A Kenyan working in London, Dubai or Minneapolis may have spent a decade abroad yet still own a plot on the outskirts of Nairobi, a house upcountry, bank accounts and family responsibilities at home. Death abroad does not settle a Kenyan estate by itself. Without a plan, the family inherits a process , and diaspora … Read more
The will deals with the house and the shamba. But a good part of many families’ security sits elsewhere: a group life policy through the employer, a pension with a nomination form signed a decade ago, an individual policy nobody has reread since. Do life insurance and pension benefits pass under a will? Often they … Read more
A business owner in Westlands wants her children to inherit the family companies and the Karen home without the family spending years in the succession registry. She has heard of family trusts, but how do they differ from a will? What is a family trust? A family trust is an arrangement in which trustees hold … Read more
Parents of a child or adult with a disability carry a question other families do not: who will care for them when we are gone? An outright gift rarely answers it , property left outright to a person who cannot manage it is easily lost, and leaving it to a sibling “to look after” rests … Read more
Parents saving for school fees, or leaving property to young children, face the same question: who holds and manages the property until the child is grown? A trust answers that question in a way that is enforceable and transparent. Why can’t a child simply own property directly? Minors cannot enter into contracts in their own … Read more
A will and a trust can both carry out your wishes, but they work at different times, under different statutes, and with different levels of publicity. Knowing the difference helps you choose , or combine , the right tools. What is the main difference between a trust and a will in Kenya? Timing , a … Read more
Over the past decade, many Kenyan families have moved from informal arrangements , a title registered in one relative’s name, verbal understandings reached at family meetings , to formal family trusts. The shift is understandable: property built over a lifetime can be undone by a single disputed succession. Why do Kenyan families set up family … Read more
Nobody likes the conversation, which is why it usually happens too late , after a death, when a family discovers there is no will and the law, not the deceased, decides what happens to the house, the savings and the business. What happens if you die without a will in Kenya? When a person dies … Read more
Many people meet the word “trust” in conversation about family land, a late parent’s estate, or shares in a family company. In Kenyan law, a trust is a practical and flexible arrangement, and understanding the basics helps you decide whether one fits your situation. What is a trust under Kenyan law? A trust exists when … Read more
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