This archive report was first published on 17 September 2019.
Published on September 17, 2019, a court case that has dragged on for over three decades is finally set to come to an end. The distribution of Mbiyu Koinange's Sh14 billion estate is set for November after beneficiaries tabled their proposals.
On Monday, parties involved in the case appeared before Justice Aggrey Muchelule and confirmed that they had all filed documents proposing how the estate should be distributed.
The judge directed all the beneficiaries to be present in court on November 8 when he will give his decision.
Mbiyu Koinange, a polygamous man, died without a will on September 3, 1981. The case has been ongoing for over three decades as family members could not agree on how the estate should be distributed.
However, in 2015, Justice William Musyoka distributed the estate but left out two widows, Eddah Wanjiru Mbiyu and Margaret Njeri Mbiyu.
But in 2017, Justices Philip Waki, Asike Makhandia, and Kathurima M'Inoti cancelled the distribution of the assets, saying Justice Musyoka failed to recognise the two widows.
The Supreme Court rejected attempts by some family members to appeal the decision.
Now, the two widows who were initially left out of the distribution want the property, scattered in many towns, distributed equally among Koinange's four wives in line with the Kikuyu customary law.
However, the first and second wives propose that the assets be shared among 20 dependents, including Koinange's children, grandchildren, daughters-in-law, and the other co-wives.
