Woman, 100, in Fierce Court Battle With Son's Wife Over Ksh15M Gift

A 100-year-old woman and her daughter-in-law are engaged in a bitter court case over property worth more than Ksh15 million in Njoro, Nakuru County.

The Daily Nation on Tuesday, October 29, reported that Esther Wangui and her daughter-in-law Jelioth Wanjira were battling it out for the ownership of a four-bedroom house that sat on a half-acre parcel of land in Njoro.

Wangui claimed that her daughter-in-law, who was married to her late son Godfrey Wairegi, wanted to take over the house that was bought for her by her children as a gift.

Nakuru Law courts. Esther Wangui on Tuesday, October 29 claimed that her daughter-in-law Jelioth Wanjira wanted to take over the property she had been given by her sons.

Wanjira, on the other hand, mentioned that the house had been registered in her name and was bought by her husband.

The elderly woman through her son John Gakure, whom she had delegated the attorney duties, revealed that the property was bought by her children who contributed towards her resettlement.

Gakure pointed out to the Lands Court in Nakuru that it was the late Wairegi's idea to purchase the house and the land for their mother.

The court heard that Simon Peter Mwangi, one of Wangui's sons identified the property with another son Tom Wairegi giving Ksh600,000 for the purchase.

"It is clear from the correspondence that the intention of the purchase was to gift my mother a house and land," Gakure argued.

He also requested the court to cancel the title deed that was registered in Wanjira's name and declare that the land belonged to his mother.

Gakure, who first filed the case in 2016 after noticing that Wanjira had the property in her name, also wanted the court to issue orders permanently restraining Wanjira from interfering, disposing or evicting her mother-in-law from the property.

Wanjira, however, dismissed the claims divulging that she became the sole owner of the property after her husband's death in 2011 and that her brothers-in-law were using their mother's power of attorney to disinherit her property.

"I have not committed any civil or criminal wrong in having the land registered in my name because I did the same legally in accordance with the Laws of Kenya," Wanjira submitted.

The court hearing was set to be heard on February 7, 2020.

Nakuru Law courts. Wanjira claimed on Tuesday, October 29 that the brothers-in-law had ganged up against her in the property case.
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