The family of the late President Mwai Kibaki is facing a stormy inheritance battle. A man named Jacob Ocholla, who claims to be Kibaki’s biological son, has gone to court demanding a share of the former president’s multi-billion-shilling estate.
Ocholla wants Kibaki’s final Will nullified, calling it a forgery. He even seeks to exhume the former head of state’s remains for DNA testing.
But Kibaki’s known children, led by his daughter Judith Wanjiku Kibaki, are pushing back. They accuse Ocholla of relying on hearsay and lacking any credible evidence.
Judy Kibaki Leads Siblings to Shut Out Alleged Half-Brother
Judith Wanjiku Kibaki is fiercely defending her late father’s legacy. In court filings, she argues that Jacob Ocholla has no legal or biological basis to challenge Kibaki’s Will. Judy and her siblings are urging the court to strike out Ocholla’s case entirely.
They say Ocholla’s claims are built on unreliable testimony. His main piece of evidence is an affidavit by a woman identified as Ms JNL, who also claims to be Kibaki’s daughter. But Judy argues Ms JNL is neither a handwriting expert nor a legal professional. She lacks the qualifications to comment on the authenticity of Kibaki’s signature or the legitimacy of the Will.
According to Judy, the Will dated December 23, 2016, is valid and reflects Kibaki’s final wishes. The Will details how the late president wanted his vast estate distributed among his known children. Judy insists that Ocholla is not among them and was never acknowledged by Kibaki at any point during his life.
She accuses Ocholla of using forged evidence and misleading claims in a bid to force his way into the family wealth. “The application is based upon alleged forensic evidence when in fact the deponent of the affidavit purporting to produce that evidence is not an expert,” says Judy in her affidavit.
Jacob Ocholla is not backing down. He wants recognition as Kibaki’s biological son. To prove his claim, he has taken the extraordinary step of asking the court to order the exhumation of Kibaki’s remains for DNA analysis.
Ocholla alleges that the Will currently before the court is not genuine. He points to what he calls inconsistencies in Kibaki’s signature on the Will compared to signatures on public documents. He believes these inconsistencies prove the Will was forged. Mr. Ocholla also argues that his exclusion from the Will is evidence of foul play.
According to Ocholla, the only way to resolve this dispute is through scientific proof. He says he has waited long enough to be acknowledged and will not allow the family to silence him. But critics question why Ocholla never came forward publicly while Kibaki was alive.
The former president was in the public eye for decades, yet there is no record of Ocholla making his claims during Kibaki’s lifetime. This raises doubts about the timing and motivation behind his legal challenge.
Kibaki Children Fight Over Will Family as Inheritance Dispute Drags On
The inheritance dispute has now exposed deep rifts in the Kibaki family. The public image of a united, private family is quickly unraveling. Judy Kibaki has taken center stage, leading the charge to defend her father’s memory and the integrity of his Will.
Legal experts say Ocholla faces an uphill battle. Challenging a Will—especially one from a former president—is no easy task. To nullify it, he would need credible forensic analysis and undeniable proof of forgery. So far, his case rests mainly on testimony from someone with no expertise in handwriting or legal matters.
Judy has dismissed his claims as baseless and motivated by greed. She believes the court should treat the case as an attempt to interfere with a legal process that was already completed. For Judy and her siblings, this is not just about wealth but about protecting their father’s legacy.
As the case continues, Kenyans are watching closely. The outcome could set a major precedent on posthumous paternity claims, the limits of inheritance laws, and the sanctity of a signed Will.
More importantly, it could reshape how families of public figures handle private disputes once the cameras are off and the patriarch is gone.
