The children of a former medical doctor in Eldoret are engaged in a vicious court battle over the control of their father’s Sh700 million estate.
Siblings from the first and second wives of Vincent Kiprotich Komurgor have failed to agree on how to share his estate 20 years after his demise.
The former medic had property that included hundreds of acres of agricultural land and prime plots spread across Nandi, Uasin Gishu, and Kakamega counties.
Children of the two wives, Anne Kiprotich and Esther Cheboi (both deceased), are now embroiled in a vicious court battle after disagreeing on how to share their father’s vast estate.
Grace Chepkogei, Ben Kimutai and David Kibet from the second wife have petitioned the court to prevail upon their siblings Ignatius Rotich, Louis Rotich and Mark Rotich from the first wife to recognise them as children of Komurgor, saying they are entitled to a share of his estate.
Court documents presented before Eldoret High Court judge Reuben Nyakundi by Chepkosgei on behalf of her two siblings, claimed that despite being the biological children of Komurgor, their stepbrothers have refused to recognise them and have denied them inheritance.
When she appeared before Justice Nyakundi yesterday, Chepkosgei said they were living in destitution after their step-siblings evicted them from their father’s property in Langas estate along the Eldoret-Kapsabet highway.
“We were forcibly ejected from our late father’s house in Langas estate by our step-siblings, leaving us to live in destitution because they have also excluded us from benefiting from his estate,” she said.
Chepkosgei accused her step-siblings, Ignatius, Louis and Mark of treating them as strangers since the death of their father.
To back up her claims that they were Komurgor’s biological children, Chepkosgei produced in court paternity test results as evidence.
The tests, which she claimed showed a 99.9 per cent accuracy were conducted at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri).
“My samples and that of my stepbrother, Ignatius were extracted for DNA tests and the outcome showed that we are of the same father with a 99.9 per cent accuracy,” she told the judge.
Chepkosgei said it was on these grounds they were forced to move to the court 13 years ago and obtained a court order that revoked the grant of letters of administration that had been issued to their step-siblings.
She also accused her siblings of denying them, despite being raised together by their stepmother. They said their predicament started after the death of their stepmother 15 years ago.
However, their step-siblings, led by Ignatius, vehemently denied that the petitioners were their siblings hence not beneficiaries of their father’s estate. They asked the court to order investigations into their identities.
He claimed the applicants might have forged documents they presented in court in an attempt to conceal their actual identities.
In documents presented in court, Ignatius claims their alleged stepmother was buried in her husband’s (not their father’s) home in Tot, Elgeyo Marakwet county, saying this was a clear indication she was not married to their late father.
“It is not right to give access to our late parent’s house to strangers to live in because they are not beneficiaries of our late father’s estate,” Ignatius said.
