Forged Signature used in determining share of Ksh3.5B Estate of the late Paramount Chief Kibor Arap Talai

By Winstone Chisiremi

Former colonial-era paramount chief Kibor arap Talai’s signature in the purported Will he left behind detailing how his sh 3.5 billion estate should be shared among his two widows was forged, an Eldoret the court heard today.

Chief Inspector Daniel Gutu, a forensic document examiner attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations department in Nairobi, told
Justice Reuben Nyakundi that after he examined and analyzed the
purported signature in the Will, dated 13th February 2016, he
discovered that it was forged.

According to the witness, some of the methods he used to arrive at the conclusion to the effect that the signature in the purported Will was a forgery include pen movement, pen speed, natural pen lift and pen pressure among other features.

The two widows of former influential colonial-era chief Tapyotin Talai 84 and who has since passed away and her co-wife, Irene Talai are embroiled in a court battle over control of his multi-billion shillings estate.

Trouble over sharing of the property started when Kibor arap Talai died in 2012 aged 95 after a long battle with diabetes.

His first wife Tapyotin Talai went to court in 2013 to seek letters of administration to allow her and her five children to manage the sprawling estate that spread across Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet counties.

She had claimed that her co-wife and her three children did not
contribute anything to the acquisition of the multi-billion shillings estate.

Tapyotin before her demise had also disowned as fake a Will that her co-wife, Irene claimed was written by Kibor stating how his estate
should be shared.

Her granddaughter Caroline Jepkogei has since taken over her place in the case.

Her co-wife, Irene, 54, also tabled before the court a Will she
claimed their husband left indicating how he wished to have his property shared.

“The deceased gifted me the prime land near Moi University on which stands several commercial business premises before he died. There is no way I will share it with his first wife,” she had told the then Justice Stephen Githinji, who was then presiding over the matter before he was transferred to Malindi.

Court documents indicate that Talai left over 1,500 acres of land in Kesses near the Moi University’s main campus, and a ranch where he planted commercial trees for sale in Lelan, Marakwet West.

Other properties include developed plots and commercial buildings on a 100-acre parcel of land opposite the university. He also had another more than 1,600 acres of agricultural land in Kesses.

Justice Nyakundi adjourned the hearing of the case to Friday where four more witnesses among them Land registrar in charge of Elgeyo Marakwet county are expected to give their evidence.