Nairobi, June 24 -- A decade-long battle over a Sh205 million land sale deal in Murang'a has escalated to the Supreme Court, setting the stage for a showdown between billionaire John Kibunga Kimani and a manufacturing firm over a deal that collapsed in 2013.

Dr Kimani's Rural Development Services signed an agreement to sell 51.28 hectares in Makuyu to African Cotton Industries in July 2013. A 10 percent deposit of Sh20.5 million was paid, but the transaction did not progress.

African Cotton Industries is seeking to revive its bid to acquire a 126.7-acre property from Dr Kimani after losing the fight in the Court of Appeal.

Rural Development Services wants the Supreme Court to throw out the case, arguing that it is an ordinary contract ...