Kericho Governor Dr Eric Mutai is facing a legal suit filed by a university student seeking Sh200,000 in child support.
Ms Maureen Chepkirui, a fourth-year student at Kabianga University, has accused Governor Mutai of abdicating his parental responsibility by refusing to provide protection, maintenance and other needs for his one-year-old child he allegedly sired with her.
The woman has further accused the governor of refusing to facilitate the registration of the child’s birth certificate by failing to provide his identity card.
In her case, the woman claims the governor has left her to shoulder the burden of taking care of the child, yet she has no source of income and currently depends on her relatives.
Ms Chepkirui, in documents filed in court, claims to have been involved in a romantic relationship with Dr Mutai in 2024, which resulted in the birth of a child in July 2024 in Kericho.
However, she claims to have been in both physical and legal custody of the child since its birth and has solely undertaken the responsibility of taking care of the child and attending to all her needs without any meaningful support from the governor.
The court heard that due to the governor’s failure to provide a copy of his birth certificate, she has not been able to receive the notification of birth and subsequently the birth certificate, thus denying the child its right to identity and nationality.
Kericho Governor Eric Mutai before the National Assembly Committee on Education at the County Hall Nairobi on Tuesday, November 21, 2023.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
“On numerous occasions since the birth of the child, the petitioner has been compelled to contact and plead with the respondent to contribute towards the minor’s needs, but on several occasions her calls and messages have been ignored,” she states.
When circumstances became difficult, Ms Chepkirui says she was forced to move from Kericho, where she ordinarily resides, and seek refuge at her sister’s house in Nakuru.
“The petitioner has no source of income since she is a student and therefore has been entirely dependent on her sister for assistance and provision of shelter, food, medication and other necessities for herself and the minor,” reads part of the document.
The woman resorted to filing the case after her efforts to have the governor commit to supporting the child failed.
According to Ms Chepkirui, the governor, upon receiving a demand letter expressing the intention to sue, reached out in an attempt to resolve the matter out of court, offering to pay Sh25,000 monthly towards the maintenance of the child.
The woman, however, declined the amount, saying it was inadequate considering the actual financial obligation needed to provide the child with proper support and maintenance.
Through her lawyers, the woman went ahead to draw a Parental Responsibility Sharing Agreement, which she shared with the governor’s advocates.
However, the governor reacted by filing a case before a magistrate’s court in Nakuru, accusing the woman of denying him access to the child and failing to disclose the child’s whereabouts.
However, Ms Chepkirui denied the assertions, noting that the governor has never wanted to see the child since it was born, nor made any efforts to get updates on its welfare, whereabouts and general well-being.
The court heard that the woman once took the minor to the governor’s residence to seek maintenance, but he refused to see or hold the child and banned its mother from returning to his residence.
The woman wants the court to declare that the governor has violated the minor’s rights and compel him to pay Sh200,000 monthly for child upkeep, as well as take a comprehensive medical cover for the child.
Further, she wants the court to compel Governor Mutai to furnish her with a copy of his national identity card to facilitate the processing of the minor’s birth certificate and also order him to pay exemplary damages of Sh200, 000.
In its September 14 ruling, the court ordered that the matter be served on Governor Mutai before it is mentioned on September 28.
