S. 39 - No requirement for company to have
constitution
May but does not need to
S. 40 - Effect of Act on company having
constitution
the rights, powers, duties, and
obligations of the company, the
Board, each director, and each
shareholder of the company shall be
those set out in this Act
Company having a constitution
restricted, limited or modified by
the constitution of the company in
accordance with this Act.
the form of constitution of a private
company shall be in the form set out in
the Second Schedule.
May exclude or modify the provisions of its
constitution to the extent permitted
S. 41 - Effect of Act on company not having constitution
the rights, powers, duties, and obligations of the
company, the Board, each director, and each
shareholder of the company shall be those set out in
this Act.
S. 42 - Form and content of constitution
company incorporated under Part III
a document certified by the applicant for registration of the company
a private company incorporated under Part III
the constitution set out in the Second Schedule;
an existing company
the memorandum and articles of association as originally
registered or as altered in accordance with the Companies
Act 1984 or the Companies Act 1913
have the effect stated in section 28
Validity of action
adopted by the company as its constitution
under S. 44
When the company does not have a constitution
Document considered as being a new form of constitution
S. 45 refers back to document altered by the company under S. 44
or varied by the Court under S. 178
the Court considers that it is just and equitable to de so, it may make such order as it
thinks fit including, altering or adding to the company's constitution
S. 27(3) - the provision restricts the capacity of the
company or rights, powers, and privileges.
matters that can be included
the constitution of a company and any amendment
to the constitution shall be certified by a law
practitioner, a legal consultant or a law firm and
need not be embodied in a notarial deed.
S. 43 - Effect of constitution
shall be void to the extent that it contravenes, or is inconsistent with the Companies Act 2001
Effect of a contract
as between the company and each member or
shareholder
as between the members or shareholders
themselves.
All money payable by any member to the company under the constitution
shall be a debt due from him to the company.
$. 44 - Adoption, alteration and revocation of constitution
The shareholders or members of a company may, where the
company does not have a constitution, by special resolution, adopt a
constitution for the company.
the shareholders of a company may, by special resolution, alter or
revoke the constitution of the company.
sections 67, 80 and 114
sections 67, 80 and 114
An existing company
An existing company
shall not alter any of the provisions in its existing memorandum
of association or articles of association unless it replaces its
memorandum of association and its articles of association by a
single document into which it consolidates its constitution.
for dispensation from this requirement - the Registrar is satisfied that undue hardship would be
caused to the company by requiring compliance and that it is necessary that the alteration be
made promptly, the Registrar may grant the dispensation on
such terms and conditions as the Registrar thinks fit.
Within 14 days of the adoption of a constitution by a company, or the alteration or
revocation of the constitution of a company, as the case may be, the Board shall
cause a notice in a form approved by the Registrar to be delivered to the Registrar for
registration.
S. 45 - New form of constitution
A company may deliver to the Registrar a single document that incorporates the
provisions of a document referred to in section 42(1)(f) together with any
amendments.
The Registrar may, where he considers that by
reason of the number of amendments to a
company's constitution it would be desirable for
the constitution to be contained in a single
document
notice in writing, require a company to deliver to the
Registrar a single document that incorporates the
provisions of a document referred to in section 42(1)(f),
together with any amendments.
the Board shall, within 28 days of
receipt by the company of the
notice, cause to be delivered to
the Registrar
the document for registration
On receipt of the document -the
Registrar shall register the
document.
a certificate signed by a person authorized by the Board
When is it necessary to have a Constitution?
S. 27(3) - The constitution of a company may contain a
provision relating to the capacity, rights, powers, or privileges of
the company only if the provision restricts the capacity of the
company or those rights, powers, and privileges.
S. 40 (1) - Where a company has a constitution, the rights,
powers, duties, and obligations of the company, the Board,
each director, and each shareholder of the company shall be
those set out in this Act except to the extent that they are
restricted, limited or modified by the constitution of the company
in accordance with this Act.
S 46(2) - is linked with S. 46(3) which states that - Subject to
section 59, the rights specified in subsection (2) may be
restricted, limited, altered, or added to by the constitution of
the company or in accordance with the terms on which the
share is issued under section 51 or 52, as the case may be.
Subject to subsection (3), a share in a company shall confer on
the holder - (a) the right to one vote on a poll at a meeting of the
company on any resolution; (b) the right to an equal share in
dividends authorized by the Board; (c) the right to an equal
share in the distribution of the surplus assets of the company.