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High Court in Eldoret has ordered a forensic audit of a disputed Will dividing the Sh1.5 billion estate of the late tycoon Francis Kipkoech Kimoso.
The High Court in Eldoret has ordered a forensic audit of a disputed Will dividing the Sh1.5 billion estate of the late tycoon Francis Kipkoech Kimoso, amid a legal battle involving his 18 children.
Presiding Justice Reuben Nyakundi dismissed an attempt by administrators Maurice and Jane Kimoso to block investigations into the document’s authenticity, effectively removing their shield against scrutiny in a dispute over one of the North Rift’s largest family fortunes.
The ruling escalates a bitter family conflict over Kimoso’s vast estate estimated at Sh1.5 billion, which includes extensive agricultural land and prime residential plots in Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet counties.
The late tycoon, who died 13 years ago at the age of 67, also held shares in several blue-chip companies and maintained multiple bank accounts in Eldoret and Iten.
In his ruling, Justice Nyakundi ordered the Deputy Registrar of the High Court to transmit the disputed will immediately to the DCI Forensic Document Examiner in Nairobi, reiterating that the estate’s status quo must be maintained until the audit is complete. He warned that any breach of this order would attract contempt of court charges.
The legal storm stems from a faction of Kimoso’s children led by eldest daughter Margaret Jepkemboi Kimoso, who allege the will is a forgery. They are seeking a forensic examination to determine its validity before any distribution of the estate.
Will’s validity challenged
Through their lawyer Amos Songok, they accused the administrators of using the court application as a delaying tactic while attempting to enforce the will’s contents.
“They have threatened my clients with eviction to take control of land allegedly bequeathed under the disputed will,” Songok said.
The contested document reportedly awards Maurice Kimoso 150 acres in Karuna along the Uasin Gishu–Elgeyo Marakwet border, while Jane Kimoso is allocated 100 acres in Irong, livestock, and farming machinery, including a harvester, tractors, and other planting and ploughing equipment.
Challenging the will’s validity, Margaret told the court her father was neither mentally nor physically fit when he allegedly executed the document through lawyer Christopher Arap Mieti, citing kidney complications that left him barely able to walk or recognise his children.
“My father was not in a position to write the will as he was battling kidney-related complications in an Eldoret hospital. He could hardly walk or even recognise his children,” she said, criticising Maurice and Jane for awarding themselves the lion’s share at the expense of other heirs.
The court also heard claims that the administrators enlisted local chiefs and police officers to harass some beneficiaries, despite the succession case remaining undetermined.
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