Heir tracing in Africa works by starting with the little that is known about the deceased, working back to a home area, and using local investigative experience and community networks to find the family. It is slow, but it works. We recently did exactly this for the estate of a Europe-based Kenyan professional whose children had not been located for over 11 years. The search took more than 18 months.
Estates are often administered in one country while the heirs live in another, and when the family is in Africa the paper trail can be thin. At ASAP Inform, we work with probate genealogists across five continents to close that gap. To protect the family's privacy, identifying details such as profession, locations and names have been generalised.
What did the case look like on paper?
A Kenyan professional moved to Europe after divorcing his wife. They had two children together. He never remarried while in Europe, but he lived with a partner there for more than 20 years. They had no children, which made his biological children in Kenya the people entitled to his assets and properties.
The problem was that he left behind no names for his Kenyan family and no details of where they lived.
- 2children entitled to the estate
- 20+years with a partner in Europe, no children
- 2decades since the divorce
- 11+years whereabouts unknown
- 18+months this case took
Why was this estate so hard to resolve?
Three things stacked against us:
- No family details. We had to work from very little information.
- A divorce two decades old. His ex-wife had moved away with the children.
- No known address for over 11 years. No one had any idea where they were staying.
The task was to use the small amount we had and locate his rural home first.
How did we find the family?
- A Kenyan professional moves to Europe after divorceTwo children stay in Kenya.
- No family details are left behindNo names, no Kenyan addresses.
- The family cannot be locatedWhereabouts unknown for over 11 years.
- We work from minimal informationGoal: find the rural home first.
- Breakthrough: central KenyaFamily traced to a village.
- The family is informedThey accept the inheritance.
- Inheritance receivedThe case took more than 18 months.
Through experience and a trusted network on the ground, we located the family in a village in central Kenya. We informed them of the situation, they accepted the inheritance, and the process began.
It took more than 18 months. Cases like this are often slow, and clients deserve to hear that plainly. The siblings later received their inheritance, and it helped them transform their lives and those of their new families. For us as investigators, connecting a family to an inheritance they were entitled to is always deeply satisfying.
What does this case teach about tracing heirs in Africa?
- Start with the home area. Locating the rural home can unlock the rest of the search.
- Expect lost contact. In this case a family went unlocated for over a decade after a divorce.
- Local presence helps. Here, experience and a trusted network on the ground made the difference.
Where else have we traced heirs?
We cover more than 35 countries in Africa and have helped probate genealogists, lawyers, solicitors and individuals locate missing heirs and unknown next of kin. We have handled cases in South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Mauritius.
Professional affiliation
ASAP Inform and IAPPR
We are full members of the International Association of Professional Probate Researchers; Genealogists & Heir Hunters (IAPPR). ASAP Information Services has also been featured in IAPPR's member spotlight. IAPPR publishes a professional framework covering conduct, ethics, transparency and standards. This complements, rather than replaces, scrutiny of the scope and evidence behind each assignment.
Read the IAPPR member spotlight · Learn about IAPPR's published framework
Have an estate with missing African heirs?
If you are a probate genealogist, lawyer, solicitor or individual dealing with missing heirs in Africa, contact ASAP Inform. Share what you know, even if it is very little.
ASAP Inform
Heir tracing. Due diligence. Risk insight.
1st Floor, Suite 33, Vision Plaza
Mombasa Road, Nairobi, Kenya
Frequently asked questions
What is a probate genealogist?
A probate genealogist identifies and traces the heirs to an estate, property or assets, often across several countries.
What is heir tracing?
Heir tracing is the process of finding the people entitled to an inheritance when they are missing or unknown.
Can heirs be found with very little information?
Sometimes. In the case above, we started with minimal details and located the family's rural home through experience and local networks.
How long does heir tracing take?
It varies. This case took more than 18 months.
Which African countries does ASAP Inform cover?
We cover more than 35 African countries and have handled cases in South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Mauritius.
