Register of licences.
L.N.342/1956,
L.N.172/1960,
L.N.374/1963.
9. It shall be the duty of each licensing officer to keep a register of the names
of all persons to whom any licence under this Act shall have been granted by him, in

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Auctioneers Act, Cap 526


such form and with such particulars as to the nature and duration of the licence
granted as the Minister directs.
Duration of licences.
10. (I) Every licence under this Act shall have effect from the date of the
granting thereof till the 30th June or the 31st December, in the case of half-yearly or
yearly licences respectively, of the year in which any such licence may have been
granted.
(2) Whenever an order suspending a licence is made, the licence shall cease to be of
any effect during the term of suspension; and whenever the licence is revoked the
licence shall cease to have any effect whatsoever.
RESPECTING SALES
Auctioneers to accept the sale of all property offered by owners.
11. (1) Every licensed auctioneer shall, on the requisition of the owner
thereof, accept the sale of all property which he is not prohibited by law from selling,
which may be offered to him for sale at the town or place in which he carries on his
ordinary business as an auctioneer, and shall sell the same within such time as the
owner may require, or as soon thereafter as is possible, having regard to the sale of
other property with which he has been entrusted:
Auctioneer's licence not to authorize sale of spirits and certain other things.
Cap.121.
12.(1) Except as in the Liquor Licensing Act otherwise provided, no
auctioneer's licence shall authorize any person to deal in or sell (either on account of
or for the benefit of himself or of any other person) any intoxicating liquor for the
sale of which a licence is required by law:
Provided, however, that any person having a licence in force in Form A in the Second
Schedule may, acting on the instructions of the legal personal representative of a
deceased person, sell by auction liquor forming part of the estate of such deceased
person, anything in any Act as aforesaid to the contrary notwithstanding.
(2) Save as may be otherwise provided by law, no auctioneer's licence shall
authorize any person to deal in or sell (either on account of or for the benefit of
himself or of any other person) anything, the dealing in, or sale of, which is
prohibited to persons other than those duly licensed, registered or otherwise
authorized in that behalf.
Auctioneer's name and address to be published at sale.
13. (1) Every licensed auctioneer other than a person holding a licence in
Form B in the Second Schedule, before beginning any auction, shall display and
during the whole time of such auction keep displayed in some conspicuous part of
the room or place where the auction is held a ticket or board containing his true and
full name and residence, painted, printed or written in large letters, publicly visible
and legible.

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Auctioneers Act, Cap 526


(2) If any auctioneer fails to comply with this section, he shall be guilty of an offence
and liable to a fine not exceeding one hundred and fifty shillings.
Reserve price; and bidding at auctions.
14. (1) It shall be stated in the particulars or conditions of sale by auction of
any movable or immovable property whether such sale be without reserve or subject
to a reserve price, or whether a right to bid is reserved.
(2) If it is stated that the sale be without reserve or to that effect, then it shall not
be lawful for the seller or any person on his behalf or employed by him to bid at such
sale, or for the auctioneer to take knowingly any such bidding.
(3) If it is stated that the sale will be subject to a reserve price as regards any one or
more lots, it shall be lawful for the seller or any person employed by him to give one
bid for each such lot and no more.
(4) If it is stated that the sale will be subject to a right for the seller to bid, it shall be
lawful for the seller, or for any one person on his behalf, but not more than one, to
bid at such auction in such manner as he shall think proper.
(5) If the seller or any person employed by him or on his behalf shall bid at any sale
contrary to any of the preceding provisions of this section, any purchaser may refuse
to fulfil his purchase, but the highest bona fide bidder shall be entitled, if he shall so
elect, to have the immovable or movable property at the price offered by him.
(6) No auctioneer shall make a bid either on behalf of himself or as agent for any
other person unless on making such bid he shall announce that it is his bid.
(7) Any auctioneer who shall knowingly receive or make any bid contrary to any of
the provisions of this section shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not
exceeding one thousand five hundred shillings, and to have his licence suspended or
revoked.
Auctioneer may recover purchase money, and liable to seller therefor.
15. (1) The auctioneer making any sale by auction shall (unless it be agreed
otherwise between him and the seller) be entitled to sue for, recover and discharge
all sums due in respect of such sale.
(2) The auctioneer shall (unless it be agreed otherwise between him and the seller)
be liable for the due payment to the seller of the net proceeds of all sales of property
within ten days from the time of sale of such property.
Order of suspension or revocation of licence.
16.(1) The court imposing any fine under this Act upon any auctioneer, or
convicting any auctioneer of any offence in relation to any property entrusted to him
for sale or in relation to the proceeds of the sale of such property, may, if it shall
appear that the offence is of such nature as to require the licence of such auctioneer
to be suspended or revoked, make an order to that effect, and the licence shall be
suspended or revoked accordingly.

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Auctioneers Act, Cap 526


(2) The court making any order of suspension or revocation of a licence shall
forthwith intimate the same to the licensing officer who shall have granted such
licence.
Auctioneer's licence not necessary for sale by auction in certain cases.
19 of 1950, s.2,
L.N.374/1963.
17.(1) It shall not be necessary for any person selling any movable or
immovable property by auction in any of the cases hereafter mentioned to take out a
licence by this Act required
(a) any officer of a court selling any property under an order or process of a court;
(b) any pound-master or pound-keeper selling any animal which has been
impounded;
(c) any officer in the service of the Government selling unclaimed property in the
custody of any department of the Government, provided that the property sold at
any one sale does not exceed three hundred shillings in value;
(d) any person selling his own property or any officer of the Government selling the
property of the Government;
(e) any officer of a local authority selling any property of such local authority.
(2)(Deleted by L.N. 374/1963.)
Power to make rules.
39 of 1956, Sch.,
L.N.343/1956,
L.N.173/1960.
18. The Minister may make rules for any of the purposes following(a) requiring that an applicant for a licence under this Act shall give security for the
faithful discharge of his office, and prescribing the amount of the security to be
required and the form in which security may be accepted;
(b) prescribing the maximum rate of commission which an auctioneer shall be
entitled to demand, recover or retain as remuneration for his services and providing
that any agreement to pay or allow any higher rate than is prescribed shall not be
binding;
(c) generally for the better carrying into effect the purpose of this Act, and, may
annex a penalty which may extend to seven hundred and fifty shillings in respect of
the breach of any such rule and may provide that in the case of a breach of any rule
by a person licensed under this Act his licence may be suspended or revoked.

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Auctioneers Act, Cap 526


Power to make rules.
39 of 1956, Sch.,
L.N.343/1956,
L.N.173/1960.
18. The Minister may make rules for any of the purposes following(a) requiring that an applicant for a licence under this Act shall give security for the
faithful discharge of his office, and prescribing the amount of the security to be
required and the form in which security may be accepted;
(b) prescribing the maximum rate of commission which an auctioneer shall be
entitled to demand, recover or retain as remuneration for his services and providing
that any agreement to pay or allow any higher rate than is prescribed shall not be
binding;
(c) generally for the better carrying into effect the purpose of this Act, and, may
annex a penalty which may extend to seven hundred and fifty shillings in respect of
the breach of any such rule and may provide that in the case of a breach of any rule
by a person licensed under this Act his licence may be suspended or revoked.

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