A nail-biting parenthood quarrel is ongoing at the children’s court in Milimani, Nairobi. It involves a woman, a businessman-cum-politician and a four-year-old girl.
The woman’s pleadings are along these lines: I was in a relationship with this man, and I even lent him Sh10 million. He left me just after giving him a daughter and without repaying my money. Now I have a girl he doesn’t want to raise.
She has asked the court to order the man, who has vied for an MP seat before, to pay Sh280,500 per month for upkeep and maintenance.
The man, in return, pleads: I didn’t con her the money, and the daughter isn’t mine. The woman who has sued me was living with another man when we had a thing, and that daughter must be from another relationship.
Also, while the woman says they were in a relationship between 2020 and 2021, the man claims in court that they were “acquaintances” who were “in the process of getting acquainted with each other” and whose “relationship was never defined”.
To add to the drama, testing services provider Cerba Lancet Kenya has denounced DNA results presented in court by the man.
In a letter issued on October 6, which has been filed in court, Cerba Lancet says it will approach the Directorate of Criminal Investigations [DCI] over the results.
“The alleged DNA report... is forged,” the firm says in a letter signed by its chief consultant pathologist, Dr Charles Wahome.
“There are no results nor records of the said DNA test done at our facility and recorded in our systems,” it adds. “From the foregoing, Cerba Lancet Kenya shall proceed to institute and lodge a complaint with the DCI on the forgery of the DNA report in our name as the same has subjected the company to reputational damage.”
Minor's maintenance and upkeep
When the matter came up in court on Tuesday, where the said DNA fabrication was raised, the court ordered a retest.
For legal reasons, we will identify the woman only as PPJ and the man as GBI.
This is not the first time a forgery claim is arising in the matter. Mr GBI, while responding to Ms PPJ’s filing of the case, said: “I have never sired a child knowingly or unknowingly with [her] and the birth certificate produced by the plaintiff is forged.”
In his submissions filed on October 1, 2024, he also noted that his acquaintance with Ms PPJ “fizzled long before” the girl was conceived.
In her institution of the case, Ms PPJ had bitterly complained of how Mr GBI left her high and dry.
“The Plaintiff and the Defendant had been in a relationship together since 2020 and were blessed with one child; the subject minor. Since 2021, they have been separated and the Plaintiff has had physical custody of the minor to date,” her lawyers said in a plaint filed on September 5, 2024.
“During the pregnancy, the Defendant only contributed to the delivery fees and covered the cost of the first vaccination through his medical insurance. Since then, he has never contributed towards the maintenance and upkeep of the minor despite the Plaintiff requesting him to do so,” they added, also claiming that Mr GBI had blocked her on all communication platforms.
“The Defendant has not only reneged on his responsibility to cater to the maintenance and upkeep of the minor he has also hampered the Plaintiff’s ability by swindling her of her money, (Sh10 million) and refused to pay her back. The matter is currently ongoing at the Milimani Commercial Law Courts and Kibera Criminal Court,” the lawyers added.
In his response, Mr GBI denied ever using his insurance cover on the daughter.
“[Ms PPJ] has never been listed as a dependant under [Mr GBI’s] medical cover and therefore it is impossible for his insurance company to have catered for the cost of delivery and first vaccination,” he said through his lawyers.
Mr PPJ also noted that the matter at the Kibera court had been dismissed and that the one at the commercial court had no correlation with the child upkeep case.
Noting that he only learnt about having a daughter through the court case, Mr GBI asked the court to order a DNA test, saying if he is found to be the father, he would be willing “to contribute 50 per cent of the reasonable needs of the child”.
Ms PJJ also wants the court to grant her full custody of the daughter, which Mr GBI doesn’t oppose. Parties in the case will return to court on November 13.
