Estate Planning
Estate planning is the intentional process of structuring how your assets, responsibilities, and legacy will be managed during your lifetime, in the event of incapacity, and after your passing.
It ensures that your wealth is preserved, your loved ones are taken care of, and your intentions are executed exactly as planned , not left to courts, chance, or family conflict.
Is your family's future guaranteed?
You are the engine behind their lifestyle. But who ensures their education, medical care, and comfort if that engine stops running today?
Retirement Savings
Securing the long-term wealth you've already built.
Insurance Benefits
Immediate liquidity to cover life's biggest transitions.
Investment Growth
Keeping your capital working for the next generation.
Business Continuity
Ensuring your enterprise survives and thrives without you.
"A legacy is built by design, not by chance."
What Happens If You Do Nothing?
Without a plan, the system makes decisions for you and rarely in the way you would have chosen. This is how generational wealth disappears.
If you don't plan your estate, the system will plan it for you.
It's Not Just About Death
Estate planning also protects you during your lifetime. What happens if you fall seriously ill or become incapacitated?
Who will access your accounts, run your business, or pay your bills? Without a structure, everything stalls.
Why Naming a Beneficiary Is Not Enough
A beneficiary receives money. A structure protects it.
Core Estate Planning Tools
Two primary tools but they are not equal. Understanding the difference is everything.
Wills
The basic tool with limitations
A will is a legal document that outlines how your assets are distributed after death. It is a starting point but it has significant limitations.
Trusts
The most powerful estate planning tool
A trust is a legal structure where assets are held and managed by a trustee for the benefit of your beneficiaries. Think of it as a system that ensures your money is used exactly how you intended.
What Makes Trusts Powerful
A trust bypasses probate entirely and gives you control that a will simply cannot.
No Probate Delays
Assets transfer immediately — no court process, no waiting, no frozen funds.
Full Control Over Distribution
You define exactly how, when, and to whom funds are released — even after you are gone.
Protection of Vulnerable Beneficiaries
Minors and dependants are protected from misuse. Money is released for specific needs, not handed over in a lump sum.
Professional Fund Management
Trust assets are professionally invested, targeting 8–12% p.a., so the fund continues to grow.
Privacy
Unlike wills, trusts are not public record. Your estate remains a private family matter.
Predictable Wealth Transfer
Funds are released based on your rules — education, medical, upkeep — processed within days of a valid request.
Types of Trusts
The right trust depends on what you want to protect and how complex your estate is.
Cash Management Trust
Simple & Accessible
Holds cash and anticipated cash — insurance payouts, pensions, and investments. Easy to set up and ideal for families who want a structured fund without complex assets.
- Minimum funding from as low as Kshs. 5,000
- Funds professionally invested (target 8–12% p.a.)
- Ideal for education, medical, and upkeep needs
- Quick to establish
Best suited for
Families who want to start with cash and direct future insurance or pension payouts into a structured fund.
Family Trust (Estate Trust)
Comprehensive & Powerful
Holds all asset types — property, businesses, and investments. Designed for succession planning, wealth preservation, and complex estates.
- Holds property, businesses, and investments
- Used for succession planning and wealth preservation
- Full control over asset distribution rules
- Costs approximately Kshs. 350,000 to set up
Best suited for
Business owners, professionals, and families with significant or diverse assets who want a complete wealth transfer structure.
How Trusts Work
Create the trust
Define the purpose — education, care, medical, general upkeep.
Appoint a trustee
The trustee manages assets on behalf of your beneficiaries.
Fund the trust
Transfer cash, investments, property, or direct future payouts.
Trustee manages assets
Assets are professionally invested and grown.
Funds released per your rules
Requests are submitted, documented, and paid directly for specific needs within days.
What Can Go Into a Trust
Even future payouts — insurance proceeds, pension benefits — can be directed into a trust.
Common Trust Use Cases
Same Money. Different Outcome.
Without a Trust
John passes away with Kshs. 10 million and no structure in place. Funds go through probate, access is delayed, family conflict arises, the money is misused, and his children's education and medical needs are left unprotected.
With a Trust
The same Kshs. 10 million is directed into a trust. Funds are professionally managed, education fees are paid directly to the school, medical costs are covered, and the children's future is secured — exactly as John intended.
How Estate Planning Works with Insurance
Life insurance and trusts are not competitors , they are partners. Together they form a complete wealth transfer system.
The Integrated Wealth Framework
Wealth Creation
Income and investments build the foundation.
Protection Planning
Insurance ensures liquidity when life takes an unexpected turn.
Retirement Planning
Income continuity so you never outlive your resources.
Estate Planning
Wealth transfer and preservation — the step that completes the journey.
Estate planning is what completes the journey.
Myths About Trusts
Common misconceptions that prevent people from putting a structure in place.
“Trusts are only for the wealthy”
Cash Management Trusts start from as low as Kshs. 5,000. Anyone can structure a trust.
“You lose control when you set up a trust”
You define every rule. The trustee is bound to follow your instructions — not their own judgment.
“Family will figure it out”
They rarely do — not without conflict, delays, or loss. Structure removes that burden from them.
“A trust and a will are the same thing”
They are very different. A will goes through probate. A trust bypasses it entirely.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Naming relatives as beneficiaries instead of structures
A beneficiary receives money. A structure protects it. Relatives may have good intentions but no obligation to follow your wishes.
Assuming family will 'do the right thing'
Grief, financial pressure, and competing interests change people. Structure removes the burden of expectation.
Ignoring minors in the plan
Minors cannot legally hold assets. Without a structure, a court appoints a guardian to control funds — not necessarily who you would choose.
Delaying planning until 'the right time'
Incapacity and death do not give advance notice. The best time to plan was yesterday. The next best time is today.
Not planning for business succession
Without a succession plan, a business you spent decades building can collapse or be lost within months of your absence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Estate Planning.
Real Talk
Most people focus on making money. Very few focus on protecting it, controlling it, and transferring it. And that is where families lose everything.
You are working hard to build wealth. Make sure it is protected, controlled, and transferred correctly.
Estate planning services are offered subject to applicable legal requirements, trust deed terms, trustee requirements, and prevailing regulations. Please speak to Mama Bima Kenya for a personalised consultation and full illustration based on your estate structure and goals.