By Prudence Minayo
Sarah Joslyn became a millionaire following the death of her boss, Richard Ingram. The deceased came to Kenya in 1950 and settled in Nakuru’s Mwariki area where he practiced horticulture in his farm. Ingram also started several petrol stations and businesses including the Blue Cross Kennels. He succumbed to his injuries after an attack by robbers.
The 76-year-old Roselyn became the owner of his Sh74 million worth of property. Before being recognized as the legal owner, there had been protracted court battles with various accusations being levelled against her.
From forgery to attempted murder of the late Richard Ingram, the househelp battled it out in the corridors of justice with various interested people who thought she didn’t deserve to get the property.
Here is the story of Sarah Joslyn as told by WoK.
History
Joslyn began working for the late businessman as a house help in the 80s and through the years she displayed honesty and integrity. In 1986, she was promoted to secretary.
By the time Ingram was passing away on 1st February 2014, the two had become friends. Having no children or wife, he named Joslyn as his sole executor and beneficiary of his estate.
According to his will, she was given the whole of his Kenyan estate for her use and benefit. The will also gave her authority to allocate property to Ingram’s friends, nurse, doctor and manager as she pleased.
The wealth she inherited included:
- Two second hand vehicles amounting to Sh350,000
- One acre property worth about Sh2, 660,000
- 4,592-hectare land touching the tarmac of Nakuru-Nairobi highway reportedly worth Sh50, 512, 000
- 4-acre property in Lanet worth Sh17, 809, 000
- Sh200,000 worth household furnishings
- Sh40,000 in bank account
Court Cases
The will was questioned by a few factions who felt something was not right. In 2014, Sarah Joslyn had moved to the Nakuru High Court, giving proof as to why she had the right to inherit Ingram’s estates.
In 2017, one of the sons of Ingram’s former employee, Wycliffe Waita accused her of forging the will. On 13th May 2021, he wrote a letter to the Commission on Administration of Justice claiming Joslyn secretly cremated Ingram’s body soon after his death.
She allegedly did this without valid death and burial certificates from the Civil Registry department. The cremation was reportedly overseen by Joslyn and her estranged husband Roger Joslyn.
Another accusation levelled against her was that she attempted to murder Ingram in 2007 using thugs. Waita said Ingram wrote a letter accusing Joslyn of being a participant in his 2007 assault which led to the closure of his farm in 2008.
He then says Joslyn took advantage of the closure to hand out redundancy notices to employees illegally on 29th July 2010.
A businessman named Stephen Ngatia claimed the deceased was his father’s business partner since 1957, hence, he was like family.
He accused Joslyn of seeking help from Ingram then misusing his trust to steal his wealth while he was ill. According to Mr. Ngatia, she used companies and lawyers to perpetuate the deception.
On 15th May 2019, she was charged in court for allegedly forging Ingram’s will and signature. She was accused of approving the transfer of his land between January 9th and 13th 2009.
She uttered the document as genuine before the high court registry on 30th January 2015. This criminal charge was thrown out of court due to lack of evidence.
Despite the numerous accusations, the involved parties later decided to use mediation. Justice Matheka confirmed Joslyn was given the grant on 30th July 2014 by Judge Anyara Emukule. He adopted a consent by the parties.
