Ex-Nyeri Governor Nderitu family seeks independent probe into alleged estate disinheritance
The family of the late James Nderitu Gachagua has petitioned President William Ruto, seeking an independent investigation into what they describe as a scheme to disinherit them from the late governor’s estate.
In a letter dated March 23, 2026, and submitted through the Attorney General, the family alleges that a close relative interfered with the succession process through intimidation, manipulation, and fraudulent dealings, resulting in irregular transfer of assets and financial loss to the rightful beneficiaries.
“The avaricious conduct and persistent interference by a close relative… has caused untold distress and material loss to us, the rightful dependents of the deceased,” the letter states.
At the center of the dispute is a purported will that the family argues is invalid, noting that the document bears the inscription “Draft Last Will and Testament.”
“A ‘draft’ document cannot by any stretch of reason or law constitute the final will and testament of the deceased,” the family argues.
The letter also questions the circumstances under which the will was allegedly executed, stating that the late Gachagua was critically ill and bedridden with metastatic pancreatic cancer at the time.
“He was unable to see, let alone write or comprehend any legal document,” the letter adds, noting that the purported will is “diametrically inconsistent with medical reality, witness accounts, and the physical condition” of the deceased.
The family further accuses the unnamed relative of leveraging political influence to misappropriate funds meant for the family’s welfare and deny them access to properties forming part of their inheritance, including Olive Gardens and Vipingo Beach Resort.
They are calling for an “independent and impartial investigation into the forgery of a will, irregular interference, fraudulent dealings, and unlawful intermeddling” in the estate.
The letter is signed by immediate family members, including Margaret Nyokabi Nderitu, Susan Kirigo Nderitu, Mercy Wanjira Nderitu Early, Jason Kariuki Nderitu, and Ken Gachagua Nderitu.
The petition comes days after President Ruto publicly criticized his former Deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, a brother to the late governor, accusing him of disinheriting his sibling.
Similar allegations had emerged during Rigathi Gachagua’s impeachment proceedings, but he dismissed the claims at the time.
Nderitu Gachagua, the first Governor of Nyeri County, passed away on February 24, 2017, while undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London.
