High Court clears the way to distribute Simeon Nyachae's estate

The fortune Simeon Nyachae built over decades is finally set to pass to his heirs. Kenya's High Court has cleared the way for the distribution of the late politician's multi-million-shilling estate, dismissing a challenge by his son Charles Ayako Nyachae against his stepmother Grace Nyachae and other family members over the management of the family's income-generating properties.

Nyachae was a towering figure in Kenyan public life. He served as member of Parliament for Nyaribari Chache from 1992 to 2007, rose through the provincial administration to chief secretary, held cabinet posts under President Daniel arap Moi and mounted a presidential bid in 2002.

The ruling removes another hurdle in the administration of an estate that has drawn court battles since Nyachae died in February 2021, including fights over beneficiaries, estate management and control of family-linked businesses.

The portfolio is substantial. It spans rental properties, banking investments, manufacturing businesses and agricultural assets held through the family's Sansora Group of Companies, though its full value has never been made public. Holdings include a 27.1 percent family stake in Credit Bank, 8.6 million NCBA shares, historical positions in Transnational Bank and Kenindia Assurance, milling and grain-processing firms such as Swan Millers and Sansora Bakers, plus tea and large-scale farming ventures.

Charles had asked the court to stop Grace and his stepbrother Leon Nyachae from running the rental properties and collecting rent through Sansora, and to hand management to Ark Consultants Ltd. He also sought an accounting of all rental income since February 2021. The court found no evidence the estate had been mismanaged, wasted or unlawfully handled.

The judge ruled that management should remain with Sansora Group of Companies Ltd, an arrangement Nyachae authorized before his death under a written agency agreement signed in December 2015 and later approved by a majority of the executors named in his will. Nyachae died on Feb. 1, 2021, leaving a will dated Sept. 9, 2015 that named Charles, Eric Maina Nyachae and Angela Nyarangi Nyachae as joint executors. The court issued them a grant of probate in May 2022.

The respondents argued that Sansora was no stranger to the estate, having managed the properties for years under the late patriarch's own agreement. The court agreed that Nyachae had anticipated disputes among his executors and built in a way to resolve them by majority. "To override this clause on the application of a single dissenting executor would be to defeat the testator's clear intention," the judge said.

With the grant confirmed on June 2, 2026, the court held that the executors had met their accountability obligations and should proceed with distribution, winding up one of Kenya's most prominent succession cases.