Slain drug baron's kin in court over estate

By Willis Oketch

Struggle to control the late Mombasa drug baron Ibrahim Akasha’s estates worth more than one billion shillings has his family bitterly divided.

His children with the second wife have moved to court to compel their kin to allow fair sharing of the late Akasha’s vast estate.

Najma Akasha and Nuri Akasha moved to court last week and stopped other family members from disposing off his property.

Justice Jacktone Ojwang granted them the restraining orders.

They stopped their stepbrother, Baktash Akasha, and 10 other family members from selling the property.

The family has been wrangling since Akasha was killed in Amsterdam ten years ago.

Baktash, who has gone public over the feud, said it was no longer a secret that they were fighting.

The struggle became public after Baktash, who is Akasha’s son from his third wife, said he could no longer stomach threats from his relatives.

He alleged he had received threats and harassment from the family of his father’s second wife.

But Najma, the baron’s elder daughter from his second wife, dismissed the claims as unfounded.

Najma also absolved her brother Nuri Akasha Abdalla from any wrong doing in the family.

In an interview, she instead blamed Baktash of the woes in the family, claiming he had no respect for the others.

"We as the family of Akasha have a lot of respect for Baktash and that is why despite his outbursts we still respect him," said Najma.

She accused Baktash of failing to surrender the title deeds of some property, which the family had agreed to share out.

She also dismissed his stepbrother’s claims that police had not done anything regarding the death of their father in the Netherlands.

The late drug baron was shot dead by a lone motorcyclist while on his way to meet a businessman.

Najma further claimed that the family met recently and agreed on how the property would be distributed.

However after the said meeting on August 27, she alleged that Baktash decided not to honour it.

She said the agreement, which was drawn by a Mombasa lawyer, stated that the family house on plot number 2917 along Nyali Road be transferred to the second wife and her children.