Lizzie Wanyoike’s Children Warned Against Battling for Billions Left

Three children of the late Lizzie Muthoni Wanyoike were cautioned by pastors on Tuesday against fighting over the billions left behind.

The children are Antony Wanyoike, Stella Njoroge, and Eric Kariuki.

Ms. Wanyoike passed away on January 14, 2024, after battling Fallopian tube cancer.

The pastors, who attended the funeral service of the prominent investor, founder of the Nairobi Institute of Technology and Business Studies, and owner of Emory Restaurant, warned that they would closely monitor how the inheritance would be managed.

Led by Anglican Church bishops Bishop Julius Njuguna of the Diocese of Thika and his counterpart Joel Waweru of Nairobi, they lamented, “What we witness in the country, with children fighting over their parents’ wealth, is disheartening.”

In his sermon, Bishop Waweru cautioned the children, stating, “If you start fighting over this wealth, you will be sweating for your late mother’s estate, paying lawyers who will mercilessly drain your income under the pretext of representing you in court.”

Bishop Waweru mentioned, “We will be following how you will continue this significant investment of your mother, praying for its even greater prosperity.”

In addition to the Nairobi Institute of Technology and Business Studies, the late Wanyoike also owned the Emory Restaurant in Kileleshwa, Nairobi.

Her other investments included primary and secondary schools, the stock market, the Lizzie Wanyoike Foundation, and the real estate sector.

Bishop Waweru urged the children to uphold their mother’s values, describing her as someone who “loved to help the less fortunate, embraced many, and had professions to provide a livelihood.”

He advised them to realize that “your mother was not selfish, corrupt, or hypocritical, and her heart was open to embrace all without discrimination.”

He recommended that they implement the advice among themselves “without considering who is older or younger than the other.”

He said, “Antony, don’t claim you are the eldest and start taking hold of all the property. Stella, don’t say you are the only special girl… Eric, don’t say you, as the youngest, hold the reins of this kingdom.”

He urged them to sit down and plan how Ms. Wanyoike’s legacy would be uniquely continued in the country and preserved as an example for future generations.

Bishop Waweru also stated that the corruption in Kenya is alarming, and if not addressed, no prosperity will be achieved.

“Lizzie even hinted at how some corrupt tax collection officials once visited her, trying to trick and threaten her,” he said.

However, Ms. Wanyoike, he added, “because she was paying her taxes with integrity, stood firm and told them she wouldn’t give them a penny, and they had to leave with their tails between their legs.”

He advised Lizzie’s children to be cautious of the cunning, arrogance, and cruelty of corrupt individuals and understand that Ms. Wanyoike had many friends ready to help in complex situations.