British woman accuses DCI of unlawful detention at JKIA amid family estate dispute

Stephanie Carol Grantham, a British citizen, has filed a formal complaint with multiple Kenyan authorities, including the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Police Inspector General, and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), alleging unlawful detention, coercion, and targeted harassment at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on July 15, 2025.

The incident, she says, is linked to an ongoing family dispute over the estate of her late father, David Jonathan Grantham.

According to Grantham’s complaint, she was detained at JKIA despite a valid High Court order prohibiting such action.

She claims the detention was orchestrated by Joan Mumbua Muli Ndunda and Savannah Grantham, along with their legal representatives, in an attempt to pressure her into relinquishing her role as executor of her father’s estate.

Stephanie alleges that, while in custody at JKIA on the said day, she received an email from an advocate representing Ndunda and Savannah containing coercive settlement demands.

These demands included withdrawing from all court proceedings, transferring estate assets to a trust controlled by Savannah, and renouncing her legal claims - actions she describes as constituting coercion, criminal intimidation, and an attempt to pervert the course of justice.

Stephanie adds that she was threatened with overnight incarceration at the Nairobi Central Police Station, denied the right to contact her legal representative, and not informed of the reason or authority for her detention.

“I was held in a DCI holding office located in Parking Lot D at JKIA for over eight hours, in the presence of my minor children. I was repeatedly threatened with overnight incarceration at Central Police Station, denied the right to contact my legal representative (my husband called them, I was not allowed to be alone with them), and not informed of the reason or authority for my detention,” she says in her complaint.

Officers allegedly referred to her as ‘The Criminal Stephanie Grantham’ and escorted her to a holding cell at JKIA Police Station, where she was forced to sign an Occurrence Book (OB) without being allowed to read it. She was released at approximately 10:30pm without charge or explanation.

The complaint further details a history of alleged violence and intimidation by Ndunda against Stephanie’s late father, including a 2010 assault with a golf club that left him with lifelong injuries and a 2015 stabbing incident requiring emergency surgery.

Stephanie also accuses Ndunda of producing fraudulent documents, including a forged marriage certificate and falsified adoption records, to stake a claim in the estate.

These actions, she claims, have gone uninvestigated by authorities, pointing to what she calls an “institutional failure.”

“She (Ndunda) committed multiple acts of malicious damage to property, including ramming her vehicle — with her daughter inside — into my father's car in a fit of rage,” claimed the British national.

Stephanie is now seeking a probe by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) into the conduct of the involved officers, disciplinary action against those who defied the court order, and the removal of any ongoing “alerts” or “stops” interfering with her personal liberty.

“Despite the severity of these incidents, including the stabbing and the 2010 assault, my father did not pursue prosecution—a decision born not from forgiveness but from fear, exhaustion, and the clear futility of engaging a police system that had failed him repeatedly,” she added.

“All known acts were reported or documented by witnesses or third parties, including myself, but the police response was persistently indifferent. This inaction emboldened Joan to escalate her conduct over the years, confident that violence would not attract legal consequence”

The allegations highlight a contentious succession battle over the estate of David Jonathan Grantham, who died in November 2023, leaving behind valuable property in Karen, Nairobi.

The dispute has led to multiple court cases, including succession claims and criminal complaints, with Stephanie accusing her adversaries of using State resources to harass and intimidate her.

“Should no timely or proportionate enforcement action result from this complaint, I shall consider appropriate legal remedies available under Kenyan constitutional, administrative, and human rights law including, but not limited to, declaratory relief, injunctive orders, or judicial review at a time and forum of my choosing,” she stated.