How did a former MP who owned houses in Nairobi, hotels, farmland and commercial property worth hundreds of millions of shillings end up spending his final days in a servant’s quarter?
The High Court in Eldoret has heard that despite his substantial property portfolio, Mr Chepkut was battling severe financial difficulties in the final years of his life, with several of his assets tied up as security for loans.
He eventually moved into a servant’s quarter in Westlands belonging to an Asian friend, where he lived with his driver and cook until his death on October 8, 2022.
A portrait of William Chepkut, the former Ainabkoi MP who died in October 2022.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
The court proceedings have laid bare the dramatic final chapter of a politician who rose from being a personal assistant to powerful former Kanu-era Cabinet minister Nicholas Biwott to becoming an MP, only to spend his final days grappling with debt, strained family relations and declining fortunes.
His younger brother, Mr Daniel Chirchir, told the court that Chepkut’s financial fortunes had deteriorated in the years before his death.
Mr Chirchir said the family struggled to raise money for the former legislator’s funeral and had to rely on well-wishers and politicians to give him a decent send-off.
Despite owning houses in Westlands and Riverside, Chepkut eventually moved into a servant’s quarter provided by an Asian friend known as Sanjay in Westlands.
“My late brother had nobody to take care of him, cook or handle his chores, which is why he sought help from his friend,” Mr Chirchir told the court.
He said Mr Sanjay welcomed Mr Chepkut and provided him with accommodation in the servant’s quarter on his compound.
The late former Ainabkoi MP William Chepkut.
Photo credit: Jared Nyatara | Nation Media Group
Mr Chirchir accused his brother’s first wife, Ms Milcah Jepng’etich, of abandoning him and travelling to Australia while he was struggling. He also alleged that she sought to exclude other women and children from the former MP’s estate.
Ms Jepng’etich has disputed the allegations. She maintains that she was Chepkut’s only legally married wife, saying they were married in a church ceremony in Eldoret 28 years ago and had two sons.
Ms Jepng’etich told the court that the hotel had instead been listed for auction by a microfinance lender over an outstanding loan of more than Sh30 million.
Milcah Samoei, one of the three wives of the late William Chepkut, former Ainabkoi MP, during her late husband's burial service held at Kapsundei Primary School in Flax, Uasin Gishu County on October 18, 2022.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
The dispute over the hotel is part of a wider fight over Chepkut’s assets, with two other women, Ms Dassie Ambassie and Ms Betsy Birgen, claiming to have been his wives. They are seeking an equal share of the estate. They accuse Ms Jepng’etich of attempting to exclude them from the succession process.
The succession case has brought into the open questions about Chepkut’s financial affairs that were less visible during his political career.
The former MP left behind valuable property, but much of it was reportedly tied to financial obligations. His estate includes residential houses in Nairobi, agricultural land, commercial plots and two hotels on the outskirts of Eldoret in Uasin Gishu County.
The former MP suffered from severe health issues. Chepkut was living with a single kidney donated by his sister when he collapsed and died at the Westlands servant’s quarter, the court was told.
