The Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority (UFAA) has announced that Lwam Getachew Bekele, the ex-wife of the late Fidel Odinga, has applied to be appointed as the administrator of his unclaimed financial assets. The announcement was made through a gazette notice dated Friday, October 17, listing Bekele among several individuals seeking custody of assets belonging to deceased persons.
Under UFAA regulations, an administrator is tasked with managing the wealth or assets left behind by someone who has passed away. To obtain such authority, the applicant must submit formal documents and secure a letter of no objection from other beneficiaries of the deceased’s estate.
Following Bekele’s application, the Authority has issued a 30-day public notice allowing any person with a counterclaim to file an objection. If no valid objection is received within that period, Bekele will assume control of Fidel’s unclaimed financial assets.
“Unless an objection to the claims is lodged within thirty (30) days, payment will be made to the aforementioned person,” the UFAA notice reads in part.
Fidel Odinga, the eldest son of opposition leader Raila Odinga, married Eritrean national Lwam Bekele in 2012 in an intimate ceremony attended by family and close friends. The couple had a son in 2013 but later divorced in 2014. Prior to marrying Bekele, Fidel was married to Veronica Wanjiru.
Fidel passed away in January 2015 under mysterious circumstances at the age of 42. His death, which shocked the nation, led to minor protests in Nairobi and Kisumu. Many had viewed him as a potential political successor to his father.
With Bekele’s recent application, the matter now rests on whether any party will challenge her claim before the UFAA’s deadline a development that could reopen legal and family debates surrounding Fidel Odinga’s estate.
