Widower, Siblings Fight over Late Bomet Governor Joyce Laoboso's Sh100 Million Estate

Two siblings of the late Bomet Governor Joyce Loboso have moved to court to block her widower’s bid to manage part of the estate she left behind.

Laboso’s siblings Mary Chepkurui and Judy Cheptoo want the court to deny their sister’s widower Edwin Abonyo the right to administer part of the estate valued at Sh100 million.

In an application filed at the High Court, the two accuse Abonyo of trying to take over some properties left to them by their late parents.

They claim that Abonyo listed property belonging to their parents as part of the deceased’s estate, which he is seeking authority to manage.

“The Estate of my late mother Rebecca Laboso have now been made subject of this instant succession and in spite of a clear mode of distribution therein and the properties not having been transmitted; the petitioner herein has deceptively and or illegally listed them as part of the Estate of the deceased and further distributed them exclusively to himself and the other two beneficiaries,” their application read in part.

The properties in contention include a piece of land in Kericho town, a residential house in Sotik, shares held at Itibo Limited, shares at the Kenya Grain Growers Cooperative Union, 2,480 shares at Kenya Commercial Bank, and shares at Sinendet Multipurpose Cooperative Union.

“Kericho/Kapletundo/chemagel BLOCK 1/27 belongs to our late father and has not been subjected to succession thus if the grant is confirmed herein, we stand to be unfairly disinherited,” Chepkurui says in an affidavit.

Abonyo is seeking to manage several of his late wife’s property including land in Karen, Kericho, South Sotik, and Kisumu, a townhouse along Kilimani Road, a house in Kericho, and some 275 shares in Kenya Grain Growers Co-operative Union.

He also listed a house in Nakuru, a residential plot in Bomet, KCB shares, Sinendet Multipurpose Cooperative Society, shares in Parliament Sacco, Egerton University Pension Scheme, Imarisha Sacco, Cooperative Bank account, KCB account, Cooperative Bank Visa card, Barclays multi-currency prepaid card, a vehicle, and shares at Itibo Limited as Laboso’s property.

Laboso succumbed to cancer on July 29th, 2019, aged 58. She had two children from her 36-year marriage with Abonyo.