Former President Daniel Moi’s heirs on Wednesday agreed to share out properties identified in his Will, including land in Nakuru and Uasin Gishu counties.
Appearing before High Court Judge Hillary Chemitei, the family agreed to the distribution of the land and undisclosed amount of money in two bank accounts.
Present during the confirmation of the grant were his sons former Baringo Senator Gideon Moi, former Rongai MP Raymond Moi and Philip Moi, and daughter Doris Moi. Also present were two widows of Moi’s firstborn son Jonathan—Beatrice and Faith—and several grandchildren.
Justice Chemitei directed the deputy registrar to publish a notice in the Kenya Gazette notifying the public or any interested parties to raise any objections.
The confirmation is a big win for the beneficiaries of the estate of Jonathan, some of whom have been facing hardship including threats of jail term and being forced to fundraise for treatment and other issues.
Each of Moi’s five sons will get 20 per cent of the properties that were agreed upon and the money in the two bank accounts.
The case will be mentioned on October 15 for directions and for the administrators of the estate to come up with a list of properties that were not mentioned in the Will.
Moi died on February 4, 2020. He had written the Will on November 15, 2005 and made some amendments on March 30, 2010.
In the Will, Moi listed 2,300 acres of land and properties in Kabarak in Nakuru County to be shared among the five sons—Jonathan, Raymond, Gideon, Philip and John Mark. Also to be shared among the sons are two parcels of land in Moi’s Bridge, Uasin Gishu County and another in Nairobi identified as LR No. 209/14697.
Moi’s instructions were that the ancestral land be shared equally among the sons who will later transfer ownership of their portions to their children.
The three daughters—Jenifer Chemutai, Doris Chepkorir and the late June Chebet—were each given Sh100 million.
The former President had appointed senior counsel Zehrabanu Janmohamed the executor and trustee of the Will.
Jonathan’s son—Fredrick Kibichii—had claimed in another succession case that Moi’s Will did not list all the properties, which he estimated to be worth Sh300 billion.
Moi had interests in land, real estate, transport, education, hospitality, banking, aviation, manufacturing, media, agriculture, security and construction.
The family owns a number of leading educational institutions in the country, including Sunshine Schools and Moi Educational Centre in Nairobi, Kabarak University and Kabarak High School in Nakuru and Sacho High School in Baringo County.
In agri-business, the Moi family has interest in Sasine Group, Fresh Produce Ltd, Chemusian Company, Sian Roses and Kiptagich Tea Estate. The properties not named in the Will are to be dealt with in the second succession matter.
The beneficiaries of Jonathan’s estate have been fighting for a share of their father’s estate, who left behind properties estimated to be worth Sh30 million.
His first wife, Sylvia had initially stated that her husband had a piece of land in Nairobi’s Industrial Area which is valued at Sh15 million, and shares in Tiro Holdings Limited (Sh10 million) and Nakuru Oil Mills (Sh5 million). The estate has 19 beneficiaries. His children have trained their eyes on the bigger estate of their late grandfather.
The former President had stated that upon the deaths of his sons, their children would take over what was allocated to their fathers.
