The widow of late billionaire and former Starehe MP Gerishon Kamau Kirima, Teresia Wairimu Kirima, has cautioned Kenyans against buying portions of Kirima Land in Njiru, Nairobi.
Wairimu warned prospective buyers that they risk losing their money amid a dispute over the sale of the property within the family.
Wairimu said portions of the approximately 1,000-acre parcel were being sold without her consultation, insisting that the family had not agreed on the disposal of the land.
Speaking to journalists, Wairimu said she was concerned that buyers were being drawn into transactions whose status had not been agreed upon by the family.
Wairimu urged prospective buyers to suspend payments until the family holds discussions and agrees on how the land should be managed or sold.
“I am asking land buyers, do not pay anything until the family sits down and agrees. I am the owner of the land, do not pay,” she said.
She also cautioned banks against advancing loans using the land title as security, arguing that any transactions involving the property should be discussed with her first.
Wairimu maintained that she had played a central role in reclaiming the property through the courts after it was grabbed.
“The land had been grabbed. I am the one who went to court with three lawyers. We fought until we won the case and the land was given back to me,” she said.
Wairimu added that she had not been informed about the number of plots being sold or the prices being charged to prospective buyers.
She insisted that the family needed to hold consultations before proceeding with any sales, warning buyers against taking loans to purchase the disputed plots.
“Buyers, do not go to the banks to get loans to buy the land. If you pay, know you have taken a big risk,” she said.
Wairimu expressed frustration over what she described as her exclusion from decisions concerning the property, saying her position as the surviving widow should be taken into account.
“I think they have crossed the line. I am supposed to be told whatever is going on. I am the only widow who is alive,” she said.
Wairimu said she remained grateful to the court for its determination of the ownership dispute, recalling that she and her lawyers had pursued the case for years.
The dispute comes against the backdrop of a landmark October 2023 ruling by the Environment and Land Court affirming Kirima’s ownership of the approximately 1,000-acre Njiru property.
Justice Samson Okong’o ruled that Kirima was the rightful owner of the parcel and dismissed claims by various self-help groups and squatters who argued that they had acquired portions of the land through adverse possession.
The ruling had significant implications for thousands of squatters and people who had bought or occupied plots within the expansive property, with initial eviction orders raising concerns about their future.
However, the Kirima family opted against forced demolitions, allowing occupants an opportunity to regularise ownership by purchasing their plots.
