The bitter fight by President Uhuru relatives over multi-million properties situated at the upmarket Muthaiga estate has escalated further. This is after Margaret Gacigi Gecaga got the nod from the Court of Appeal to challenge an arbitration ruling that gave Uhuru’s brother-in-law Udi Gecaga the right over the properties.
The properties had been acquired by Udi’s late father, Bethuel Gecaga. However, Bethuel was married to Margaret. Udi is married to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s elder sister, Jeni Wambui. His son Jomo works at State House as the President’s long-serving personal assistant while her daughter, Nana, serves as chief executive of the Kenyatta International Convention Centre.
Last year, Margaret suffered a blow after the High Court declined to set aside an arbitral award which had allowed Udi to reclaim her palatial home in Muthaiga suburb in Nairobi.
Margaret had filed a suit in 2011 claiming that Udi had fraudulently transferred to himself eight properties including the Muthaiga home, which were initially registered in her late husband’s name. The transfer happened between 2008 and 2011.
But Gecaga countered this and asked the court to allow him to access Sh. 57.6 million held in a joint account at KCB Group. This money had been placed in a joint account pending conclusion of the suit. He also accused Margaret of refusing to approve the release of the money after the Court of Appeal ruled that the 3.2 million shares belonging to his father were not part of the matrimonial property.
he also demanded for some Sh. 9 million, being rent that Margaret had accrued from the time his father died in December 2016.
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The court ruled that Margaret had no direct claim to the shares, which were transferred in 2012 to a firm known as Quinvest Limited, where Udi has an interest. Margaret had termed the transfer of the Gateway shares fraudulent and illegal, arguing she was entitled to the stake in the insurance firm as the spouse of Bethuel.