Former Bomet Governor Joyce Laboso’s widower Edwin Jacob Abonyo has been granted orders by a court to manage her Sh100 million estate.
However, Laboso’s sister Judy Cheptoo has hired a lawyer and informed the court that she intends to object to the grant of letters of administration to Abonyo. She has yet to file her substantive suit papers.
Laboso died of cancer on July 29, 2019, at the Nairobi Hospital. She was 58.
High Court judge Aggrey Muchelule on June 10, 2020, issued the order giving Abonyo the authority to manage the estate following an application through lawyer Fred Athuok.
Abonyo told the court that he filed the application as the widower. He also sought a limited grant for substituting Laboso’s name with his.
He listed land in Karen, Kericho, South Sotik and Kisumu, a townhouse along Kilimani Road, a house in Kericho and some 275 shares in Kenya Grain Growers Co-operative Union as Laboso’s property.
Also listed were a house in Nakuru, a residential plot in Bomet, KCB shares, Sinendet Multipurpose Cooperative Society, shares in Parliament Sacco, Egerton University Pension Scheme, Imarisha Sacco, Cooperative Bank account, KCB account, Cooperative Bank Visa card, Barclays multi-currency prepaid card, a vehicle and shares at Itibo Limited.
The case will come up for mention on March 24.
The estate, according to Abonyo, has a liability of Sh48 million.
The couple had been married for 36 years and had two children. They also adopted others from their extended families.
Laboso was a lecturer at Egerton University before joining politics following the death of her sister Lorna who was then Sotik MP.
At Egerton, she served as the coordinator of the Faculty of Communication and Media, Library and Information Studies.
In 2008, she won the Sotik MP race and also served as deputy speaker in the 11th Parliament. She then became governor of Bomet after beating Isaac Rutto in 2017.