When someone leaves a will after passing away, it is generally expected that it’s crafted to benefit their children and spouse—or spouses, if there is more than one.
However, this was not the case with Kenya’s prominent former freedom fighter Fred Kubai, whose will reportedly did not leave anything to his wives.
In fact, reports indicate that the bulk of the will benefited a woman whom most family members regarded as a househelp. How did this happen, and why did it spark a dispute that lasted for many years?
Times Digital Kenya takes you through the will that Fred Kubai left, which became highly controversial long after his passing.
The Will
For over two decades, a succession battle has raged among the late former Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Labour and Social Services, Fred Kubai’s family members following the freedom fighter’s death on Madaraka Day in 1996, with a two-page handwritten document dated January 19, 1991, at the center of the dispute.
On the second page of the will, which is emphasized in capital letters, Kubai clearly states how he parted ways with his four wives. This contrasts with the first page, written in small letters, which names Christina Gakuhi as the sole administrator of Kubai’s estate.
What has been disputed is that the children of Kubai’s four wives claim Christina Gakuhi was their househelp. According to them, she forged the will to make herself the beneficiary of the late freedom fighter’s wealth.
For years, the patriarch’s children have gone to court seeking justice, but to no avail. A Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) inquiry into claims of forgery concluded that the will was indeed forged.
Unfortunately for the children of Kubai’s four wives, the courts have rejected these findings on two separate occasions.
Marriage
Fred Kubai led a polygamous life and had four wives. He initially married Sofia Muthoni as his first wife, but they parted ways in 1964.
His marriages to the other three wives did not last long either, as he eventually parted ways before settling with Gakuhi, whom his children to this day insist was their househelp.
Kubai and Gakuhi did not have children together; she had two sons from a previous relationship.
