Nyeri granny accuses chief of mischief in family succession tussle
Ms Elizabeth Wanjiru Muthiukure, 85, from Gitunduti village in Mathira East who says she has been tossed from one government office to another as she seeks a clearance document from a chief in Nyeri to enable her family file a succession case for her late husband's estate.
For more than a decade, 85-year-old Elizabeth Wanjiru Muthiukure has been tossed from one government office to another in futile efforts to get a simple but important clearance document from a chief to enable her family file a succession case for her late husband's estate.
The octogenarian from Magutu Location in Mathira East, Nyeri County now reads mischief and says there is a conspiracy to disinherit her and her family. She accuses the chief, who is allegedly working at the behest of a Nairobi tycoon, of working to accomplish the mission.
Ms Muthiukure, who was in a polygamous marriage, is crying for justice, saying the administrator has been deliberately frustrating her family’s efforts to file a succession case for her late husband's estate, even after the chief was instructed by his seniors to speed up the process.
Letter to chief
A letter seen by the Nation, dated June 6, 2018, addressed to the chief and signed by the then Mathira East deputy county commissioner, instructed the chief to assist the family by expediting the process.
“The above hails from Magutu Location, this is to inform you to fast track succession so that the parties can settle to individual plots peacefully. Delay of the same will not be entertained,” the letter said.
Ms Muthiukure, who was accompanied by her son James Ndei, claimed the delay was deliberate.
"I know they are waiting for me to die so that they can disinherit my family. I ask the government to help by compelling the chief to provide the document. All I want is justice for me and my family," she pleaded.
Chief’s response
When contacted for comment, the Magutu chief, Mr Samuel Njogu Mukeba, was at pains to explain why it has taken more than a decade for the family to get a clearance document yet he had been instructed by his seniors to assist them. He claimed that both families were in disagreement over who would be the estate's administrator.
"I have handled this case but the families are yet to come up with one person whom they [have appointed] as the administrator. If they come up with one today I will definitely give them the document," Chief Mukeb said.
However, Mr Ndei dismissed the chief’s claim, saying the delay in issuing the document is a wider scheme to disinherit his mother and her family.
"If there is any dispute about the succession matter, it should be left to the courts to decide," he said.
