22/05/2025
Let’s agree — or agree to disagree — that having a will is critical. And to take this even further, if you have any investments, registering them under a company is also important. Let me tell you why.
There’s this property that has been depreciating in value. It used to be a technical college, so the infrastructure was well thought out and up to standard. But when the owner died, there was a dispute on how it should be distributed. He had two wives and another family that wasn’t officially introduced.
Anyway, this opened up a huge dispute — even the deceased’s brothers started claiming inheritance. The matter was taken to court, there was corruption involved and... well, you’ve probably heard of such stories.
The technical college shut down, until recently I noticed it’s being renovated.
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I recall a conversation I had a while back with a Kenyan-American who has registered his properties in Kenya under a company.
“So that in case something happens to me, there will be a smooth transition because of the shareholding allocation that will be in my will, ” he said.
By the way, this is actually the norm in most parts of the world.
Yes, I’ve seen a few Kenyans doing this — especially affluent politicians. We often see their family disputes play out publicly, but you’ll notice the noise dies down pretty quickly. Why? Because there was a will. The shareholding of assets was already set out.
I think we should normalize this. Or shouldn't we?
