Late John DeMathew’s second wife speaks on star’s will and property dispute”
Carolyne Waithera, the second wife of late Benga legend John De Mathew, has opened up about the rift between her and his first wife, Sarafina De Mathew, over the distribution of the singer’s estate.
In a candid revelation on her YouTube channel, Carolyne reflected on the harmonious relationship that existed between the two wives following the musician’s tragic death in a road accident in 2019.
However, tensions flared in recent years when disagreements surfaced over the division of DeMathew’s assets, particularly his music royalties.
Carolyne revealed that the conflict escalated in 2021, largely over the division of the late singer’s earnings.
Initially, both wives shared the proceeds from DeMathew’s work.
However, she claims that disagreements arose after Carolyne launched her own YouTube channel.
Allegedly, Sarafina blocked Carolyne’s access to her late husband’s earnings following the launch of Carolyne’s independent venture.
According to Carolyne, DeMathew had not left a will to determine how his estate should be divided between his two wives and children.
“I went to court because for the first two years after John’s death, everything went smoothly and his assets were divided equally between his children. But when I started my YouTube channel, they refused to share the royalties we used to share. When I raised the issue, they ignored my calls. I even got John’s friend involved, but to no avail,” said Carolyne.
She stressed that her main motivation for seeking legal redress was to ensure that her children were included in their father’s inheritance.
“I went to court for my children’s sake. I had no evidence to claim anything. My advice to wives is not to claim ownership of any property until you have a written document,” Carolyne said.
While responding to a fan’s query on Facebook about the court case in August 2023, Carolyne said: “About the court, yes she (Sarafina) won and there’s always a winner and a loser.”
When Nairobi News contacted DeMathew’s first wife, Sarafina, she declined to comment on her personal affairs to the media.