When a court granted a former househelp permission to inherit the property of her deceased employer in 2021, she thought she had finally overcome all the hurdles on her way to becoming a millionaire.
Ms Sarah Joslyn was awarded control over the Sh74 million estate left behind when British settler Richard Ingram Crawford died in 2014, but that is still not assured as some parties continue to challenge her status as the estate’s administrator.
On Thursday, there was palpable tension in Mwariki, Nakuru County, when an unknown person arrived and tried to start developing part of the contested land.
It is in Mwariki that Mr Crawford settled after landing in Kenya in 1950. There he made vast sums of money through farming and business. He practised horticulture and kept dogs, donkeys and many pets.
He also established a multimillion-shilling horticulture business, a number of petrol stations and other enterprises, including the Blue Cross Kennels.
An earthmover that had been driven to the area to demolish structures in the property on Thursday was met with resistance as angry families protested, demanding to be told who was behind the demolitions.
In 2008, Mr Crawford suffered a debilitating setback in his life when he was attacked by thugs. He developed Parkinson’s disease following the attack, which led to a loss of memory. He bore the condition until his death.
He had no children or any known family in Kenya or elsewhere. Due to that, the question of who would succeed his empire became a highly controversial one.
On one side was Ms Joslyn, a woman of British descent who started off as Mr Crawford’s househelp and later became his personal secretary. On the other side were families of employees who used to live in Mr Crawford’s land alongside business associates of the departed settler.
Ms Joslyn was banking on a will said to have been written by Mr Crawford. But some parties rejected that document. The will, dated January 9, 2009, indicated that Mr Crawford had appointed Ms Joslyn as the sole executor and trustee of his estate.
But some people thought it was a forgery. It led to the arraignment of Ms Joslyn in court in 2019 where she was charged with presenting documents whose authorship was in doubt.
Among those who questioned the will was Mr Stephen Ngatia, whose father was Mr Crawford’s business partner and who claims to be part of Mr Crawford’s adopted family.
In documents challenging Ms Joslyn’s application to be made administrator, Mr Ngatia claimed that his father, Mr Joseph Maina, and Mr Crawford were business partners since 1957 and that he was considered part of his family.
He averred that Ms Joslyn was first Mr Crawford’s housemaid before she was promoted to a secretary.
He further claimed that she used his kindness to disinherit MR Crawford from his property when he was unwell. On January 20, 2017, Mr Ngatia convinced Justice Anthony Ndung’u to suspend a grant over Mr Crawford’s estate that had been issued to Joslyn in 2014.
Another person challenging Ms Joslyn’s application was Mr Winston Waita , who accused Ms Joslyn of secretly cremating Mr Crawford’s body after which she allegedly forged his will and used it to fraudulently obtain the grant to administer the deceased’s property.
The case wore on for seven years but Ms Joslyn emerged the victor. In October 2021, Justice Teresia Matheka confirmed the grant of probate for the estate of Mr Crawford issued to Ms Joselyn on July 30, 2014. Justice Matheka adopted a consent order signed between the parties who agreed to withdraw their applications.
With that, Ms Joslyn was now legally allowed to assume the powers Mr Crawford had over his property.
But Thursday’s events showed that the fight over the estate is far from over. Among those who protested the efforts to clear a prime parcel of land following a rumoured sale was Ms Magaret Wanjiku.
Ms Wanjiku said she was Mr Crawford’s former employee who had lived in his compound since 1972. She said she was not ready to move out. She wondered why they were being forced out of the compound yet Mr Crawford had promised to give them part of the land.
“We do not understand why nobody is concerned about our welfare yet this is the place we have known as home for many years,” said Ms Wanjiku.
Ms Ann Wanjiku, on other hand, questioned the manner in which Ms Joslyn obtained the documents. According to her, Ms Joslyn was going against the wishes of Mr Crawford who wanted his workers to live comfortably.
Mr Daniel Kiriu called upon President William Ruto to intervene and help the families that have been left vulnerable.
“We were not allowed to participate in the court process and neither do we know what transpired. We are only shocked to learn that Joslyn inherited the land,” said Mr Kiriu.”
