'I will not share' - Eldoret tycoon's widow tells woman demanding husband's estate
An Eldoret town signage. The widow of a prominent Eldoret businessman has vowed not to share her late husband's multi-million shilling estate with a woman who wants to be recognised as his co-wife, telling an Eldoret court that Hindu religion and culture do not recognise polygamy.
What you need to know:
- The woman, an interior designer, claims Rafji Manilal fathered her baby girl, now 19, and wants to be recognised as the widow's co-wife
- She wants the court to force the late businessman's family to consider her as his second wife and provide financial support for her daughter
- However, the widow-Ms Mayuriben Manilal says the woman and her daughter were never been introduced to her by her late husband
- She described the two as strangers in the family and vowed not to give the woman any part of her late husband's property
- Further, she said the Hindu region does not recognise polygamy
The widow of a prominent Eldoret businessman has vowed not to share her late husband's multi-million shilling estate with a woman who wants to be recognised as his co-wife, telling an Eldoret court that Hindu religion and culture do not recognise polygamy.
Ms Mayuriben Manilal, widow of Rafji Manilal, was testifying before Justice Reuben Nyakundi in a case where a woman who was an employee of her late husband has gone to court to claim a share of the deceased's property scattered around the country.
The woman, an interior designer, claims to have fathered a baby girl, now 19 years old, with Manilal and wants to be recognised as the widow's co-wife.
She wants the court to force the late businessman's family to consider her as his second wife and provide financial support for her daughter.
The woman, in her earlier testimony before the court, had told the court that she and Manilal started dating in 2003 and were blessed with a baby girl who is now a university student.
Married under Kikuyu customs
She further told the court that Manilal married her under Kikuyu customary law after visiting her family in Murang'a in 2003.
The woman had told the court that Manilal had attended marriage negotiations at her village home before she conceived and she was, therefore, entitled to a share of his vast estate.
However, in her testimony, the widow claimed that the woman and her daughter had never been introduced to her by her late husband, describing them as strangers in the family.
For this reason, she vowed not to give the woman any part of her late husband's property.
"Our Hindu region does not recognise polygamy and for the woman to claim that she is my co-wife is a total lie," the widow said.
"I never saw her during the cremation of my husband's body as she claimed in her statement to the court. She was nowhere to be seen on that momentous day when I, along with other family members, gave my late husband a befitting send-off," the widow said.
Legally married
She told the judge that she was the only one entitled to her late husband's inheritance because they were legally married.
The widow also told the court that she was not aware that her late husband had changed his religion and culture as claimed by the woman.
"During the years that I was married to my late husband, I never noticed anything to indicate that he had changed from his Hindu religion or culture as claimed by a woman claiming to be my co-wife," Ms Manilal said.
