Tanzanian tycoon Reginald Mengi's will left his estate to his second wife and their twins, and the High Court threw it out

Reginald Mengi died in Dubai on 2 May 2019, aged 75. A relative, Benson Benjamin Mengi, and three others filed Probate Case No. 39 of 2019 in the High Court at Dar es Salaam to be appointed under his will. The will left his estate to his second wife, Jacqueline Ntuyabaliwe Mengi, and their twin children. His eldest son, Abdiel, and his brother, Benjamin Abraham Mengi, objected. They said the will was not sealed, the signature differed from his usual one, no relative or wife saw him sign, and he had lacked capacity because of serious illness since 2016. They said it excluded his other children without regard to Chagga custom. Judge Yose Mlyambina declared the will invalid. He found that it cut out the objectors without giving a reason and included property belonging to Mengi's first wife, Mercy Anna Mengi. He appointed Abdiel and Benjamin administrators and ordered the estate divided as if there were no will. Jacqueline applied three times to join the case and was refused each time. The Court of Appeal dismissed her review application on 1 December 2022. On 5 August 2024 a three-judge panel in Arusha dismissed a further application, saying her grounds were for an appeal, not a review. The ruling that voids the will stands.