The sharing of the multibillion-shilling estate of former Cabinet minister Mbiyu Koinange will be delayed longer after the heirs flocked the High Court and filed applications expressing dissatisfaction with a ruling issued in 2020 over the distribution of the properties.
Justice Aggrey Muchelule rendered his ruling on the forty year old succession case on sharing of the property including land scattered across the country and shares in various companies to the 12 beneficiaries in May 2020.
But his decision was immediately challenged in High Court by dissatisfied beneficiaries who sought its suspension while others sought to give the registrar of the court powers to execute all documents, ready for distribution.
A section of family members also filed applications to remove David Njunu Koinange, Margaret Njeri, Lennah Koinange and Eddah Wanjiru as administrators of the estate.
So far, up to 16 applications have been filed before the High Court and the parties are expected to appear before Justice Eric Ogolla to agree on how to dispose of the applications.
Justice Muchelule who has since moved to the Court of Appeal judge, in his ruling, directed all the properties to be shared equally among all the children irrespective of their sex or marital status.
The Late Koinange served as a Cabinet Minister in Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s administration and also a short stint in Daniel arap Moi’s government before his death on September 3, 1981.
Apart from stopping the execution of Justice Muchelule’s judgment, some of the beneficiaries also want the court to compel the administrators to table the accounts of the estate.
The court is also expected to rule on the plan to sell 9.7 acres of land to be identified and the proceeds be used to settle all liabilities, and also the opening of a bank account for the estate.
They are accusing the owners of Village Market of grabbing their land in a property dispute that also involves the KCB Bank Group.
In an application filed in court, the children of former provincial commissioner Charles Karuga Koinange want the court to declare them owners of the property and evict Greenhills Investment, accompany associated with the Ehsami brothers who own the mall.
They also want the Sh8.5 billion loan that Greenhills tapped from KCB Group to develop Village Market declared invalid.
