The Public Trustee may convert estate movable property into money, may convert immovable property with court consent (but court consent is not needed if all interested parties consent in writing or value ≤ five hundred thousand shillings and conversion is advantageous), must advertise for creditors (giving 30 days to prove debts), must pay proved debts or dividends, transfers untraceable residue to unclaimed property, may transfer residue to foreign grant-holders or consular officers, and claims against funds transferred to the Consolidated Fund will be paid if established to the Public Trustee’s satisfaction; the Attorney-General may distribute the estate.
Section 12. Movable property to be realised Section 12(1) The Public Trustee may convert into money all movable property of an estate which he administers under this Act, and may with the consent of the court convert into money all or any part of the immovable property of the estate: Provided that if all parties interested in the immovable the property consent in writing to its conversion into money by the Public Trustee, or if the value of that property does not exceed five hundred thousand shillings and the Public Trustee is satisfied that the conversion of that property into money would be to the advantage of the estate, the consent of the court shall not be necessary. Section 12(2) The Public Trustee shall cause advertisements to be published in the Gazette and in such other manner as he deems expedient calling upon the creditors of the person whose estate he is administering under section 8 (1) of this Act to come in and prove their debts before him within the space of thirty days from the date of publication: Provided that where the value of an estate is within the jurisdiction of a resident magistrate or a district magistrate under the Law of Succession Act ( Cap. 160 ), it shall not be necessary for publication to be made in the Gazette but the Public Trustee shall cause the advertisements to be published in accordance with rules made under section 97 of that Act or, if the magistrate directs otherwise, in accordance with that direction. Section 12(3) The Public Trustee shall, after the expiration of the period referred to in subsection (2), pay the debts proved, and if the whole thereof cannot be paid he shall pay a dividend thereon; and if he collects any further assets after making those payments, he shall, in case any part of the debts proved remains unpaid, pay that part and any debts subsequently proved before him, or a dividend thereon; but such debts as are subsequently proved shall first be paid a dividend in proportion to their amount equal to the dividend paid to creditors having previously proved their debts. Section 12(4)(i) in the event of the Public Trustee being unable to trace the parties beneficially entitled to the residue of the estate or any of them, he shall transfer the residue or proportionate part thereof as the case may be to the unclaimed property account; Section 12(4)(ii) where the Public Trustee has been granted letters of administration to the estate in Kenya of a person who at the time of his death was not domiciled, or who appears to the Public Trustee to have then not been domiciled, in Kenya, and a grant of probate of the deceased person’s will or letters of administration to his estate has been made in the country of the deceased person’s domicile, the Public Trustee may pay over or transfer to the person holding the grant the residue of the estate in Kenya without seeing to the application thereof and without incurring any liability in regard to that payment or transfer; Section 12(4)(iii) where the deceased person was domiciled in a foreign State, the payment or transfer may be made to a consular officer of that State, whose receipt shall be a full and complete discharge to the Public Trustee in respect thereof. Section 12(5)(a) upon the conclusion of the administration of the estate of a testate or intestate person, there remain in the possession of the Public Trustee funds of which the Public Trustee is unable to dispose by distribution in accordance with the law by reason of the untraceability of the person entitled to give a discharge, or for any other cause; or Section 12(5)(b) the Public Trustee is unable to conclude the administration of any trust as there are remaining funds of which he or she is unable to dispose by distribution in accordance with the law by reason of the untraceability of the beneficiaries under the trust or for any other cause, Section 12(6) If any claim is made to any part of the funds so transferred to the Consolidated Fund and if the claim is established to the satisfaction of the Public Trustee, the amount certified by the Public Trustee to be due to the claimant shall be paid, without interest, from the Consolidated Fund: Provided that the Attorney-General may dispose of and distribute the estate or any part thereof among any kindred of the deceased or other persons having a legal claim thereto. [L.N. 172/1960, Sch., Act No. 21 of 1966 , 1st Sch., L.N. 299/1956, Sch., Act No. 10 of 1976 , s. 10, Act No. 11 of 1993 , Sch., Act No. 7 of 2007 , Sch., Act No. 6 of 2018 , s. 10.]
