Supreme Court Judge Justice Isaac Lenaola and the daughters of the late former assistant minister John Keen, Rosemary Sanau Keen and Pamela Soila Keen, are facing accusations of fraudulently transferring 43 immovable properties worth Ksh 1.48 billion and withdrawing Ksh 89 million from various bank accounts belonging to the deceased.
In a legal filing by Keen’s first-born daughter, Victoria Naishorua Keen, through Senior Counsel Philip Murgor, she alleges that despite an ongoing legal process regarding the Will, Lenaola, along with Sanau Keen, Soila Keen, and the late lawyer Maina Wachira, illegally transferred the assets and withdrew the funds. This was allegedly done while applications from beneficiaries were pending before the High Court.
Naishorua further claims that Lenaola and Wachira were involved in the transfer of a prime property in Karen valued at Ksh 45 million in December 2016, just 11 days before Keen’s death. At that time, Keen was reportedly gravely ill and incapable of understanding or signing complex legal documents. Murgor argues that the signature on the transfer document may not be authentic.
The petition also claims that a forensic report found Keen’s signatures on his purported Last Will and Testament dated December 2, 2015, to be forgeries. The report suggests that the late Wachira, in collusion with Lenaola, Rosemary, and Soila, acted as executors of the estate based on the fraudulent Will. Murgor further asserts that Lenaola should have declined the role of executor due to his previous partnership with Wachira at a law firm, raising concerns of a conflict of interest.
The allegations highlight long-standing tensions within the Keen family, particularly between Keen’s five children. Murgor claims that during Keen’s illness, Sanau and Soila took control of all his affairs, excluded other family members, and prevented his children and first wife from visiting him until his condition became critical. These actions, Murgor alleges, allowed the respondents to manipulate Keen’s estate to their benefit at the expense of the legitimate beneficiaries.
