Heirs to Nakuru City’s dead billionaires are currently embroiled in fierce legal battles over the estates.
The wealthy patriarchs who built their fortunes from humble beginnings left behind substantial wealth that has sparked serious court cases as their widows, children and, in some instances, mistresses, all vie for a share.
Some of these disputes have been dragging in court for years, as the multi-billion shilling empires they built slowly crumble under the strain of the wrangles.
According to Nakuru-based lawyer Steve Kabita, a significant factor in these disputes is the absence of proper wills or clear succession plans.
“Most of the tycoons whose families are battling in court either did not draft wills or (have) a clear succession path, which led their families to fight in court,” Mr Kabita explains. “Others are a result of second and third wives and, in some cases, mistresses seeking recognition in the distribution of wealth.”
Nakuru businessman David Kuria advises that the heirs of these wealthy patriarchs should avoid court battles and settle their differences away from public scrutiny.
“Engaging in court battles is not the best way to appreciate the hard work of those patriarchs who built these empires. Most of these battles stem from greed and a lack of mutual respect within these families,” Mr Kuria says.
Some of the estates subject to inheritance court battles include those of former MPs Philip Kamau and Dickson Kihika, former mayor Josec Thuo and President Daniel Moi.
The families of Moi and Kamau alone, for instance, own nearly half of the property within the Nakuru City central business district.
The estate of Kamau, who passed away on May 1, 2012, has been a battleground for nearly 13 years. Kamau, who served as a prisons officer in the 1960s and later as a councillor and nominated MP, left behind a Sh1 billion estate that includes Pinkam and Molo Houses in the city, business premises, movable and immovable properties, a funeral home, and various other assets, according to a will filed in court. He also owned motor vehicles, residential homes and shops. He had savings in bank accounts, shares in Mwariki and Kiamunyi Farm Limited,Embakasi Ranching Limited and Mang’u Enterprise Limited.
His widows—Teresia Njeri, Margaret Damat and Lucy Wanjiru—and their stepson Joseph Njuguna are in a protracted legal struggle with Njuguna’s sister Elizabeth Wanjiku, over the distribution of the estate.
Njuguna and Wanjiku are children of Kamau’s first wife Alice Kahaki, a businesswoman who died on August 25, 1983.
The former MP had appointed lawyer Juma Kiplenge, who died on October 7, 2022, as the executor of the will, which was drawn by the law firm of former assistant minister Mirugi Kariuki.
Former President Daniel Moi at the Kabarak University graduation ceremony in Nakuru on December 18, 2015.
Photo credit: File | Nation
Recent court cases filed by Moi’s daughter-in-law Milkah Faith Nyambura, and Collins Kibet Toroitich Moi, the eldest son of the late Jonathan Moi, have exposed significant rifts within the family.
These disputes are on Moi’s estimated Sh300 billion estate, which includes assets across multiple jurisdictions.
Nyambura is seeking Sh2.5 million to cover her son’s medical expenses, while Collins has accused other family members of scheming to disinherit him. He has also challenged the powers granted to lawyer Zehrabhanu Janmohamed to manage Moi’s estate.
According to court papers, both Collins and Nyambura are demanding, among others, an accurate inventory of Moi’s assets and liabilities and revocation of the powers given to Ms Janmohamed.
Last year,Collins,filed a case in the family division court in Milimani,Nairobi, claiming that he was being locked out of the estate and denied his fair share. He claimed that assets had been irregularly transferred in plans to disinherit him.
Collins further claimed that assets were being disposed without the necessary authorisation from the relevant parties, citing a Sh1.7 billion sale of a majority stake in Siginon Aviation, a subsidiary of the family-owned Siginon Group Limited, in November 2021.
Ms Janmohamed was given the powers to manage Moi's estate on October 9, 2020 following the former president’s death on February 4, the same year.
In his will, filed in court, Moi shared his assets equally among his five sons and in the case of the sons’ deaths, as in the case of Jonathan, their children would be the heirs. The sons are the late Jonathan, Raymond, John Mark, Philip and Gideon.
Court documents seen by the Nation show that Moi’s vast estate covers assets of various classes in multiple jurisdictions, which include the United Kingdom, Australia, Malawi and Kenya.
Moi’s family is arguably one of the richest in Kenya,based on the business empire it has built over years, with a net worth estimated to be in excess of $3 billion (about Sh310.2 billion).
This is wealth accumulated before, during and after Moi’s 24-year rule (1978- 2002), with his children expanding the empire further.
According to official and non-official sources, the family’s business spans real estate, transport, education, hospitality industry, banking, aviation, manufacturing, media, agribusiness, security and construction, among others.
The Mois either fully own or have shares in a number of banks and financial entities. Among them is Trans-National Bank, Equatorial Bank, First American Bank, Giro Bank ‚ Giant Forex Bureau, Equity Stock Brokers and Sovereign Group.
The family owns Standard Group, the parent company to KTN, Standard newspaper and a number of radio stations, including Radio Maisha. Other subsidiaries include Rowland Printing and Baraza Limited.
Moi settled at the Kabarak home in Nakuru after his retirement in 2002 and was buried there when he died.
On the expansive farm, that is estimated to be in excess of 2,300 acres, are multi-billion properties, including Kabarak Primary School, Kabarak High School, Kabarak University, Kabarak Guest House, a church, a garage and farms.
The family of the former MP for Rongai William Komen has been in a protracted legal battle over a 2,600-acre property in Njoro sub-county.
Komen, who passed away in 1997 at the age of 87, left behind three widows—Magdalene Tapsiarkat Komen, Sote Komen and Rechael Chepngeno Komen—and 10 children.
He also left behind massive wealth running into billions of shillings in Nakuru and Baringo counties, which is now the bone of contention.
The dispute over his estate has persisted for more than two decades, reflecting the complexities and sensitivities involved in managing such significant assets.
Kimani Kihika Dickson
Photo credit: File | Nation
The family of Dickson Kihika Kimani, a former Nakuru North MP and father of current Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika, is also engaged in a heated succession battle over a Sh600 million estate.
His three children—Florence Nduta, Anthony Kihika, and Judy Muthoni—have sued their four mothers seeking to replace them as administrators of the estate, citing the mothers’ advanced age and alleged inability to manage the estate effectively.
Former Nakuru Mayor Joseck Thuo Ngeta
Photo credit: File | Nation
Thuo’s family is fighting over a Sh1 billion estate following his death on December 27, 2021.
Children and widows of Washington Olweny, who was a surveyor, are also fighting over a Sh200million estate after his death in 2016.
Besides Evans Sunrise Hospital at the heart of Nakuru City, the man owned property in Nakuru, Kisumu and Nairobi cities.
His wives Norah Olweny and Anna Wanjiru Olweny, and Phelesiah Olweny and her sons Edwin and Timothy have been seeking control of the property.
Last year, Norah, who is battling the other two women for a share of the estate, withdrew a consent she had signed to undergo a DNA test that was to prove that she had had a son with Olweny.
Fai Amario
Photo credit: File | Nation
Kenya’s pioneer of micro-distilleries, Fai Amario, who changed his name from Gilbert Njoroge, left behind a fortune now worth in excess of Sh760 million, according to a valuation report by the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning.
Amario died without a will on May 23, 2010, leaving behind the fortune that is at the centre of a bitter succession case involving his eight children and two wives.
The disputed property is in Nakuru, Naivasha, Kyeni in Embu County and in Kiambu County.
In Naivasha, Amario, built the distillery, Fai Amario Wineries Limited for Sh17 million.
He manufactured low-end alcohol brands and made millions that he invested in land, real estate and other sectors.
In May, Mr Evans Later, 33, claiming to be the biological son of the late tycoon, sued seeking to be included as a beneficiary of the estate.
