The former husband and coach to Kenyan athletics star Lucy Kabuu is fighting to secure a share of disputed Sh70 million wealth.
In his defence against contempt proceedings filed by Ms Kabuu, Mr Jeremiah Maina argues that he played a crucial role in her success as an athlete and in their family’s investments.
He says that he sacrificed his own career as a decorated police officer, resigning to focus on coaching Kabuu, which he says led to her victories in various international races.
Lucy Kabuu breaks the tape to win 8km senior women race during the Kenya Police Cross Country Championship at Ngong Racecourse on January 14, 2012.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
“The plaintiff /respondent took his role very seriously as the trainer of the defendant that led to her excelling in her craft and winning various accolades,” he states in his filings in court.
Beyond coaching, Mr Maina told Judge Samuel Mohochi on Wednesday February 19 that he contributed financially to their shared investments.
Jeremiah Maina Kamungu, former husband of Kenya athlete Lucy Kabuu.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
He claims to have funded the completion of two floors of a commercial building in Nairobi that Kabuu was constructing.
Additionally, he says they jointly agreed to sell a plot to develop another property in Free Area, Nakuru, in a bid to expand their income sources.
According to Maina, his financial management significantly boosted their rental income, increasing it from Sh50, 000 to Sh250, 000 monthly after he oversaw renovations.
Kenyan Marathoner Lucy Wangui Kabuu in a Nakuru court during the hearing of a case in which she is battling over matrimonial property with her ex-husband.
Photo credit: Joseph Openda | Nation Media Group
However, Ms Kabuu has accused his Mr Maina of illegally selling part of their property despite an active court order prohibiting any transactions.
The 2006 Commonwealth Games 10,000 metres gold medallist alleges that he unlawfully instructed tenants of a plot in Nyahururu to stop remitting rent to Legacy Auctioneers, as per a court directive.
Instead, she claims he has been collecting rent since 2018 without depositing it into the court’s bank account.
In his response, Mr Maina denies disobeying court orders while insisting that the sales in question occurred in 2015 and 2017, before any restraining orders were issued.
He further alleges that Kabuu herself has been in violation of court orders to delay the case, which has dragged on for 11 years, while she continues to benefit from the contested property.
“The application is in bad faith, based on half-truths and therefore a waste of the court's time. The court should cite her for contempt which she has admitted to,” he states.
Ms Kabuu wants total control of the entire property which she claimed to have single-handledly acquired while Maina wants the same to be shared equally.
The court dissolved their marriage in 2020, but the legal battle over their matrimonial property remains unresolved.
