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A retired primary school teacher shocked an Eldoret court on Friday when she disowned her daughter-in-law, saying she was just a girlfriend to her late son, during the hearing of a burial dispute.

Elizabeth Yator stunned Senior Principal Magistrate Onkoba Mogire by claiming that despite Caroline Mumbua siring four children with her son, Victor Korir, he died a bachelor.

She said Victor had several concubines whom he sired several children with during his lifetime and that Mumbua was one of them.

“My late son never had a stable marriage as he had several girlfriends and for Mumbua to claim she was married to him is total lie as she was just one of his girlfriends,” she told the court.

“Mumbua was never married to Victor to the best of my knowledge even though they were staying together for 18 years. I have never recognised her as my daughter-in-law as she claims in her court documents,” argued Madam Yator to the consternation of the court attendees among them family members from both sides.

An emotional Yator accused Mumbua of abandoning Victor during his sickness in the hospital and only resurfaced when she heard that he had passed away.

Yator  and her son are represented by lawyer Stanley Kagunza while Mumbua is represented by lawyer Nyamwega Osoro.

The retired teacher was testifying in a case where she is embroiled in a tussle with her said daughter in-law over where to bury the deceased whose body has been lying at Iten County Referral Hospital mortuary in Elgeyo Marakwet county since last month.

Yator and Mumbua are fighting for the rights to bury the deceased police officer.

Yator insists her late son must be buried at their ancestral land in Kibendo village  in Keiyo North Sub-county, Elgeyo Marakwet county, apparently in accordance with her late husband John Yator’s wish.

However, Mumbua argues that the deceased must be buried at their two-acre piece of land in Suswo area, in the neighbouring Uasin Gishu county.

The court has since barred the Yators from interring Victor’s body until the matter is concluded.

Victor died on August 20 at Real Hospital in Eldoret, leaving behind seven children among them, the Mumbua’s four.

Mumbua went to court two weeks ago and successfully obtained an order stopping the burial which had been scheduled for August 23 at Kibendo.

She sued her mother-in-law and brother-in-law Hosea Kiptoo Korir who she accused of making arrangements to bury in Kibendo village instead of the Suswo area where they were allocated the land by Victor’s father (now deceased).

Mumbua claims Ms Yator and her son Korir, who is also a police officer, had forcefully taken control of burial arrangements to her exclusion and that of their four children.

She claims she has been taking care of her husband at Real Hospital where he had been admitted in Eldoret until he died.

Mumbua brought to the attention of the court that her in-laws were causing her substantial losses and damage at a time when she was mourning her husband of 18 years.

The hearing continues today where four key witnesses, including two elders from the deceased’s clan, have been lined up to testify.