PREMIUM Can a stepfather lock me out of my mother's inheritance? DN2 Just now Listen

Article Hey Wakili, What should happen when a child who enters a marriage through the mother—meaning the child is not biologically related to the stepfather—is disinherited from the mother’s estate after her death, and the stepfather proceeds to use the mother’s assets and property to benefit only his biological children, excluding the child she brought into the union?

It is unlawful for a surviving spouse to use the deceased’s property to benefit only his biological children while excluding the child who entered the union through the mother.

Assets acquired before the marriage remain the exclusive property of the spouse who acquired them, meaning a child from a previous relationship may inherit 100 per cent of such property.