In what started as a simple family feud in Nandi, an elderly man has decided to distribute all his property to his children and remain with nothing for himself.
Augustine Kipketer Meli, 75, a father of 12, of ages between 54 and 26 years says he has had enough and decided to distribute his estate to his children and wife.
The old man unprecedented decision that has shocked villagers in his Kipchabo home that started like a mere joke after his sons blocked him from disposing off 20 Eucalyptus trees at his farm.
Mzee Meli , knowing too well that he was a self-employed and a sole breadwinner for his family, had in May 1986 planted Eucalyptus trees in part of his farm for commercial purposes.
“All my children were still in school and I knew that I was spending a lot of money in paying for their school fees and for the daily needs of my children and decided to do “old age investments” for myself,” Meli said.
In 2020, Mzee Meli decided to sale 20 of the 34 years old trees to a saw milling firm for unspecified amount of money, little did he know that his sons were always envying them but feared to ask him.
As soon as the firm moved into the farm to harvest the trees, the firms workers were chased away by Simi’s wielding son’s to block them from accessing.
According to the old man i, his son’s made unwarranted accusations against him over his decision to dispose his trees among them that he wanted to use the proceeds for to engage in immorality.
“They even ordered me out of my matrimonial home saying I could “infect” their mother who is my wife with HIV/AIDs…they even threatened kill me if I continued living with her”, Mzee Meli told The star.
Fearing for his life, he moved out his home and went to rent a house at the Kipchabo trading center leaving behind a palatial home he had constructed for his children.
His son’s decision, according to the old man might have had some degree of blessings from his wife who he claimed never sympathized with his predicaments.
The move resulted into a full scale fall-out with his wife and a section of his children, with some of them among them his daughters already married coming into his aid.
“My daughters occasionally come to do some cleaning and washing my clothes apart from managing my Tea farms to ensure that the green leaves are weighed and transported to processing factories,” Meli said.
Meli moved to court to seek orders to be allowed to distribute his estate to his children according to “his wishes “
Represented lawyer Joshua Lagat, before Kapsabet chief magistrate Samuel Mokua, Mzee Meli convinced the court on his reasons to distribute out his properties.
His prayers were accepted and orders issued out for surveyors to move into his farms and demarcate them as per his wishes.
All the 12 children Mzee Meli sired, got a share of his properties breaking the Nandi traditional norms of distributing properties to male children alone.
“I have decided to allocate 2 acres each of Tea farms to my daughters because of their support to me while the sons who expelled and threaten to kill me will each receive a half an acre of land,” Mzee Meli revealed.
The old man had told the court that he was expelled by his two sons, namely Geoffrey Kiprono and Mark Kipchumba from his matrimonial family home.
The two did not make an appearance in court and a permanent injunction was issued by the court to block from any mode of interference during the demarcation, distribution or in any way either by themselves or their agents.
The farms are registered as Nandi/Kombe 444 and Nandi/Kombe634 measuring 15 and 6 acres each respectively.
“The two will be in contempt of court and liable for imprisonment”, Chief magistrate S. Mokua ruled.
The old man told the Star in Kapsabet that he was happy with how the court had guided him and the process as he has been living in fear from his own children.
“I never thought at one time my own children whom I have brought them up could turn against me and even tell me from their own mouths that I’m immoral and likely to infect their mother with AID’s”. He said.
On of the farms, measuring 6 acres he inherited from him father was shared to his sons, with his wife getting One acre that contains a permanent 4 bedroomed house he constructed in 1990’s.
He had told the court that “Now that I’m no-longer allowed to access my properties, I wish to seek orders to have them surveyed and subsequently distribute them to my children,” Mzee Meli submitted to the court.
