A lawyer who accused former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko of defaming her over the administration of a deceased billionaire’s estate has told the High Court that she no longer manages the estate.
Ms. Lucy Nyamoita Momanyi informed Justice Janet Mulwa that she stepped down from administering the estate of the late James Simon Bellhouse after being accused of swindling and stealing from the businessman’s widow.
Testifying before the Milimani High Court, Ms. Momanyi said the widow had threatened her, claiming she would “talk to a senior politician if she (the lawyer) did not stop meddling with the family estate.”
The lawyer, who has sued Sonko for defamation, told the court that while she was at the Mombasa High Court, Sonko allegedly confronted her and called her names, remarks she said were demeaning.
“True, as I was told by the widow that she would involve a senior politician in the administration of her late husband’s estate, Sonko confronted me in court with a video in which I was demeaned,” Ms. Momanyi stated.
However, during cross-examination by Sonko’s lawyer, Ms. Momanyi was questioned intensely about her involvement in managing the late Bellhouse’s estate. She admitted that she had been reported to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) by the widow.
It also emerged during cross-examination that Sonko became involved in the dispute after the widow of Bellhouse complained about the manner in which the family lawyer had purported to execute the will of her late husband, who died in 2009.
The court heard that the widow, Joy Nadzua Bellhouse, was not properly informed how the lawyer had obtained the will of her late husband.
Sonko allegedly took it upon himself to assist the widow in safeguarding the properties left behind by the billionaire.
The court was further told that the will could not be executed by the family lawyer while the widow was still alive.
It also emerged that the activities and conduct of Ms. Momanyi had been reported to the DCI, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), and the Law Society of Kenya.
The court heard that Sonko had spoken during a breakfast interview, where he allegedly revealed how the lawyer had swindled the widow.
The hearing resumes on October 27, 2025, for re-examination by Ms. Momanyi’s lawyer, Protus Saende.
