Then-First Lady Margaret Kenyatta delivers her remarks during an event at State House, Nairobi.
Former First Lady Margaret Kenyatta has been drawn into a court succession row over the estate of her late brother, William Gakuo Njuguna, pitting members of the family against his widow.
Mrs Kenyatta and three siblings are seeking to have a grant of administration issued to Njuguna’s widow Sheila Wanjiku Mwangi, revoked. They allege fraud and exclusion from the succession proceedings.
They argue that the court was not informed that they were among Njuguna’s surviving relatives and claim that the grant was obtained through material non-disclosure.
These claims have been disputed by Ms Mwangi’s advocate Erick Mutua, who maintains that the siblings have no legal entitlement to the estate under succession law.
Ms Mwangi also alleges that she has been locked out of her matrimonial home in Karen, Nairobi.
Njuguna, 48, a younger brother of the former First Lady, died in November 2024. Court papers indicate that he died without children.
The filings show that his estate includes land in Narok, shareholding in three companies Siaya Greens Limited, Tinderet Greens Limited and Kenindia Assurance Company Limited, a Mitsubishi Pajero and proceeds due from his late father Ephantus Gakuo’s estate. The assets are collectively valued at about Sh50 million.
The dispute also touches on Ms Mwangi’s allegations that administrators of her late father-in-law’s estate failed to account for Sh300 million from the sale of Bamburi North plots to the government. Ms Mwangi petitioned the High Court for letters of administration, describing herself as Njuguna’s wife and sole surviving beneficiary. The grant was issued in December 2025.
However, Peter Maina Gakuo, who swore an affidavit on behalf of his siblings Gabriella Njeri Gakuo, Christine Wambui Gakuo, and Margaret Wanjiru Gakuo, has asked the court to revoke the grant.
Then-First Lady Margaret Kenyatta delivers her remarks during the 6th Amref International University (AMIU) graduation ceremony on July 11, 2025.
“The grant of letters of administration was obtained fraudulently through the deliberate concealment of material facts from the court, particularly regarding the persons surviving the deceased,” the applicants said in court papers.
The siblings further state that Njuguna died without children and that their parents had predeceased him, making them surviving siblings with a legitimate beneficial interest in the estate.
According to the filings, the applicants contend that had their existence been disclosed, the court would have considered all persons with a potential interest before granting administration of the estate.
They are now seeking the revocation of the grant and an order barring any further dealings with the estate assets pending determination of the case.
However, Ms Mwangi has strongly rejected the allegations, arguing that since her in-laws were not dependants within the meaning of the Law of Succession Act, there was no legal obligation to disclose their names in the petition.
In a replying affidavit, she said the applicants had failed to demonstrate any legal interest, dependency, fraud or beneficial entitlement to the estate.
Locked out of matrimonial home
“Save for criticising the manner in which the petition was filed, the applicants have not demonstrated any legal interest, dependency, fraud, material concealment or beneficial entitlement to the estate of the deceased,” she said.
She said Njuguna’s siblings were financially independent adults.
“The applicants are all independent and financially stable individuals. The fourth applicant is the wife of the former President, H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta,” she stated.
“The applicants have not demonstrated that they are beneficiaries of the estate,” she added.
Ms Mwangi also disputed claims that the siblings had only recently become aware of the succession proceedings.
According to her affidavit, her advocates wrote to the applicants in January 2026 and provided copies of the grant. She said they responded in March, acknowledging prior knowledge of the matter.
Mr Mutua defended the widow’s position, arguing that the application lacked legal merit.
“The applicants have not demonstrated that they are beneficiaries of the estate. The application has been instituted maliciously and in bad faith and is intended to advance their interests in a separate matter,” he said.
“There is no lawful or sufficient basis upon which the court may revoke the grant of letters of administration,” he added.
The court documents also reveal strained relations between the two sides.
Ms Mwangi alleges that she has been locked out of her matrimonial home in Karen and denied access to her personal belongings. These claims have not been independently verified, and the applicants had not responded to them in the filings reviewed.
“The applicants have continued their hostility by, among other actions, locking me out of my matrimonial home in Karen and forcibly chasing away my gardener. As a result, I am unable to access my clothing, personal belongings, and other effects which remain locked inside the house,” she said.
She further claims that Njuguna died by suicide following frustrations related to disputes over his late father’s estate.
“My husband died by suicide due to frustrations arising from his inability to obtain his rightful share of the estate of his late father, Ephantus Gakuo,” she claimed.
“Feeling isolated and frustrated as the only child from a different mother from the applicants, my late husband tragically took his own life on November 7, 2024,” she added.
The case will be mentioned on November 2, 2026, at the High Court in Milimani.
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