A lawyer who sued former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko for alleged defamation has told the High Court that she no longer manages the estate of a deceased multi-billionaire businessman, following accusations of fraud and misconduct.
Testifying before Justice Janet Mulwa, Ms. Lucy Nyamoita Momanyi admitted she stepped down from administering the estate of the late James Simon Bellhouse after being accused of swindling and stealing from the widow of the deceased tycoon.
Ms. Momanyi said the widow, Joy Nadzua Bellhouse, had threatened to involve a senior politician if she did not stop “meddling with the family estate.”
“The widow warned me she would talk to a senior politician if I did not stop interfering with the estate. Shortly after, while attending a matter at the Mombasa High Court, Sonko confronted me and demeaned me using a video clip,” she told the court.
The lawyer, who has filed a defamation suit against Sonko, claimed the former governor’s comments and video remarks damaged her professional reputation.
However, during cross-examination by Sonko’s lawyer, Ms. Momanyi admitted that she had been reported to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) by the widow over her conduct in handling the estate.
It emerged that Sonko got involved in the dispute after the widow complained about how Ms. Momanyi purported to execute her late husband’s will, even though the will could not legally be executed while the widow was still alive.
According to court testimony, Sonko intervened to help the widow safeguard properties left behind by the billionaire, who died in 2009. Reports about Ms. Momanyi’s actions were also lodged with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and other agencies.
The court further heard that Sonko made public remarks about the case during a media interview.
The case will continue on October 27, 2025, when Ms. Momanyi is expected to be re-examined by her lawyer, Protus Saende.
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