Justice Teresia Matheka grants 8-year old Kenyan child control of millions in her late grandmother's estate

8-year old Kenyan child gets control of millions in historic court case

Tony Mukere

January 10, 2019 1:58 PM

Child gets millions acquired by ex-NYS employee

Justice Teresia Matheka grants 8-year old Kenyan child control of millions in her late grandmother's estate

An eight-year old Kenyan child has been granted control of her grandmother’s multi-million estate in a historic ruling on property rights.

The High Court ruled that the child, identified as RMM as part of the court’s protection of minors, should benefit from her late grandmother’s estate since her father had also passed on.

She was the only child of her late father who was one of the six children of her grandmother who was a former employee at the National Youth Service.

Her father’s siblings went ahead to share their mother’s multimillion estate without making regard for RMM.

The decision was challenged by RMM through her mother, who told the High Court that her husband’s siblings had failed to inform her and the court that there was another beneficiary in the succession case.

Justice Teresia Matheka grants 8-year old Kenyan child control of millions in her late grandmother's estate Pulse Live Kenya

The estate included two plots in Narumoru town, Nyeri, with rental houses, a parcel of land in Juja, two plots in Mavoko, an unspecified amount of money in Postbank and Equity Bank and gratuity at NYS.

Justice Teresia Matheka agreed with the minor’s mother and ruled that according to Law of Succession Act, “a grandchild is a direct heir to the estate of the grandparent where the parent predeceased the grandparent.”

“The minor herein got into the shoes of her deceased’s father upon his demise, acquiring equal rights with the respondents to apply for the letters of administration as they fall in the same degree of consanguinity,” said judge added.

RMM will now get an equal share of the multimillion estate but will do so through her mother until she reaches adult age (18 years).

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