No end to 27-year-old fight for Samuel Githere’s Sh20bn fortune 

A 27-year-old tussle for the property of a reclusive billionaire is back in the limelight, with feuding parties accusing each other of the secret sale of part of the Sh20 billion estate. 

Samuel Mbugua Githere, a wealthy Kiambu businessman died on February 7,1997, at Nairobi Hospital, sparking a bitter property scramble involving four women – and their respective children- alleging he was their husband. 

Not all of his vast wealth was immediately traceable, but prime properties spread across Nairobi, Nakuru, Kiambu, Kisumu and Mombasa that were identified have been the subject of a long-running fight. 

And proclaimed daughters have been carrying on with the nasty fight, with accusations and counter accusations of imposters out to disinherit others. 

Githere, who had interest in land, real estate and financial markets, was once the biggest individual shareholder of Pan Africa Insurance Company, now Sanlam Insurance Kenya.

The latest battle has been reignited by Ms Sally Gachonjo and Ms Mary Waceke, who say they are Githere’s daughters.

Sally and Mary identify themselves as the first family of Githere and Jemimah Wambui. They caution potential buyers against any transactions on the estate’s property with Ms Winnie Njeri, who also identifies herself in court papers as the first daughter of Githere.

Winnie says the tycoon was married to her mother Margret Mwathi, who has also since died. 

On February 13, Sally and Mary, through Ndegwa & Sitonik Advocates, published the notice-  a caveat emptor- in local dailies, warning the public against any dealings involving the listed 46 prime properties in Nairobi, Kiambu and Mombasa counties.

They warned potential buyers against dealing with Winnie and her family members who also claim that they were sired by Githere.

''Sally Gachonjo Githere and Mary Waceke Muigai, being the administrators of the estate of Samuel Mbugua Githere, hereby notifies and warns members of public not to buy, lease, charge or in any other way deal  with one Winnie Njeri Kagiri or any other persons posing as administrators of the estate of Samuel Mbugua Githere,’’ the public notice read in part.

It went on: ''Sally Gachonjo Githere  and Mary Waceke Muigai and two others  were on 6/4/2004 duly appointed as the administrators by the High Court in Nairobi, High Court Succession Cause No 2638 of 2003. In the matter of the Estate of Samuel Mbugua Githere.” 

The notice further warned that a grant that had been issued to Winnie by a lower court, and which she had been using to dispose of some of the properties, was nullified by another court in Kiambu.

''The foresaid bonafide administrators applied for revocation of the purported grant issued on 20/2/2023 to Winnie Njeri Kagiri  by Kiambu Magistrate Court Succession Cause No E103 OF 2023. On 8/8/2023, Kiambu Magistrate Court issued an injunction restraining the said Winnie Njeri Kagiri from selling, leasing or in any other way interfering with the ownership of the properties listed,’’ the notice added.

However, Winnie, her sister Grace Wanjiku and their grandson Simon Mwaura in court filings contend they are the legitimate family of Githere and are entitled to his vast wealth.

''We do wish to make it clear that we represent Winnie Njeri Kagiri Kagiri, and Grace Wanjiku Mbugua  who are daughters of Mbugua Githere (deceased) and Simon Mwaura Njenga who is a grandson,” writes their lawyers, Nyambura Munyua &Co. Associates. 

“The asset in issue is fully transmitted and registered in our clients name who did not know  of all the other allegations in your letter given the Milimani succession cause had not been brought  to their attention  despite it being in old  matter,’’ reads the letter addressed to Ndegwa & Sitonik Advocates.

Winnie attaches her birth certificate as proof Githere is his father and also dismisses her rivals as imposters. 

But Sally and Mary claim Winnie, Grace and Simon are imposters out to disinherit them.

They are backed by Jayne Githere who resides in Mombasa. In her supporting affidavit, Jayne has told a Kiambu Court that she is the daughter of Githere and Jemimah Wambui.

She names Sally, Mary, the late John Moffat, Grace Wanjiru and Alice Wakanyi as her other siblings. 

In court papers, Jayne also terms Winnie and her associates as fraudsters.

“That in the circumstances, I strongly believe that the petitioner and the said persons are fraudsters who are seeking to obtain orders of this court  with a view to dispose of the properties of the estate,’’ Jayne says in court documents.

Jayne has also informed the court  that the respondents have already started evicting tenants and transferring properties under their name.

''On 30/1/2024, the respondents issued a one-day eviction notice to all the tenants of IR.No.10515(L/R.No.209/4482 belonging to the estate. On or around February 2024, the 1st respondent (Winnie Njeri Kagiri) transferred the registered ownership of the said property  to herself vide entry No. 2049,’’ she states in court papers.

The matter is coming up in court for direction on March 11, 2024.

But who was Githere and how did he become filthy rich?

Born in Gachie, Kiambu, people who knew Mr Githere describe him as a quiet and aggressive man, who started off as a street hawker and later opened a second-hand bicycle dealership in Limuru. How he became a tycoon is still a mystery.

But Githere was not a lover of books or education. 

In 2008, during the launch of a book titled ‘A Handful of Terere’ written by fiction writer Mwangi Gicheru to to tell his story posthumously, former Defense Minister Njenga Karume corroborated this.

Karume, who was the chief guest during the book launch, told the gathering how he badly wanted to go to school and become a lawyer.

But Githere talked him out of the idea and encouraged him to pursue business promising him that with the success and plenty of money, one could hire the best lawyer instead of tedious learning to become one.

"I wanted to be a lawyer, but Mbugua kept urging me to abandon school and join him in business and make money. Finally, he convinced me that if we could make money, we would be able to hire the best lawyers and I abandoned my dream,’’ Karume said.

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