Gospel musician wins multi-million estate court battle, named legal heir of wealthy Eldoret farmer

After a bruising five-year legal battle, gospel musician Lwenda Alex Fernandez, known as King Clan B, has been officially recognised as the son of the late wealthy businessman and farmer Michael Kiptoo Kebenei.

The High Court in Eldoret ruled in Fernandez’s favour, declaring him a lawful heir to Kebenei’s multi-million estate, which includes a prime 15-acre parcel in Kapseret, Uasin Gishu County.

Justice Robert Wananda ordered the estate’s administrators to include Fernandez in the succession process, faulting Kebenei’s widow, Lilian, and her three sons for fraudulently excluding him from the list of beneficiaries.

The widow and her second-born son, Justine Kipleting, had insisted Fernandez was a stranger. But the judge dismissed their claims, citing solid evidence from Fernandez, including proof of their prior support for his wedding.

“In this case, after carefully studying the record, I find that the administrators were neither honest nor sincere in their denials of the objector’s status and in labeling him a stranger,” said Justice Wananda. “They appeared evasive on several aspects, particularly regarding the monetary contributions made by the administrators for the objector’s wedding.”

Kebenei died in 2002 at just 36. Justice Wananda now wants the parties to undergo Court Annexed Mediation to agree on Fernandez’s share. He clarified the share need not be equal to those of Kebenei’s other children, noting Fernandez grew up away from the family and did not help build the estate.

“The Court, for the purposes of Section 27(a) of the Law of Succession Act, declares the objector to be the son of the deceased, Michael Kiptoo Kebenei,” read the judgment.

The judge warned that if no agreement is reached within 60 days, the court will decide Fernandez’s share.

Fernandez had initially asked the court to allow the exhumation of Kebenei’s body for DNA testing, but the application was dismissed. He later presented five witnesses to prove paternity, including his aunt and a former family employee.

“I cannot ignore the aggressive effort made by the objector in seeking orders for a DNA test to prove his paternity,” said the judge. “The fact that the objector was confident enough to ask for such a test—despite the risk of a negative result demolishing his case—demonstrates his resolve and certainty that he is indeed a son of the deceased.”

In his testimony, Fernandez said he knew Kebenei as a child and that the late tycoon paid his fees, supported his initiation, and introduced him to friends and family, including Lilian.

A witness, Jairo Kiplagat Rotich, son of Kebenei’s gardener, recounted sneaking Fernandez’s mother, then a schoolgirl, into the tycoon’s house. He said the affair led to her pregnancy, which enraged Kebenei’s mother, Emily Chepsiror, who responded by firing Rotich’s father and evicting them.

Still, Kebenei allegedly continued to support Fernandez’s mother during and after the pregnancy.

Lilian, in her defense, told the court the estate had already been subdivided, title deeds issued, and beneficiaries settled.