A woman alleged to have been an ex-lover to the late controversial brewer and Naivasha tycoon Fai Amario alias Peter Njoroge will now get a share of his multimillion wealth.
This is after the court endorsed a consent by the majority of Amario’s children recognising Ms Salome Wanjiku as one of the beneficiaries of his estate worth Sh760 million.
In his ruling, Justice Samuel Mohochi dismissed an application by one of Amario's children Marsha Dee Amario –the co-administrator to the estate, opposing the inclusion of Ms Wanjiku as one of the beneficiaries.
Ms Dee had argued that Ms Wanjiku was not a spouse to her late father but rather a girlfriend who had only sired a child with him.
“She was just a girlfriend, who had a child with my father (Amario). The relationship was not a marriage recognisable under the Kenyan law,” she submitted.
Ms Dee had also protested the inclusion of another child Sheilla Wangare to the list arguing that her mother had remarried and that she was not his father’s biological daughter.
Justice Mohochi, however, ruled that the objections were demonstrative of dysfunctionality in the administration of Amario’s estate.
According to the judge, Ms Dee appeared to attack all collective proposals by her co-administrators; Miki Ng’ang’a, and Sheena Euston noting that the court would side with the majority of the beneficiaries on the principle of balance of convenience.
The court faulted her for not accommodating the views of the other majority parties which he said was wanting.
“Salome Wanjiku Mwangi and Debbie Jolly Amario, are hereby regarded as beneficiaries of the deceased estate, pursuant to the Summons for Rectification of Grant dated May 4, 2022,” ruled justice Mohochi.
The judge faulted her for dragging the succession case with her counter-proposals being minor and not exhaustive and that they do not address the immediate needs within the estate.
According to the proposals adopted by the nine beneficiaries, Ms Wanjiku will get five per cent of the estate.
Mr Amario a wealthy tycoon who died in 2010 was a winemaker who founded one of the indigenous alcohol distillers, Fai Amarillo Ltd.
He left behind property worth hundreds of millions of shillings among them a Winery worth Sh500 million and Den hotel both in Naivasha worth Sh94.75 million.
His old home in Naivasha is valued at Sh16.5 million and he owned a sh75.65 million homestead also in Naivasha.
He had two plots in Naivasha town worth Sh44 million and trading centres in Naivasha and Embu worth Sh7.1 million. His undeveloped land is worth Sh117.6 million.
The other nine beneficiaries of the estate include Miki Ng’ang’a, Bernice Njeri, Debbie Jolly, James Kimani, Dee Marsha, Sheena Euston, Yuri Gilbert, Sheila Wangari and a minor.
As per the consent, Mr Ng’ang’a, Dee, Njeri, Jolly, Kimani, Euston and Yuri will each get 11.85 per cent of the estate, while the minor will get 6.05 per cent. Ms Wanjiku will get 5 per cent while Wangari will get 6 per cent.
The family further proposed that the properties be sold for Sh56 million to cater for the legal expenses.
In 2005 he was imprisoned for nine years at Kamiti Maximum Prison in connection with the possession of unlicensed guns which were found in his compound.
Mr Amario was also arrested by the Flying Squad who raided his compound on suspicion that he murdered his wife Sarah Wanjiru, suspected to have been buried in a secret grave.
In 2004, Mr Amario hit the headlines after he published a newspaper advertisement seeking a wife.
When he succumbed to illness in 2010, he was buried in a dramatic burial ceremony that he had planned, and in a gold coffin that he had bought for himself.
Among popular brands that his factory produced include Amario’s Sherry, Pooler, Medusa, Uhuru 2000, Kata Pingu, Mahewa, and Cantata, which were distributed via his depots in Meru, Murang’a, Thika and Naivasha.
