The fight between Kenyan siblings and Tanzanian son over Late PepsiCo executive's estate

Edward Nzesya disputes Bakari Kisalu's inheritance claim to William Mulwa's estate in a New York court.
Nzesya challenges Kisalu's succession, seeking control over Mulwa's valuable assets.
Nzesya faces obstacles in obtaining asset details from PepsiCo and the IRS amid the ongoing legal conflict.

According to a new story seen in the news publication, The Nation, the dispute between Kenya’s Edward Nzesya and Tanzania’s Bakari Kisalu is about who should have administrative rights over William Mulwa’s vast real estate.

Bakari Kisalu who claims to be the late William Mulwa’s son, had orchestrated the cremation of his supposed father, after which he immediately moved to acquire William Mulwa’s assets in Kenya and New York.

The legal document obtained by the Nation shows that the petition was filed on the 29th of January 2024, over an estimated $500,000 assets in the US, although a comprehensive evaluation of William Mulwa’s assets has not been conducted.

“That $500,000 is tentative, a stand-in figure,” Japheth Matemu, Edward Nzesya’s New York-based lawyer said.

“We will do a proper evaluation later. In fact, we will employ a private investigator to help us recover everything that belongs to William. This is the first step, there is a lot more to be done,” the lawyer added.

Matemu noted that he had reached out to PepsiCo for documents on William Mulwa’s benefits but is yet to get a response. He also disclosed that he has contacted the US’s Internal Revenue Services, for tax documents on William Mulwa’s investments and has also met a dead end.

The properties owned by William Mulwa in the US include; a townhouse in Peekskill Township, a 2017 BMW sports utility vehicle, life insurance, employee death benefits, and several registered patents with PepsiCo in the US.

In Kenya, his assets include; prime real estate in the capital city of Nairobi, alongside assets estimated to be worth Sh500 million.

He was director of research and development at PepsiCo during his run. He spent about 30 years with the company, as a result, his remuneration package according to the salary research firm Glassdoor is between $200,000 to $400,000 every year.

Consent from William Mulwa’s other five siblings, Vincent, Mary, Lilian, Alice, and Judy who are also beneficiaries in Edward Nzesya’s petition, must be given before the New York court can issue a “Letter of Administration.”

The siblings of the late PepsiCo executive insist that William Mulwa was single all his life and none of his partners bore any offspring.

However, Bakari claims that William Mulwa was his father, and willed him his multimillion-Shilling estate to him.

“On October 24, 2023, Mr. Bakari executed a power of attorney, a legal authorization allowing a designated individual to make a decision on behalf of the executor, in favor of New Jersey-based Peter Nderitu Githinji,” the Nations’s report reads.