A popular TV news anchor has sued a former powerful state house operative and businessman for child support.
In the suit, the petitioner, who identifies as AK, demands KSh 2.7 million monthly upkeep for two children allegedly sired by the renowned businessman, JG. School fees arrears In court papers seen by Newsday.co.ke the applicant, through her lawyer Peter Wanyama, accused the defendant of absconding his parental duties.
She alleged that JG’s abdication of his roles had seen the two children settle for homeschooling as she did not have fees to keep them in class.
“Since 2020, the Defendant absconded his parental responsibility and the plaintiff has been carrying the burden of raising the three minors alone and this has become unbearable. The minors dropped out of school and have been home-schooling,” court papers indicated.
She submitted that the defendant has not been paying the school fees, which has embarrassed her children. The journalist asked the court to compel JG to pay the arrears by Monday, June 5.
“That pending the hearing and determination of the application inter-partes, the honourable court be pleased to order the defendant to pay the plaintiff monthly maintenance costs estimated at KSh 2.7 million per month effective June 5, 2023 to cater for the minors’ food shopping, shelter, clothing, entertainment, utility bills and staff salaries,” the papers state.
“In the alternative, an order directing the Defendant to deposit within 30 days of the Court’s judgment maintenance costs to cater for the monthly and occasional expenditures of the minors as pleaded in paragraph 16 of the plaint until they turn 18 years approximated at Kshs. 413,760,000/= in a designated bank account to be operated by the Plaintiff in trust for the minors”.
Evicted from Runda home
“In the alternative, an order directing the Defendant to deposit within 30 days of the court’s judgment maintenance costs to cater for the monthly and occasional expenditures of the minors as pleaded in paragraph 16 of the plaint until they turn 18 years approximated at KSh 413.7 million in a designated bank account to be operated by the Plaintiff in trust for the minors.”
The former news anchor said her children are used to a high standard of living and have now been evicted from their Runda home due to rent arrears after the accused withdrew his support suddenly in 2018.
“As a result, the plaintiff and the three minors were evicted from the Runda home and they were forced to seek shelter in a small home with manageable expenses. The sudden shift of lifestyle greatly affected the minors psychologically,” she states in court papers.
In the affidavit, the media personality claims JG went even further, withdrew support for nannies, guards, and chefs, and even stopped seeing his children.
“The defendant then withdrew support for all workers, nannies, chefs, security etc. Eventually, he stopped visiting the minors despite promising to do so numerous times”, she says. Jobless and broke The former news anchor said she has no regular income since she lost her job three years ago. She said she has been surviving on loans and help from the children’s grandfather.
“In 2020, the plaintiff lost her job and she does not have a regular income. The three minors are used to a certain kind of lifestyle and that needs to be maintained to ensure their emotional needs are not compromised.
Therefore, in an attempt to maintain the level of lifestyle which the minors were used to and to ensure that they do not fall into depression, the plaintiff has been taking loans. The plaintiff has been supporting the minors singlehandedly through loans, the help she gets from her family, friends and limited help from the minors’ grandfather through the family trust,” she says.
She added that from 2015 to 2018, JG maintained the three minors as their father, and he introduced them to a high standard of living while staying in Runda.
The news anchor narrated in her affidavit that in an unexpected turn of events, and for no apparent reason, the defendant systematically began to drop all support for the three minors in 2018.
She wants the court to compel him to release the children’s original birth certificates of deposit. She is apprehensive that JG may flee the country with the children.
“I am apprehensive that Jomo may have intentions to permanently relocate any time from Kenya together with the minors without her knowledge given that he is possession of their original documents and it is in the best interests of the children herein for the orders sought in this application to be granted,” the mother of three said in court documents.
Flight risk
The complainant is further seeking a temporary injunction restraining JG from travelling with the children away from Kenya.
“That pending the hearing and determination of the application inter-partes an order be issued restraining the defendant/ respondent, his servants or agents under his authority from taking the minors away from the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court without leave and authority of this Honourable Court,” the papers state.
It is also her prayer that JG is compelled to pay school fees for another minor aged 13, arguing they don’t have the be married to assume parental responsibility.
“Article 53 of the Constitution requires both parents to have equal parental responsibility to a child whether married or not,” she argued.
She alleged the former state house official only started to act after she wrote a demand letter where he allegedly enrolled the children in a school associated with his family.
Through her lawyer, the journalist stated that their children have been undergoing severe mental anguish since JG disappeared from their lives.
“The minors have been undergoing mental anguish, emotional, social and psychological distress ever since their father disappeared from their lives and stopped supporting them in 2020,” she said in court papers.
Paternal cases involving high-profile individuals have become rampant in the county.
