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The battle over the control of prominent Uasin Gishu politician the late Jackson Kibor’s estate has taken a new twist after his fourth widow moved to court to stop her stepchildren from evicting her from her matrimonial home.

In an application filed under certificate of urgency before Justice Reuben Nyakundi  of Eldoret High Court, the deceased’s young widow

Eunita Kibor, claims that her step children have gone against a court order restraining any of the beneficiaries from meddling with the vast estate that was left behind by her husband.

The wealthy businessman-cum farmer died three years ago at the age of 80 leaving behind three surviving widows and 27 children.

The late Kibor left behind a vast estate that include movable and immovable assets that are spread in Rift Valley Nairobi and Mombasa counties

During the hearing of the matter yesterday, Eunita 45 paraded her four children among them the first born Reuben Kibor in court whom she said have been rendered homeless after her step children kicked them out of her matrimonial home in Kebenes in Soy Sub County.

She said that Reuben who is a second-year student of nursing in Australia had to cut short his studies and fly back home on learning that her step brothers and sisters were on the verge of evicting his family from Mafuta Farm in Moiben sub county where they had relocated.

Eunita has accused her stepchildren led by the late Kibor’s eldest son Philip Kibor, Magdalene, Betty, Loise, Samwel, David, Albert and Stephen of contempt of court order.

She took issue of her stepchildren for allegedly interfering with three parcels of land that forms part of the disputed estate in court with the intention of evicting her and her four children.

Cruelty and abuse

The widow accused her step-children of cruelty and abuse, saying that three months after Mzee Kibor’s burial, her step-children unlawfully evicted her and her children from her Kabenes matrimonial home.

“After Kibor’s death, my children Reuben, Ruth, Rael and Remmy fundamental rights and freedom have been grossly violated, infringed and threatened. They have suffered acts of violence, torture, abuse, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment at the hands of the respondents on their own or through individuals acting on their behalf,” stated Eunita.

She claimed that the respondents have gone as far as threatening her life and freezing bank accounts that held funds meant for her children’s maintenance making it difficult for her to provide basic needs for her children.

“The first, second and third units have entered into an unholy matrimony with one sole intention to abuse, torture, intimidate, assault, render destitute and commit all manner of human right violations and constitutional infringements against Eunitah Kibor her children,” read part of court papers.

According to lawyer Wilson Kalya who is representing Eunita, the late Kibor catered for his client’s four children with rental proceeds generated from his rental properties in Eldoret and from farming activities in Mafuta Farm measuring 143 hectares including other farms measuring an estimated 1,600 acres in Kabenes.

Pocketing rental income

Kalya said the late politician-cum-farmer’s eight children of have been collecting and pocketing rental income claiming that the same should instead be channeled to the accounts created by the deceased.

“The court directed in its order issued on November, 19, 2022 that no intermeddling of the rentable quantum from the tenants shall be , deposited in any other account safe only with the decree by the deceased during his lifetime,” argued Kalya.

He brought to the attention of the court that the eight respondents have intermeddled with rental income generated from Uasin Gishu/ Kimumu Scheme /1630 without express authority of the court thus constituting intermeddling with the estate punishable under the provisions of the statute as contempt of court,” read his court papers.

Eunitah, through her lawyer, argues that there is a need to maintain the status quo and that each household maintain the farms that they were living in as at the death of their patriarch.

She claimed that she and her four children occupied 100 acres in Kabenes and Mafuta farms measuring 300 acres.

Apart from the listed properties, Eunitah said that she was also in occupation of three prime plots in the outskirts of Eldoret town.

Eunitah wants the court to review its preservation orders issued in November 2022 to specify the land each household currently occupies.

She argues that doing so will protect her and her children from frequent squabbles with her step children and the two surviving widows, namely Josephine and Naomi Kibor

Eunita also wants the eight respondents and any extended family member restrained from trespassing or interfering with the properties that she occupies and from collecting rent from the rental units left behind by the late Mzee Kibor.

But the children of Kibor’s two surviving wives have dismissed Eunita’s claims; instead accusing her of forging the deceased’s Will so as to allocate herself and her children the lion shares in the estate left behind by their father at the expense of other family members.

Forging Will

The claim that the Will which Eunita relies on to stake a claim on majority of the deceased’s wealth is questionable and does not reflect the wishes of their late father.

The disgruntled latte Kibor’s children led by the elder son Philip and daughter Loice Kibor have consequently rejected the document that Eunita claims to be genuine that was left behind by the tycoon stating his wish on how his wealth should be distributed among his family members.

The matter will come up for further hearing on May 20.

The former politician and celebrated farmer in Eldoret town died three years ago. His welcoming demeanour made him an unmistakable figure. He died on March 16, aged 88.

It emerged after his death that the old man once joined the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church for an unknown number of years, and even got baptised in 2001, before later backsliding and getting a second baptism in the African Inland Church.

At his Kabenes home in Uasin Gishu, his imposing house is located at a vantage point on his expansive farm, overlooking the home of his second wife Naomi Kibor, which is located across an uncultivated section.

Immediately after his death, his eldest son Philip Kibor revealed that his father had 28 known children.

Philip said there were more children, and asked them to show up and introduce themselves to the family through him.

He said his father gave each of his sons 200 acres of land and 100 to each of his daughters before he died.