Shock as late Minister’s brother rocks family, leads disinheritance of children

The brother of the late former Housing Cabinet Minister Peter Soita Shitanda (pictured above) is on the spot for meddling in the former Malava MP’s family’s affairs, causing disharmony and bad blood.

Ngaira Shitanda, the younger brother to the late is said to be the one behind the disinheritance plot by the minister’s widow, Betty Glorious Soita.

This was revealed by the widow after she publicly opened up in court that Ngaira was the one who removed the names of Candy and Brandy Soita whom he sired with his second wife, Agnes Nduku from a list of the MP’s children.

Ngaira who contested for the Malava parliamentary seat in 2022 and taught a bitter lesson after only managing a sympathetic 275 votes, has now been told to abandon that trajectory and instead lead the family into finding an amicable solution and late his late brother’s soul find lasting peace in the spirit world.

It is not clear what his interests he has in the late MP’s property, but the local community has started piling pressure on him to instead concentrate on uniting the family.

The matter is in court, and the properties in question are valued at over Kshs.100 million.

In court succession case No 1520 of 2016 in the matter of Peter Soita Shitanda (deceased), the widow while giving her testimony on October 15 2024, expressly disowned children of the late minister born to the late minister’s second wife Agnes Nduku.

The widow informed the court that she did not recognise Candy Soita and Brandy Soita as children of her late husband, even though she admitted that her husband used to take care of them while he was alive, and catered for all of their needs, including paying for their school fees.

In the case, Candy, now based in United States, presented her evidence on her behalf and that of her brother Brandy, pleading with court to recognise them as part of lawful beneficiaries of the late.

At the same time, she is seeking to be made co-administrator of her late father’s estate, a request Betty has since vehemently opposed.

Candy has maintained that the late Shitanda was her biological father and had known that as a fact throughout her life.

In the evidence she tendered in court, Betty, her son Terrence Shitanda, and brother-in-law Ngaira Shitanda have sought the exclusion of Candy and Brandy to their late father’s wealth.

In a letter dated May 11, 2017, the area chief of Matioli location Daniel Chimuche only recognized Betty’s childrenin the burial programme of the late MP.

Betty was at pains to explain why she deliberately omitted Candy and Brandy from this crucial document, yet she had known them all along.

Betty shocked the court when she indicated that Candy and Brandy had been omitted in the burial programe and eulogy of their father by Ngaira who prepared it and therefore she was only bound by what her brother-in-law had decided in disowning the two children.

Candy and Brandy presented evidence of their birth certificates bearing the name of their father as Peter Soita Shitanda.

They also provided receipts of school fees that their father paid for them throughout until his demise in 2016.

In her evidence, Candy has accused Betty of squandering property of their father by selling it even before succession was concluded and wondered why the estate of her father had only been estimated at Sh70 million.

She has indicated to the court that several other prime properties had intentionally been omitted with no reasonable explanation being issued.

The matter is set for ruling on February 11, 2025.