Kihika Kimani's Sh600m succession case gets a new judge

A succession case pitting the family of late politician Dickson Kihika Kimani will be heard by another judge.

Nakuru High Court Judge Teresia Matheka will take over the case previously handled by Justice Rachael Ngetich.

Justice Ngetich had on October 7, 2021, refused to recuse herself from the case she had been handling since early 2019.

In her ruling, she said she was competent enough to hear the Sh600 million succession petition involving widows of the veteran politician and his children.

However, she was forced to stop handling the case following her transfer to Kiambu High Court.

Presiding Judge Joel Ngugi ordered the file to be placed before Matheka for mention on May 16, to set a hearing date.

Erishifa Wanjiru, 61, had filed an application for Justice Ngetich to disqualify herself from the case saying she was not comfortable.

She accused the judge of being unfair and unjust when she removed her mother Margaret Wambui, one of four administrators, and replaced her with her younger sister Florence Nduta.

Wanjiru alleged Nduta was not the right person to be the administrator because she was against her mother.

Ngetich was also alleged to have ignored Wambui’s wishes to be replaced by Wanjiru as per her application dated November 1, 2019.

Kihika’s property is under the administration of his four widows; Wambui, the first widow, and her co-wives Alice Mukuhi, Mary Wangari, and Miriam Warau.

The late Kihika Kimani served during Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Moi era.

He died holding a record as the only Member of Parliament (MP) to have ever served in three different constituencies.

Wambui and her co-wives inherited Kihika’s property as administrators on October 13, 2009, after he died on November 19, 2004, aged 78.

The case will be mentioned on May 16.