A succession dispute over the late Safaricom CEO Robert William Collymore’s estate has been resolved.
Collymore, who died of cancer on July 1, 2019, had two wills, one on his estate in the United Kingdom and another on his estate in Kenya, both dated April 18, 2018.
On March 21, 2022, his ex-wife Claire Hellen Collymore petitioned the court for intervention.
However, it appears that everything is in order based on court documents revealing that the parties reached an agreement on July 15, 2022.
“That by mutual consent of all the disputants in this matter, all the applications concerning the matter are removed by the act of signing this agreement, and the matter henceforth be marked settled in the court records with effect from the date of this agreement. It is further agreed that each disputant will settle their legal costs,” reads the court document.
Hellen had accused Wambui of interfering with the UK’s will in the papers.
“I am highly apprehensive that the executrix may have meddled with the UK will and comingled assets with the deceased’s Kenyan estate in which she is the sole beneficiary. As she is the sole executor and trustee of the UK will, she is not accountable to anyone or any authority regarding this matter,” reads the affidavit.
Meanwhile, Collymore’s son, James Robert Collymore, claimed that Wambui failed to disclose the true record of all assets in Kenya, including bank accounts and statements.
“That despite verbal assurance to me by the deceased prior to his death and also stating in the UK will that he had put in place sufficient funds to cater for the administration expenses of his estate and the inheritance tax, these funds were not available when the executrix administered his United Kingdom Estate,” reads the affidavit dated March 21, 2022.
Wambui, for her part, dismissed the allegations, claiming that there was no evidence that she had co-mingled Collymore’s assets under the UK will and the Kenyan will.
“The allegations of commingling estates are without any basis in fact… the deceased was clear that he left his daughter all his Vodafone shares for her maintenance, if he intended to leave additional monies as indicated he would have done so either in the UK will or the Kenyan will,” reads Wambui’s affidavit.
Colloymore’s children, James and Sarah, are required by Kenyan succession laws to either consent to the division of their father’s will as is or contest the documents and allow the courts to decide how to divide the wealth among family members.
