By TONY MUSISI
The bitter succession battle over the multi-billion-shilling estate of prominent Eldoret evangelist and businessman Edward Limo has taken a fresh twist after his family rejected claims by a former employee seeking recognition as one of the beneficiaries.
The family has accused John Macharia Mulabi, who previously served as principal of one of the deceased’s private schools, of allegedly using forged documents to establish a claim to a share of the vast estate, estimated to be worth more than Sh3 billion.
Appearing before Eldoret Senior Resident Magistrate Beatrice Toroitich, one of the deceased’s daughters, Ruth Jeruto Limo, told the court that Mulabi was merely an employee of her late father and had no entitlement to inherit any portion of his property.
Ruth maintained that although the family recognised Mulabi’s previous employment relationship with their father, they did not acknowledge him as a beneficiary of the estate.
“We recognise Mulabi as our late father’s former employee but not as a beneficiary of the vast estate he left behind, as he purports to claim in the forged documents before this honourable court,” she told the court.
She further said the family had been unable to distribute the properties left behind by their father because of the ongoing succession dispute at the High Court and the controversy surrounding documents allegedly used to support competing claims to the estate.
Ruth was testifying in a criminal case in which Mulabi faces three counts relating to forgery, making a false document and knowingly presenting an allegedly forged document as genuine.
The charges are brought under Sections 350, 347(a), 349 and 353 of the Penal Code.
According to the particulars of the first count, Mulabi is accused of forging the signature of the late Limo on November 30, 2009, at an unknown location in Kenya, jointly with other persons who have not been presented before the court.
The prosecution alleges that the signature was placed on a partnership deed for E&T Concord Boys High School, with the intention of making it appear that the document had been genuinely signed by the deceased.
In the second count, Mulabi is accused of making a false partnership deed on the same date at the offices of Kiplagat and Misoi Advocates in Eldoret town, within Uasin Gishu County.
The document allegedly purported to establish a genuine business partnership between Mulabi and the late Limo in the ownership or operation of E&T Concord Boys High School.
The third charge relates to an incident allegedly committed on December 20, 2022, at the High Court of Kenya’s registry in Eldoret, Family Division.
The prosecution claims that Mulabi knowingly and fraudulently presented the disputed partnership deed, described in the charge sheet as relating to E&L Concord Boys High School, as an authentic agreement between himself and the deceased.
The charges place the disputed partnership document at the centre of the criminal proceedings, with the prosecution seeking to establish whether the document and the signature attributed to the deceased were genuine.
The case is closely linked to the wider succession dispute over Limo’s extensive business and property empire, which has remained contested since his death on December 13, 2017.
Limo was a prominent businessman and evangelist in the North Rift region whose investments spanned education, healthcare, real estate and religious institutions.
He left behind 10 children, comprising three sons and seven daughters, although six of them have since died.
His estate includes approximately 700 acres of prime land within Eldoret City, where several institutions associated with the African Inland Church (AIC) are located.
Among the religious institutions on the property are Kao La Amani Church and Kao La Amani Bible College, which have become part of the wider estate whose ownership and distribution are the subject of the succession proceedings.
The property also hosts several commercial and social investments established during Limo’s lifetime, including a private hospital and two high-end learning institutions, Concord Boys High School and Concord Girls High School.
The schools are among the significant investments associated with the late businessman’s education ventures and have added to the complexity of determining the ownership and management of the properties following his death.
The value and diversity of the estate have made the succession dispute particularly contentious, with questions surrounding the identification of beneficiaries, ownership of individual assets and the management of the deceased’s investments remaining unresolved.
Limo was also a well-known personality in the region and enjoyed close links with former President Daniel arap Moi, further raising his profile in the North Rift’s business and religious circles.
His death left behind a substantial business and property portfolio that has since become the subject of legal proceedings as members of the family seek to establish how the estate should be managed and eventually distributed.
Ruth’s testimony adds another dimension to the dispute, particularly over the circumstances under which Mulabi claims an interest in the school through the alleged partnership agreement.
The family maintains that the former employee cannot rely on the disputed document to acquire an inheritance right over property belonging to the deceased.
However, the criminal case will determine the allegations of forgery and the authenticity of the documents, while the separate succession proceedings will address the ownership and distribution of the estate.
The criminal charges against Mulabi remain allegations, and he is entitled to the presumption of innocence until the court determines the case.
The hearing is scheduled to resume on November 24, 2026, when the court is expected to continue receiving evidence in the matter.
