The dispute rocking the Odinga family has taken new dimensions, with Fidel's widow, Liam Bekele sensationally accusing Ida Odinga of bad faith in the property row currently before the court.
The Daily Nation reported on Thursday, October 17, that Bekele dismissed the claims leveled by the Odinga family which alleged that she had excluded several properties from an inventory of assets that her husband owned.
She instead stated that the reason for the accusations and the succession dispute was due to her long-standing battles and strained relationship with her mother-in-law, Ida.
"The averments are preposterous, offensive and made in bad taste. Ida Odinga has the autopsy reports. I believe the statement she recorded with the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) following Fidel's death informs her opinions and is the genesis of our differences," she alleged.
In the statements presented in court, she sensationally announced that it was not the first time she had been at loggerheads with Ida, and Fidel's death only served to aggravate the conflict.
"Ida has continuously made false, defamatory and unkind remarks about my family, my friends and I," she reported.
The much-publicized case started on a controversial note, with the Odinga family alleged to have used their influence to have the story pulled down from The Standard, where it had been the cover story.
On Wednesday, October 16, the court rejected a plea that Ida made through her lawyer Victor Olao to have the media kept away from covering the succession case.
“You are fighting in an open court; therefore, we cannot stop the media from accessing the courtroom, or covering the case. If the media finds the story juicy, let them publish,” High court judge Aggrey Muchelule informed Olao.
Justice Muchelule also ordered a DNA test on twins allegedly sired by Odinga's deceased son Fidel, who are in the center of the dispute.
The test was to be conducted to ascertain the paternity of the minors before proceeding with the succession case.
