Former Attorney-General James Boro Karugu.
A bitter fight over the vast estate of former Attorney General James Boro Karugu has erupted into one of Kenya’s most complex succession and criminal disputes, pitting family members against executors of his will while drawing police investigators into conflict with suspects.
At the center of the dispute is an explosive claim that a Will filed in court and used to seize control of Karugu’s multimillion-shilling wealth was forged.
The allegation has triggered criminal investigations, prosecutorial directives and a constitutional showdown that has temporarily halted arrests and prosecutions of seven individuals, including two lawyers and a Church Reverend.
The legal battle has now entangled Kenya’s top justice institutions, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Attorney General.
This is after the High Court last week issued conservatory orders barring any police action over the allegedly forged Will pending the determination of a constitutional petition.
Karugu, a towering figure in Kenya’s legal history who served as Attorney General from 1980 to 1981, died on November 10, 2022, at age 85.
What followed was not routine succession proceedings but a bruising struggle for control of land holdings, corporate entities and shareholdings accumulated over decades.
Former Attorney-General James Boro Karugu.
Two competing wills and a settlement trust deed establishing the JBK Foundation lie at the heart of the storm. The legal contest also raises questions about the precise number of Karugu’s children.
One of the Wills described by objectors as genuine was drafted in 2010 by the senior advocate Manubhai Patel. Court filings show its executors included retired Court of Appeal judge and former Attorney General Kihara Kariuki, Amos Kiriro, and John Njenga.
It names beneficiaries as Karugu’s four children from his late wife Margaret Waithira: sons Benjamin Githara and Eric Charles Mwaura, daughters Victoria Nyambura and Rose Gathira, along with grandchildren and spouses of his sons.
The disputed Will, dated April 2, 2014, is alleged to be a forged document introduced posthumously to disinherit certain beneficiaries while empowering different executors and trustees.
The executors are named as Peter Gachuhi, Reverend Joshua Mwaura Kimani and Eliud Karugu Gatambia.
In their court application, the trio pledged to "faithfully administer according to law all the estate which by law devolves upon and vests in the personal representatives of the deceased."
This contested document lists eight beneficiaries, the original four children plus four others -Alexus Waithira and Yvonne Njeri, allegedly sired by a woman named Lucy Muthoni and Allan Mwaura and Adam Mwaura, allegedly sired by Hellen Wambui.
Mr Karugu’s wealth portfolio under dispute includes prime land parcels in Kiambu, Nairobi and Nakuru, plus investment firm Mathara Holdings Ltd with its ten subsidiary trading companies
Forgery allegations
The bitter feud has fractured Karugu’s family while dragging relatives, lawyers and professionals into criminal suspicion.
A December 23, 2025, directive from the DPP’s office approved prosecution of several individuals for alleged will forgery and related Penal Code offenses.
Those named include lawyer Peter Mbuthia Gachuhi (a disputed will executor), Jane Wangechi Kabiu (accused of orchestrating the will handover), Joshua Mwaura Kimani and Eliud Karugu Gatambia (fellow executors), and advocate William Kimani Richu (alleged will witness).
Proposed criminal charges range from forgery and uttering false documents, conspiracy to defraud and perjury.
A sixth individual, Eric Charles Mwaura Karugu, was listed as a person of interest, with the DPP directing further investigations before any charging decision.
The criminal case originated from complaints by Victoria Nyambura Karugu, who, in an affidavit, challenged the authenticity of the Will documents presented weeks after her father’s death during a November 29, 2022, reading at a Kiambu hotel.
Ms Nyambura is Karugu’s firstborn daughter.
She maintains the genuine will prepared by Patel & Patel Advocates, which reflected her father’s longstanding estate plans with reputable executors like retired judge Kihara Kariuki.
By contrast, she alleges the disputed document contains errors and inconsistencies unbecoming of her father’s legal acumen.
"The alleged last will of the deceased dated April 2, 2014 is an error-ridden document, characterised by numerous grammatical errors and typographical mistakes, highlighting its lack of precision and correctness which raised doubts about how the deceased, who possessed an astute legal mind, with a penchant for detail, would execute such a document," says Ms Nyambura in the court filings.
The DCI forensic investigators reportedly identified multiple red flags such as irregular pagination, missing/duplicated pages, questionable witnessing procedures and signature anomalies inconsistent with Karugu’s known handwriting.
Their report questions why the contested will and JBK Foundation trust deed,both dated eight years earlier, only surfaced posthumously, with some beneficiaries claiming first knowledge during the November 2022 "handover ceremony."
Forensic examiners allegedly concluded signatures attributed to Karugu were inauthentic, prompting the DPP’s urgent charging directive.
The DPP also directed DCI to apply for production orders compelling the surrender of the original last will and testament and settlement trust deed. DCI was also mandated to continue with investigations to establish any financial benefit.
However, suspects obtained High Court intervention via Constitutional Petition No.E027 of 2026, where Justice Bahati Mwamuye on January 19, 2026, issued conservatory orders halting arrests until further directions.
They moved to court, arguing that the criminal process was being abused to predetermine issues pending before the Family Division in the succession case.
In their application, they asked the court to bar the DPP and DCI from arresting or charging them over the will until the succession dispute is heard and determined.
The succession case (Family Division Cause No.E916 of 2023) before Justice Stephen Riechi runs March 23-25, 2026, while the constitutional petition returns February 18, 2026.
Meanwhile, Ms Nyambura’s lawyers accuse unnamed officials of stalling prosecutions despite clear DPP directives, warning that suspects have assumed unauthorised control of estate assets absent probate confirmation.
Karugu’s substantial estate includes prime real estate, commercial properties, and corporate holdings through Mathara Holdings Ltd and ten subsidiary companies.
His wealth portfolio comprises 21 parcels of land measuring cumulatively 753 acres spread across Nairobi, Nakuru, Murang’a, Kwale and Kiambu counties, Treasury bonds worth Sh404.7 million, nine vehicles, including two Toyota Land Cruisers.
He also had seven million shares in Kenya Power, Nation Media Group (27720) and Maramba Holdings (48) the company that owns the Maramba Tea Factory in Limuru. Avenue House, a multi-storey building along Nairobi's central business district’s Kenyatta Avenue, is also among his prominent assets.
Investigators are scrutinising assets held directly and via corporate vehicles, with disputes over management rights, bank access, and income collection since Karugu’s death.
Ms Nyambura says she has handled the family’s business affairs as CEO since 2015, when dementia started to get the better of their patriarch.
