A family of two wives and 13 children has been ordered by a Thika Court to bury their husband on a boundary between their two neighboring parcels of land to avoid a looming family dispute.
Chief Magistrate Stella Atambo also ordered that the grave should be dug equally from both sides of the land and that both parties should have ease in accessing the graveyard.
The second wife, Ann Njeri Mbote, went to court to stop the burial preparations, arguing that she has not been involved in preparations since the death of her husband with whom they had six children.
The family of the late prominent Juja-based businessman, Christopher Mbote, was also ordered to have a Title Deed of that particular piece of land bearing the names of the two wives with whom he had sired a total of 13 children.
“The Court orders that the deceased Christopher Mbote be buried on a parcel of land known as LR13537/101. That the place of burial shall be excised from the mother title and a separate title thereof shall be issued in the joint names of the two wives,” she ordered.
Both wives, represented by their lawyers, agreed that the burial preparations will leave no party outside and that the deceased will be buried on February 3 as ordered by the court.
The deceased Mbote, one of the wealthiest people in Juja lived with his two wives on a two-and-a-half-acre prime parcel of land in Juja town, with the homes separated by a wooden fence.
Mbote, 78, had sired seven children with his first wife, Margret Waithira and six with his second wife and according to his family, he wished to be buried in his rural home in Gatundu.
He died at a Nairobi hospital on January 16 after a long illness.
The deceased was supposed to be buried on Friday, January 27 before the second wife went to court to block the process. The first wife had already dug a grave on her property.
After deliberations till late at night on Wednesday) which yielded the truce, a government surveyor was directed to hive out some portion of land on either side of the fence for the grave.
Police Officers at Juja Police Station were also tasked with providing security during the burial that is now scheduled for Friday, February 3.
