Peter was a uniformed army officer with ranks. Peter died leaving behind a widow, two daughters and two sons in addition to his mother, father, two step-mothers and a score of siblings. Shortly after, Peter’s widow and last daughter followed him to the grave. In Africa it is common to die without leaving behind a will and Peter was no exception. Twenty five years down the road, his father and brother from another wife secretly claim his death gratuity and benefits. Huge sums of money were at their disposal and their greed consumed the money like wild bush fire. One of Peter’s sons got a pinch of this money to pay the bride price for his wife; and out of guilt his half brother paid one semester’s tuition fees for Peter’s daughter in a third rated village technical school. A family feud broke out. The cause? “Who has the right entitlement to Peter’s death gratuity and benefits?” One sect of the family seconded Peter’s father and half brother, another sect was pro-Peter’s orphaned children. Since Peter was my mother’s half brother; she was involved in the issue right from its genesis. She provided lodging for the duo, and out of [...]
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