An 8-year-old girl on Wednesday became a millionaire overnight after winning a row to inherit her father's estate.
The girl had sued through her mother in 2014, complaining that two siblings of her grandmother had denied her the equal right to inherit the estate and recognising her as a co-administrator.
The multimillion shilling estate owned by the girls deceased grandparent who worked in the National Youth Service (NYS) includes two plots with rental houses in Narumoru, Nyeri,a parcel of land in Juja, and two other plots in Mavoko.
She will also inherit an undisclosed amount of money in Postbank and Equity Bank and gratuity at NYS.
The court ruled that the minor should acquire the property after her father, the only son of the deceased, died while serving in the army before the property had been distributed.
The grandparent had appointed the minor as her next of kin to her employer (NYS) before he passed away in November 2013.
The mother told the court that the relatives neither informed her that they were filing the succession case nor did they mention her in any court documents only to learn about the case when the estate had been distributed and the young girl disinherited.
In her ruling, Justice Teresia Matheka ruled that according to Law of Succession Act, "a grandchild is a direct heir to the estate of the grandparent where the parent predeceased the grandparent".
Directing that the 8-year-old's interests in the estate will be held in trust for her by her mother, who was also separately listed as a beneficiary, Justice Matheka added; "The minor herein got into the shoes of her deceased’s father upon his demise, acquiring equal rights with the respondents to apply for the letters of administration as they fall in the same degree of consanguinity".
The judge equally faulted the relatives for not informing and involving the girl in the succession proceedings through the mother, since the mother being married to the deceased’s son deserved a mention.
