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12 children claim Jonathan Moi estate

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Faith Nyambura with her lawyer, John Mburu. PHOTO | PAUL WAWERU

The widows of Jonathan Moi have reached a deal to include all children linked to the eldest son of retired President Daniel arap Moi as beneficiaries of his estate.

The agreement is part of an out-of-court settlement being pursued to end the row involving the three widows, two of whom want the court to declare them joint administrators of the multi-million shilling estate.

Beatrice Mbuli and Faith Nyambura have separately challenged an earlier court order that granted Jonathan’s first wife, Sylvia, temporary rights to administer his estate.

The court Tuesday heard that 12 children have been included as heirs to Jonathan’s assets, up from the previous four -- Sylvia’s children.

The widows also agreed to identify Jonathan’s assets and liabilities and file a report in court on December 15.

Ms Mbuli and Ms Nyambura had accused Sylvia of clandestinely applying for administration of the estate.

They also accused her of having undervalued his assets and transferred some to herself.

When they appeared before Justice Aggrey Muchelule on Tuesday, the widows through their lawyers signed a consent to include all the children as beneficiaries of the estate.

Another son, Collins Moi, was also included as beneficiary, after he filed his papers in court.

The judge encouraged the widows to continue talking and bring every member of the family on board.

At the time of his death on April 20 this year, Jonathan had not prepared a will, a lacuna that has now set the stage for what could turn out to be a protracted succession battle.

Last month, the High Court allowed Sylvia to temporarily hold administrative powers over her late husband’s estate to ensure that his businesses continue to receive and pay money due to them.

The powers, however, have been limited to paying bills and preserving Jonathan’s estate until the court makes a final determination on the administration application.

Jonathan’s estate, said to be worth Sh30 million, is pretty modest, especially when compared to that of his father and his younger brothers, Gideon and Philip.

The estate comprises a piece of land in Nairobi’s Industrial Area valued at Sh15 million and shares in Tiro Holdings Ltd (Sh10 million) and Nakuru Oil Mills (Sh5 million), according to court documents.