Loice Kibor, one of the 27 children of the late Uasin Gishu tycoon Jackson Kibor, explains the financial burden they are facing after their controversial stepmother Eunita Kibor denied them access to rental income from the demolished commercial buildings in Eldoret town.

“Our stepmother collected more than Sh100 million in rent for our late father’s properties in Eldoret without involving other family members. She has been a stumbling block since she came into our family,” Loice argued.

According to Loice, Eunita only married when her late father had already amassed a fortune of several billion shillings and she could not try to gain control of the entire property to the detriment of other family members.

“My mother is sick and we have to borrow money to take her to hospital and yet our late father left millions of shillings in his various bank accounts managed by his youngest wife,” complained Loice

But Eunita insists that she is entitled to a share of her late husband’s estate and urged her stepchildren to respect their rights and not to violate what the deceased left her during his lifetime.

Distribution process

“My property was gifted to me by my late husband in the interest of our four children and my stepchildren. He has no right to interfere in the distribution process,” she claimed.

Eunita also warned her stepchildren that Loiice might be cursed because of her disrespect and pointed out that there had been attempts to disinherit her from her share of the estate left by the deceased.

The inheritance case took a dramatic turn three months ago after presiding judge Reuben Nyakundi withdrew from the case.

Previously, the late tycoon’s children had accused him of bias in his handling of the succession case since he took over the case three years ago.

In a letter signed by the deceased’s children, including eldest son Philip Kibor and daughters Magdalene and Betty Kibor, they called on the judge to recuse himself from the case. The letter was forwarded to Chief Justice Marthan Koome, the Judicial Service Commission, the Registrar of the High Court in Eldoret, the Kenya Human Rights Commission, the Kenya Bar Association and the High Court in Eldoret.

Justice Nyakundi has since transferred the Sh16 billion inheritance case to the court’s newly appointed judge, Emily Ominde.

Justice Ominde is expected to set a new date for the re-hearing of the inheritance case as requested by the children of the deceased.