By Robert Mutasi 
The Environment and Lands Court in Eldoret has confirmed Eunita Kibor, the youngest wife of the late Rift Valley politician and farmer Jackson Kibor, as the rightful executor of his multi-billion-shilling estate.
Justice Emmanuel Washe ruled that there was no doubt that Eunita is the sole executor of Kibor’s estate, which has been estimated at more than KSh3 billion. She will execute the estate with assistance from Kibor’s former lawyer, Jonah Bundotich.
The ruling followed a succession dispute in which more than 16 of Kibor’s children challenged Eunita’s position and accused her of relying on a forged will to allocate herself and her four children a larger share of the deceased’s property.
Justice Washe, however, dismissed the challenge to Eunita’s position, telling the children that they could pursue the appropriate legal process if they were dissatisfied with her role as executor.
The judge also pointed to a legal issue in the children’s claims concerning alleged forged documents used in transactions involving the estate.
According to the ruling, where fraudulent documents are alleged to have been used in dealings involving an estate, the law requires the complaint to be brought by the lawful executor of the estate.
The dispute has placed several high-value properties owned by Kibor at the centre of a prolonged family battle.
One of the key properties is a commercial building in the heart of Eldoret City. Kibor’s children accused Eunita of collecting millions of shillings in rent from the property without involving other members of the family.
They also accused her of taking control of Mafuta Farm in Moiben Sub-County, Uasin Gishu County. The farm measures more than 320 acres and is among the properties whose ownership and management have become contested following Kibor’s death.
Other properties mentioned in the dispute include matrimonial homes in Chepkoilel, on the outskirts of Eldoret, and Kabebes in Ziwa along the Eldoret-Ziwa highway.
During her testimony, Eunita told the court that she was acting as a trustee of the Eldoret commercial building on behalf of her four children.
She further told the court that Kibor had supported her appointment as executor of his estate and had given her his goodwill before his death.
Eunita also recounted difficulties faced by her family after Kibor’s death, including an eviction from Mafuta Farm, which she said had been given to her by the late politician during his lifetime.
Kibor died in March 2022 after a long career as a prominent farmer and political figure in the Rift Valley.
He left behind four wives and 27 children, as well as extensive agricultural land spread across Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Trans Nzoia and Nakuru counties.
His assets also included commercial properties in Eldoret, Nakuru and Nairobi, bank accounts, shares in listed companies and other movable and immovable property.
The latest ruling settles the question of who should act as executor for the estate, although the wider succession dispute over the distribution and management of Kibor’s property remains before the courts.