Kihika family feud persists despite reconciliation claims

A family dispute surrounding the management of former Nakuru politician Dickson Kihika Kimani’s property isn’t over yet.

On Monday, some daughters of the late politician dismissed an announcement made by five of his widows that the family had reconciled with Nakuru County Assembly Speaker Susan Kihika following a feud that broke out earlier this year.

Last week, the widows, led by Margaret Wambui Kihika, 85, held a press conference in Nakuru town and announced they had forgiven their step-daughter, a key character in the family conflict.

In January this year, Kihika's seven widows stormed the 42-acre Engarusha farm in Bahati accusing Speaker Kihika of denying them access to the property.

In their remarks last week, the widows accused certain politicians of fuelling the feud to gain political mileage.

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“As a family, we met and resolved to end the wrangles that had threatened to tear us apart. Susan asked for forgiveness and as her step-mothers, we have forgiven her,” said Ms Wambui.

But in a fresh twist, the Speaker’s nine siblings, led by Catherine Kihika, dismissed claims that they had reconciled with their sister.

They accused the Speaker and her mother of allegedly violating a family agreement by evicting one of the tenants on the family’s Engashura farm and attempting to disinherit them.

They claimed their mothers were not spokespersons of the family and were misrepresenting facts about the family wrangles.

“The truth is the Speaker together with her siblings and the mother Alice Kihika have been involved in several fraudulent dealings surrounding the extensive Engashura farm. This is the basis of our dispute,” said Catherine Kihika.

They claimed the Speaker bribed their mothers to retract their earlier statements about the dispute.

Speaker Kihika denied the allegations, accusing her extended family members of insincerity.