It is a tragic indictment of Kenya’s judicial sluggishness. Margaret Njenga, once a thriving businessperson, is today destitute and homeless. Her crime? Engaging in a 21-year battle for her rightful share of her father’s estate, a fight that has consumed her youth, her wealth, and her dignity.

The saga began in 2004, shortly after the death of her father, Peter Karanja. What should have been a straightforward succession case turned into a multi-decade nightmare of adjournments, missing files, and familial treachery that has left Margaret a pauper in the land of her birth.

The Cost of Litigation

Margaret’s story is a harrowing case study of how the Kenyan court system can bleed litigants dry. battling her own brothers and stepmothers, she has spent millions in legal fees, transport, and filing costs. The assets she sought to protect—prime land and commercial interests—have remained out of reach, while her personal resources evaporated.

"I have lost my job. I have lost my business," Margaret lamented in a heart-wrenching interview. "I am fighting for what is mine, but the system is fighting against me." Her plight mirrors that of thousands of Kenyan women who, despite constitutional guarantees, find themselves disinherited by patriarchal customs and a legal system that moves at a glacial pace.

A Systemic Failure

Legal experts argue that Margaret’s case is not an anomaly but a feature of the Family Division. Succession cases in Kenya are notorious for dragging on for generations, often until the beneficiaries themselves pass away.

• Predatory Relatives: The case highlights the ruthless nature of family feuds, where stepmothers and siblings collude to strip daughters of their inheritance.
• Procedural Rot: The 21-year delay points to systemic inefficiencies—lost files, transferred judges, and endless interim orders that resolve nothing.
• The Human Toll: Beyond the legal arguments, there is a human cost. Margaret is now homeless, a refugee in her own country, waiting for a judgment that may come too late to save her.

The Final Verdict?

As the case nears yet another "final" hearing, civil society groups are calling for urgent reforms in the succession laws. For Margaret Njenga, however, policy papers mean little. She needs a roof over her head and the justice she was promised two decades ago. Her story is a shaming reminder that in Kenya, justice delayed is not just justice denied—it is life destroyed.