A Kenyan woman has been exposed following a Court of Appeal ruling that established how she had allegedly hatched a scheme to disinherit UK tycoon's only daughter Ksh500 million wealth.
According to a verdict issued by Court of Appeal judges Fatuma Sichale, Wanjiru Karanja, Hellen Omondi, Asike Makhandia and Imaana Laibuta, the woman had no right to the properties for faking the will of the late British businessman.
According to Kenya Law, the succession case was listed under number 1965 of 2009, where the accused person was battling the UK tycoon's only daughter of the vast estate both in Kenya and London.
The British national had reportedly invested in Kenya, including buying a 4.5 acre land in Roysambu on the then Thika Road, now Thika Superhighway.
"After considering all the facts, we are satisfied that the Will in question was procured by undue influence with a view to fraudulently confer an advantage to Wairimu. There is no way the deceased could bequeath all his properties to a stranger and leave out his own child," ruled the judges.
The woman moved to court in 2009 after authorities disclosed that the businessman had passed on while in France. She argued that the tycoon had bequeathed her all his properties as a friend.
However, the tycoon's wife and daughter moved to court challenging the will arguing that the Kenyan woman had taken advantage of her father's mental health.
The daughter told the court that she was the rightful heir to her father's wealth.
"The so called Will is a very general Will, grossly lacking in specificity and wanting in ambiguity. It does not have a schedule of property and does not adequately describe the property. It only states that the deceased bequeathed all his foreign estate to his friend," ruled the judges.
The Court of Appeal further maintained that the Kenyan woman capitalised on the tycoon's mental health to forge the will.
Details of the will including the passport number failed to match that of the deceased tycoon.
Following the ruling, it is not clear whether the accused will move to the Supreme Court to challenge the verdict.
