This archive report was first published on 8 May 2020.
On May 7, 2020, a Kenyan court brought an end to a 40-year succession feud over the estate of former Cabinet minister Mbiyu Koinange, valued at over Sh14 billion.
The High Court ruled that the properties of the minister, who served in founding president Mzee Jomo Kenyatta's Cabinet, would be distributed among his 12 beneficiaries, including two widows who are still alive and 10 children.
At the centre of the latest court battle was the question of whether the assets should be distributed equally among the four widows or the allocation should be based on a list of Koinange's spouses as well as his recognised children.
Justice Aggrey Muchelule said all the children have equal worth irrespective of their sex or marital status.
The court also directed that the family reserves space for utilities like roads, police stations and schools on some of the huge tracts of land owned by the family.
Mr Koinange, who also served briefly in former president Daniel arap Moi's administration, died on September 3, 1981 without a will, sparking a vicious battle for the control of his estate.
Justice Muchelule observed, 'One wishes that all Kenyans can get into a habit of planning their lives, especially thinking about what will happen to their families upon their death.'
The High Court ruling is in line with a Supreme Court ruling which found that Koinange had four widows - not two - and which stated that all his dependents should inherit the multi-billion shilling estate.
