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NAIROBI: The court battle for the control of the Karume billions has taken anew turn after a daughter claimed in court documents that her father forged her signature to disinherit her of her mother’s property.
In court papers filed on Friday, Jane Mukuhi Matu claims that the late business magnate “either forged or authorized the forging” of her signature on two occasions in the process of inheriting the estate of his wife Wariara Njenga Karume’s estate. Wariara, the mother of Mukuhi, died without a will on March 8, 2003. Mukuhi claims Karume forged the signatures in the two consent forms which were used to access “Grant of Letters of Administration” and “Certificate of Confirmation of Grant”. Mukuhi has applied for revocation and annulment of the grant on account of the alleged forgery on the part of her late father.
The case is set for hearings on November 18. “Upon the death of my mother, my father, James Njenga Karume, without seeking my consent, proceeded to petition for letters of administration. In doing so the deceased prepared or caused to be prepared a consent in which he indicated my name but the signature appearing in the said consent against my name is forged.”
“Thereafter my father, once more without informing me or seeking my consent, proceeded to apply for confirmation of grant. In doing so my father, once more, either forged or authorised the forging of my signature on the consent form,” Mukuhi says in her affidavit dated May 15.
She says following the confirmation, her father proceeded to transfer all the assets of her mother to himself. She says she was unaware of the grant and confirmation until “recently” when a dispute arose in the matter of the estate of Karume through Succession Cause No.3102 of 2013.
“I aver that the signatures appearing alongside my name in the said consents were not authored by myself and do not belong to me at all,” she claims. The consent forms were signed on July 14, 2008 and March 24, 2010 by all eight of Karume’s children by Wariara.
In the affidavit, Mukuhi claims her mother owned shares in Karume Holdings, Karume Transporters Agency Ltd, Gema Holdings, Ruiru East Block, Bamburi Portland Cement, Kyanogo Ltd, Joreth Ltd, Kenya Poultry Produce Co. Ltd, Karume Investments Ltd and Kiambu General Transport Agency Ltd.
All the shares were collapsed under Karume’s business empire upon transfer. Later, some of these shares, interests and companies were placed under the management of three holding companies- Jacaranda Holdings Ltd, Karume Holdings Ltd and Cianda Holdings Ltd – in Karume’s will. They were placed under a trust to run it on behalf of the children. Some of the children are however challenging both the will and standing of the trust in separate cases. “I therefore pray that the court appoint myself Jane Mukuhi Matu as the administrator of the deceased estate,” Mukuhi pleads in the affidavit.
Kigera, Wanjiru and Wanjema have sued the Njenga Karume Trust in one of the cases. None of the children have enjoined themselves in Mukuhi’s application avowing to possible forgery by their father.
DEPOSITED IN COURT
In the Karume will deposited in court, Mukuhi got an apartment “of value not exceeding Sh15 million”, all Karume’s shares in Bata Shoe Company, 12.5 per cent Karume’s shares in Kenya Wine Agencies and 25 per cent of the same in Paper House of Kenya. Emmanuel, Karume’s last born, took all shares in Kiambu General Transport Agency Limited, all shares in Majoreni Agencies, all shares in Ngorongo Tea Factory Limited, 25 per cent stake in Heri Limited, 12.5 per cent in Kenya Wine Agencies and joint tenancy of 60 acres of Cianda Farm.
The lucky boy also got the only share Karume had retained for himself in almost all major Karume businesses – Jacaranda Hotel Limited, Karume Investment Limited, Kabete Distributors Limited, Cianda Estates Limited and Forest Road Flats when transferring them to the trust. Wanjema got 25 per cent of Heri Limited, 12.5 per cent in Kenya Wine Agencies, 16 acres hived off the 508-acre Cianda Farm together with the farm house which he occupied and the only share Karume had in CHL.
Waireri got 25 per cent of Heri, 12.5 per cent of Kenya Wine Agencies, Karume’s only share in KHL and eight acres of Lynton Farm together with the “Lynton House” located in the farm.
Wanjiku got Sh10 million in cash, 12.5 per cent of Karume’s shares in Kenya Wine Agencies and 25 per cent of shares in Paper House Kenya Limited. Another daughter Theresia Njeri got Sh2 million in cash, 12.5 per cent of Kenya Wine Agencies, 25 per cent of Paper House of Kenya Limited and five acres of Lynton Farm. In addition, her son Morris, a grandson of Karume, got 1.3 acres of Lynton Farm
Wanjiru 25 per cent of Karume’s shareholding in the Paper House of Kenya Limited, 12.5 per cent of Kenya Wine Agencies Limited and five acres of Lynton Farm. In his trust declaration drawn out by Iseme, Kamau & Maema Advocates, Karume expanded the scope of beneficiaries of the rest of the wealth he left with the trust. His children and wife were just two of the ten beneficiaries he listed.
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