Kenyan tycoon Jimi Wanjigi and his mother move to oust his brother from father’s estate

Kenyan tycoon Jimi Wanjigi and his mother, Mary Wambui, have asked a court to remove his brother, Sonny Mbui Wanjigi, as an executor of the will of their late father, former Cabinet minister Maina Wanjigi, as a family fight over the estate deepens.

The dispute centers on a will dated Aug. 31, 2000, in which Maina Wanjigi named his widow and two sons as executors and trustees, The Standard reported. Lawyer Elms Guy Spenser, who drafted the will, was named to replace any executor who declined to serve.

Mbui says the family trust set up under the will received only modest assets, while the lion’s share of the estate went elsewhere. He claims that company records and directorships were changed without his consent and that four properties were disposed of. He has also questioned whether the will reflects his father’s true wishes.

Seven companies are at the center of the case: Chania Merchants Limited, East African Office Equipment (1976) Limited, Kitamaiyu Limited, Kianjoya, Nine Sisters Limited, Nine Sisters Management Karen Limited and Chepe Chepe Limited.

Wambui rejects his claims. She says her late husband understood the will’s provisions and that Mbui is reading them selectively. She says the four properties were sold while Maina Wanjigi was still alive, and that Mbui took part in administering the estate before raising objections that are now delaying the process.

Wambui and Jimi Wanjigi, who has authorized his mother to act for him in the case, are asking the court to remove Mbui as an executor. Wambui says that if the delays continue, she may ask the deputy registrar to sign transfer documents in his place.

Justice Hilary Chemitei has allowed the family to proceed with administering and distributing the estate. The dispute has also reached the police, according to the report, which did not give details. Neither the value of the estate nor a hearing date was disclosed.

Executors are responsible for collecting a deceased person’s assets, paying debts and distributing what remains to the beneficiaries named in the will. Removing one requires a court order, usually on proof that the executor has failed to carry out those duties or is acting against the estate’s interests.

Jimi Wanjigi, one of Kenya’s richest men, is a businessman and politician who sought the presidency in 2022. The Wanjigi case adds to a string of succession battles among Kenya’s wealthiest families, including long-running court fights over the estate of former President Daniel arap Moi.