The High Court has appointed Grace Wambui and her brother David Kimani Mukuha as co-administrators of the estate of their late father and Naivas founder Peter Mukuha.

In a ruling on Monday, Justice Heston Nyaga settled on Ms Wambui and Mr Kimani as administrators of the estate, noting that the family had been split into two factions.

The two alongside their brother, Newton Kagira Mukuha had filed separate applications to be appointed administrators in place of their brother Simon Gashwe, who died in August 2019.

“In the circumstances and following my previous directions, I hereby revoke the grant issued to Simon Gashwe Mukuha and appoint Grace Wambui Mukuha and David Kimani to be co-administrators,” said the judge.

Justice Nyaga said the two administrators will proceed to complete the administration of the estate, if it has not happened already, and they were to undertake all other matters touching the estate, including the cases pending in court.

“The parties are reminded that they should respect the wishes of their late father who by sheer enterprise placed all of them as beneficiaries and in a very privileged position that a majority of Kenyans can only dream about,” the judge added.

Mukuha died on May 6, 2010, leaving behind a vast estate, including significant shares in Naivas Limited, the company operating the Naivas Supermarkets.

The estate has, however, been a subject of legal contention among the nine surviving children.