Speaker blames political enemies over family dispute

Nakuru County Assembly Speaker Susan Kihika. PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Ms Susan Kihika denied allegations that she had ganged up with her mother to defraud the rest of the family members of inheritance from her late father, Kihika Kimani, accusing her larger family members of insincerity.
  • The protesting octogenarians and the evicted tenant converged at the home on Thursday demanding that his property be returned to him but Ms Kihika’s younger sister declined.

Nakuru County Assembly Speaker has blamed her political rivals in the 2017 elections for fanning her family’s squabble over the management of part of their late father’s property.

Ms Susan Kihika denied allegations that she had ganged up with her mother to defraud the rest of the family members of inheritance from her late father, Kihika Kimani, accusing her larger family members of insincerity.

“As a matter of fact, I own a home in that compound but I don’t even live there. There is no family property which I have taken possession of. That is malicious and just political witch-hunt,” she stated.

On Wednesday, seven widows of former Nakuru politician, Kihika Kimani, stormed the 42-acre Engarusha farm in Bahati constituency and broke down gates at the property estimated to be worth Sh15 million as they accused Ms Kihika and her mother of allegedly violating a family agreement by evicting one of the tenants in the farm.

The tenant in question, Mr Lawrence Karani, had established a talent school – the Kenya Sports and Talent School on the farm.

The protesting widows who were led by the eldest among them, 85 year old Margaret Wambui Kihika, claimed the Speaker had denied them access to the property.

Ms Kihika, who had initially declined to comment on the matter, however, said it had become necessary for her to set the record straight, accusing her larger family of being dishonest and claiming her step-mothers had been influenced and incited by her political competitors.

TENANT TAKEN TO COURT

She said the tenant at the centre of the controversy had failed to pay rent and was in arrears to the tune of Sh2.2 million and the family took him to court on October 5 last year.

She said the court ruled in favour of the family and granted them orders to auction the property.

The tenant had rushed back to court on December 4 in a bid to block the auction which he lost.

According to Ms Kihika, by the time he went back to court to secure a status quo, the family had already carried out the auction and seized the property on the compound and locked him out.

“At that point all the family members were on board and all the four administrators involved,” she said.

She said the matter has since taken a political angle, pointing an accusing finger at her political opponent, Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri, who visited the family property recently.

“As I am giving this statement, I am informed mheshimiwa Kimani Ngunjiri of Bahati is in my home trying to help. I don’t know what he is doing, but it goes to show the political hand in everything going on,” she said.

But Mr Ngunjiri denied that he was taking sides insisting that he was neutral and had only gone there as the area MP.

The two who have been competitors for the Bahati seat have not seen eye to eye in a long time. Ms Kihika is currently eyeing the Nakuru Senate seat.

“I am sure this is 2017 beginning very early and that is where we are,” she said.

AWAY FROM PUBLIC

The protesting octogenarians and the evicted tenant converged at the home on Thursday demanding that his property be returned to him but Ms Kihika’s younger sister declined.

Her brother Mr Kung’u Kihika who accompanied her at the press conference at Waterbuck Hotel said the family wants to solve the dispute away from public glare.

“This is a family dispute which has played out in the public which is unfortunate. We want to solve it away from the media …the only problem is that there are political dimensions to it,” he said.

Ms Kihika told politicians to stay away from the family issues.

She said the family has had a court battle over succession for the last 11 years which never played out in the public, including eviction of three tenants on the same property.

“It is because the family has its ways of solving disputes, it is therefore unfortunate that politics has been introduced,” she said.

“I urge politicians to please stay away and let us handle our issues so that our father can rest in peace, we don’t want to drag his name in mud,” she stated.